The Dark Light (film)

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The Dark Light
The Dark Light (1951 film).jpg
Directed by Vernon Sewell
Written byVernon Sewell
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Moray Grant
Edited byFrancis Bieber
Music by Frank Spencer
Production
company
Distributed byExclusive Films (UK)
Release date
  • 23 April 1951 (1951-04-23)(UK)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
Language English

The Dark Light is a 1951 British second feature [1] thriller film directed and written by Vernon Sewell and starring Albert Lieven, David Greene and Norman Macowan. [2]

Contents

Plot

The crew of a lighthouse take in what they assume to be the survivors of a shipwreck, but who turn out to be criminals on the run after a bank robbery.

Cast

Production

It was filmed at a rented country estate in Gilston and on location around Portsmouth. [1] :77 Sewell used his own boat. [3]

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A good setting and an adequate idea are wasted in a film which suffers from incoherent plot development, clumsy handling, and generally indifferent performances." [4]

The Radio Times called it "dismal" writing: " 'Quota quickie' veteran Vernon Sewell gets matters off to a promising start as a desperate gang of bank robbers are rescued from the stormy sea by a lighthouse crew. By tossing away the dramatic possibilities of the claustrophobic setting, however, he is unable to sustain more than a modicum of tension as the crew begin scheming to keep the swag for themselves, rather than let justice take its course." [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 119. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. "The Dark Light". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  3. Fowler, Roy (8 July 1994). "Vernon Sewell". British Entertainment History Project.
  4. "The Dark Light". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 18 (204): 263. 1 January 1951 via ProQuest.
  5. "The Dark Light - Film from RadioTimes".