The Passing Stranger

Last updated

The Passing Stranger
The Passing Stranger (1954 film).jpg
Directed byJohn Arnold
Written byJohn Arnold
Based onan original story by Anthony Simmons
Produced byAnthony Simmons
Ian Gibson-Smith
Starring Lee Patterson
Diane Cilento
Duncan Lamont
Cinematography Walter Lassally
Edited byAlvin Bailey
Music by Ken Sykora
Production
company
Harlequin Productions
Distributed by Independent Film Distributors
Release date
  • 29 November 1954 (1954-11-29)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Passing Stranger is a 1954 British crime film written and directed by John Arnold, and starring Lee Patterson, Diane Cilento and Duncan Lamont. [1] It was produced by Anthony Simmons, who also wrote the original film story, and Ian Gibson-Smith, with Leon Clore as executive producer for Harlequin Productions.

Contents

Plot

Chick, an American soldier serving in Europe, has deserted and is trying to find his way back to the US. After falling in with a gang of criminals, he is on the run after a robbery went wrong, and hides up at a roadside café near a small British town (Banbury). One of the owners of the café, Jill, falls for him and they make a plan to run away together.

Cast

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin said "There is evidence, in this film of modest means, of an attempt to break out of the usually shoddy straitjacket of British second features. Technically, in all departments except sound, The Passing Stranger is well above the average of its kind; but its story is implausible, thinly written and poorly constructed, its characterisation unconvincing, and its direction fails to impose any clear narrative grasp. Its human portraiture, and sense of locale – except for some atmospherically shot locations – is in fact strenuously unreal. Lee Patterson and Duncan Lamont play very adequately, Diane Cilento is miscast but has an interesting personality, and the rest of the acting is poor." [2]

Kine Weekly said "The picture opens promisingly but its characters soon prove to be cardboard and instead of getting down to brass tacks wear their hearts on their sleeves and talk their heads off. Lee Patterson fails, through no fault of his own, to achieve the impossible and convince as the embittered Chick. Diane Cilento looks a sight as Jill, Duncan Lamont is a fish out of water as Fred, and the rest are merely uncomfortable passengers. There is a signature tune, intended to give it tone, but it's little more than a wail. As for the settings, they're as cheerless as the plot." [3]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Ambitious second-feature lacks basic material." [4]

TV Guide wrote "This decent second feature tries hard but fails because of script limitations." [5]

Allmovie called it "a passing good little film noir." [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Good Die Young</i> 1954 film

The Good Die Young is a 1954 British crime film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Laurence Harvey, Gloria Grahame, Joan Collins, Stanley Baker, Richard Basehart and John Ireland. It was made by Remus Films from a screenplay based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Richard Macaulay. It tells the story of four men in London with no criminal past whose marriages and finances are collapsing and, meeting in a pub, are tempted to redeem their situations by a robbery.

<i>Dry Rot</i> (film) 1956 British film

Dry Rot is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey, and starring Ronald Shiner, Brian Rix, Peggy Mount, and Sid James.

<i>The Flanagan Boy</i> 1953 film by Reginald Le Borg

The Flanagan Boy is a 1953 British film noir directed by Reginald Le Borg. It was made by Hammer Film Productions and stars Barbara Payton, Tony Wright, Frederick Valk and Sid James. It was based on the 1949 novel of the same name by Max Catto.

<i>Dangerous Cargo</i> 1954 British film by John Harlow

Dangerous Cargo is a 1954 British second feature crime film directed by John Harlow starring Jack Watling, Susan Stephen and Karel Stepanek. The film was produced by Stanley Haynes for ACT Films. Daily Express crime reporter Percy Hoskins provided the story.

<i>Once a Sinner</i> (1950 film) 1950 film

Once a Sinner is a 1950 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Pat Kirkwood, Jack Watling and Joy Shelton.

<i>The Girl in the Picture</i> (1957 film) 1957 British film

The Girl in the Picture is a 1957 British second feature crime film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Donald Houston and Patrick Holt.

