The Large Rope

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The Large Rope
The Large Rope (1953 film).jpg
Directed by Wolf Rilla
Written by Ted Willis
Produced by Victor Hanbury
Starring Donald Houston
Susan Shaw
Robert Brown
Cinematography Geoffrey Faithfull
Edited by Peter Graham Scott
Music by Ronald Binge
Production
company
Victor Hanbury Productions (as Insignia)
Distributed by United Artists Corporation (UK)
Release date
  • December 1953 (1953-12)(UK)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Large Rope (also known as The Long Rope) is a 1953 British second feature ('B') [1] crime film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Donald Houston, Susan Shaw and Robert Brown. [2] [3] It was written by Ted Willis.

Contents

Plot

Tom Penney returns to his village after serving three years in prison for an assault that he did not commit, determined to take his revenge on those who framed him. He meets hostility from most of the village including his father, but his mother is glad to see him, and his former girlfriend, Susan, who is about to be married that day, finds her old feelings for him resurface. Amy Jordan, the flirtatious married woman he is supposed to have assaulted three years ago, is found dead in nearby woods just as the wedding is due to begin, and Susan runs from the church when she hears the news. Tom is taken in by the police for questioning, but escapes, and both he and the police try to discover the killer, while most of the villagers, convinced that Tom is the murderer, form a lynch mob.

Cast

Critical reception

Kine Weekly wrote: "The direction is a bit woolly and the cast uneven, but warm and sunny countryside backgrounds help to round off its ragged edges. ... The picture's cross-sections of life in green pastures are somewhat raw, but ts calm, rustic atmosphere is authentic and gives essential contrast to its homicidal plot. Donald Houston displays very little animation as Tom, but Susan Shaw pleases s Susan, and Robert Brown makes a wicked Mick. The dénouement, although obvious, is robust rough house and completely in accod with the down-to-earth sentiments. By, and large, compact and hearty screen barnstorming." [4]

Picturegoer wrote: "A man serves a prison sentence for murder. On his release he returns to his native village determined to cleas himself, That's all. But the very simplicity of the whole thing carries weight. Donald Houston could, with advantage, have been more animated as the man with a mission. On the other hand, Susan Shaw is really bright as the girl who still believes in his innocence." [5]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Leisurely, rather wearisome 'who dunnit'." [6]

The film historians Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane describe The Large Rope as an "excellent thriller", adding that it has "an arresting narrative premise and an unsentimental view of the potential mean-spiritedness of village life". [1]

References

  1. 1 2 Steve Chibnall & Brian McFarlane The British 'B' Film, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2009, p. 139.
  2. ↑ "The Large Rope". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  3. ↑ "BFI | Film & TV Database | The LARGE ROPE (1953)". web.archive.org. 19 January 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "The Large Rope". Kine Weekly . 441 (2424): 16. 10 December 1953. ProQuest   2738578375.
  5. ↑ "The Large Rope". Picturegoer . 27: 17. 3 May 1954. ProQuest   1705159388.
  6. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 335. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
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