The Rossiter Case

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The Rossiter Case
The Rossiter Case film Opening titles (1951).jpg
Directed by Francis Searle
Screenplay byJohn Hunter
Francis Searle [1]
Based onThe Rossiters (play) by Kenneth Hyde [2]
Produced by Anthony Hinds
Starring Helen Shingler
Clement McCallin
Sheila Burrell
Cinematography Walter J. Harvey
Edited byJohn Ferris
Music by Frank Spencer
Production
company
Distributed by Exclusive Films (UK)
Release date
  • 21 January 1951 (1951-01-21)(UK)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Rossiter Case is a 1951 British second feature ('B') [3] crime film directed by Francis Searle and starring Helen Shingler, Clement McCallin, Sheila Burrell and Stanley Baker in a small role. [4] It was written by John Hunter and Searle based on Kenneth Hyde's 1947 play The Rossiters. [5] Production ran from 22 May 1950 to 9 June. It was released on 21 January 1951. The film is unlisted in film guides and is today considered a lost film. [6]

Contents

Plot

Peter Rossiter's wife Liz is paralyzed from a car accident caused by his driving. He has an affair with his calculating sister-in-law, Honor, who tells him she is pregnant and that he should divorce Liz and marry her. When Liz realizes her sister is scheming to steal her husband, she confronts her and Honor pulls out a gun. The sisters wrestle over the weapon, and Honor is shot dead. The police find Peter's gun by the body, and he becomes their number one murder suspect. Since he was drunk at the time of the shooting, he has no alibi. Liz decides to confess, and as she does so, she miraculously regains her ability to walk again and rises up out of her wheelchair. The police rule the case an accidental homicide, and Liz and Peter decide to work on repairing their marriage.

Cast

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This melodrama, adapted from a stage play, has been almost literally translated to the screen. The result is a film artificial in presentation, and weighed down by dialogue." [7]

Picture Show wrote: "Competently acted and directed." [8]

The Daily Film Renter wrote: "Both the leading and supporting roles are acted in really true-to-life style, and the picture remains traditionally British in character." [9]

Picturegoer wrote: "Both Helen Shingler and Clement McCallin have achieved considerable success on television in recent months. This, their first screen appearance after a long absence, will, unfortunately, not enhance their names with picturegoers. Neither is able to inject sufficient dramatic quality into this tale. The story, though it has its moments, is far too long." [10]

References

  1. ↑ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 54. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  2. ↑ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN   9783110951943.
  3. ↑ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: British Film Institute/Bloomsbury. p. 77. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  4. ↑ "The Rossiter Case (1951)". Archived from the original on 17 January 2009.
  5. ↑ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 54. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  6. ↑ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 55. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  7. ↑ "The Rossiter Case". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 18 (204): 220. 1 January 1951. ProQuest   1305814404.
  8. ↑ "The Rossiter Case". Picture Show . 56 (1455): 10. 17 February 1951. ProQuest   1879614728.
  9. ↑ "The Rossiter Case". The Daily Film Renter. 56 (6120): 5. 11 January 1951. ProQuest   2600905683.
  10. ↑ "The Rossiter Case". Picturegoer . 21: 17. 3 February 1951. ProQuest   1705089837.
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