<i>The Broken Horseshoe</i> (film) 1953 film

The Broken Horseshoe is a 1953 British "B" crime film directed by Martyn C. Webster and starring Robert Beatty, Elizabeth Sellars, Peter Coke, and Hugh Kelly. It was based on a BBC television series of the same title from the previous year. A surgeon is drawn into a murder case.

<i>The Steel Key</i> 1953 British film

The Steel Key is a 1953 British second feature thriller film directed by Robert S. Baker and starring Terence Morgan, Joan Rice and Raymond Lovell.

<i>Those People Next Door</i> 1953 British film by John Harlow

Those People Next Door is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John Harlow and starring Jack Warner, Charles Victor and Marjorie Rhodes. It was based on the play Wearing the Pants by Zelda Davees.

<i>Murder at 3am</i> 1953 film by Francis Searle

Murder at 3 a.m. is a 1953 British crime film second feature directed by Francis Searle and starring Dennis Price, Peggy Evans and Rex Garner. A Scotland Yard detective investigates a series of attacks on women.

<i>Keep It Clean</i> 1956 British film by David Paltenghi

Keep It Clean is a 1956 British black-and-white comedy film directed by David Paltenghi and starring Ronald Shiner and Joan Sims.

<i>Burnt Evidence</i> 1954 British film

Burnt Evidence is a 1954 British second feature thriller film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Jane Hylton, Duncan Lamont and Donald Gray. It was produced by Ronald Kinnoch for ACT Films.

Three Steps to the Gallows is a 1953 British second feature crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Scott Brady, Mary Castle and Gabrielle Brune. It was released in the USA by Lippert Pictures as White Fire.

<i>The Girl Who Couldnt Quite</i> 1950 British film by Norman Lee

The Girl Who Couldn't Quite is a 1950 British drama film directed by Norman Lee and starring Bill Owen, Elizabeth Henson and Iris Hoey. It is based on the 1947 stage play of the same name by Leo Marks.

<i>The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp</i> 1954 British film by Alan Bromly

The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp is a 1954 British fantasy comedy film directed by Alan Bromly and starring Felix Aylmer, Diane Cilento and Jerry Desmonde. The film was based on a novel by Charles Terrot and is a remake of his television play broadcast in 1951. It was remade as a West German film of the same title in 1959.

<i>The Scarlet Web</i> 1954 British film by Charles Saunders

The Scarlet Web is a 1954 British second feature crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Griffith Jones, Hazel Court and Zena Marshall.

<i>Mrs. Pym of Scotland Yard</i> 1939 British film

Mrs. Pym of Scotland Yard is a 1939 British comedy-drama film directed by Fred Elles starring Mary Clare in her only title role and Nigel Patrick in his film debut. It is based on the Mrs Pym novels by Nigel Morland, and written by Morland, who re-used the title for a 1946 book.

<i>Profile</i> (1954 film) 1954 film

Profile is a 1954 British second feature thriller film directed by Francis Searle and starring John Bentley, Kathleen Byron and Thea Gregory. A murder mystery set in a magazine publishers.

<i>Ill Turn to You</i> 1946 film

I'll Turn to You is a 1946 British drama film directed by Geoffrey Faithfull and starring Terry Randall, Don Stannard and Harry Welchman. A returning serviceman faces problems with his wife and his job. Although not a musical, the film has a lengthy concert segment at the end that allows the title song to wrap up the narrative.

<i>Dangerous Voyage</i> 1954 British film

Dangerous Voyage is a 1954 British second feature mystery crime film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring William Lundigan, Naomi Chance and Vincent Ball. It was distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated in the UK, and in the United States by Lippert Pictures as Terror Ship.

References

  1. ↑ "The Passing Stranger". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Passing Stranger". Monthly Film Bulletin . 22 (252): 10. 1955 – via ProQuest.
  3. ↑ "The Passing Stranger". Kine Weekly . 452 (2473): 22. 18 November 1954 – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 359. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
  5. ↑ "The Passing Stranger - TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
  6. ↑ "The Passing Stranger (1954) - John Arnold - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.