The Sinister Man | |
---|---|
Directed by | Clive Donner |
Written by | Robert Stewart |
Based on | novel The Sinister Man by Edgar Wallace |
Produced by | Jack Greenwood |
Starring | Patrick Allen Gerald Anderson William Gaunt John Bentley |
Cinematography | Bert Mason |
Edited by | Derek Holding |
Music by | Charles Blackwell |
Distributed by | Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors |
Release date |
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Running time | 58 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The Sinister Man is a 1961 British crime drama film directed by Clive Donner and starring Patrick Allen and John Bentley. [1] [2] It was one of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries, British second-features, produced at Merton Park Studios in the 1960s. [3]
The body of an Oxford professor is found floating in the river Thames. He had previously been studying an archeological artefact known as the Kytang Wafers, and this is now missing. Scotland Yard investigates. The wafers are bits of ancient text that could alter the relations between Red China and a Tibetan type nation called "Kytang". An autopsy reveals that the professor was murdered by a karate blow.
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Hectic penny dreadful, without subtlety or surprise. Clive Donner's direction has intermittent punch, but the jaded format of these Edgar Wallace quickies is beginning to defeat any attempt at even the simplest kind of style." [4]
Leslie Halliwell said: "Very tolerable minor thriller in the Edgar Wallace series: short, sharp and snappy." [5]
MemorableTV.com described the film as "definitely one of the great Edgar Wallace entries with a fab cast that includes a pre-Steptoe Wilfred Brambell, Patrick Allen, William Gaunt and Burt Kwouk. John Bentley who took the lead as Superintendent Willis was a popular actor in the late fifties and early sixties but is all but forgotten these days." [6]
Classic Movie Ramblings wrote "The Sinister Man isn’t exactly a good movie but it has plenty of energy and a few intriguingly odd moments. I found it to be strangely appealing." [7]
The film is included in Volume 2 of The Edgar Wallace Mystery series, released on region 2 DVD by Network, in 2012. [8]
Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk, was a British actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Major Yamauchi in the British drama series Tenko and as Entwistle in Last of the Summer Wine.
Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) was a British novelist, playwright and screenwriter whose works have been adapted for the screen on many occasions. His films fall into two categories, British adaptations and the German "Krimi" films.
John Derek Carson-Parker, known as John Carson, was an English actor known for his appearances in film and television.
The Edgar Wallace Mysteries is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre on television in the United States.
Clive Stanley Donner was a British film director who was part of the British New Wave, directing films such as The Caretaker, Nothing but the Best, What's New Pussycat?, and Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. He also directed television movies and commercials through the mid-1990s.
The Secret Partner is a 1961 British thriller film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Stewart Granger, Haya Harareet and Bernard Lee. The screenplay concerns a shipping executive officer who is blackmailed by an evil dentist.
The Gaunt Stranger is a 1938 British mystery thriller film directed by Walter Forde. It stars Sonnie Hale, Wilfrid Lawson and Alexander Knox.
We Shall See is a 1964 British drama film directed by Quentin Lawrence and starring Maurice Kaufmann, Faith Brook and Alec Mango. It was adapted by Donal Giltinan from the 1926 novel We Shall See! by Edgar Wallace, and was made at Merton Park Studios as part of the long-running series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries.
The Clue of the New Pin is a 1961 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Allan Davis and starring Paul Daneman, Bernard Archard and James Villiers. The screenplay was by Philip Mackie, based on the 1923 Edgar Wallace novel of the same title which was previously filmed in 1929. It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios from 1960 to 1965.
Solo for Sparrow is a 1962 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Gordon Flemyng and starring Glyn Houston, Anthony Newlands and Nadja Regin, with Michael Caine in an early supporting role. It was written by Roger Marshall based on the 1928 Edgar Wallace novel The Gunner, and produced by Jack Greenwood and Abhinandan Nikhanj as part of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series.
Never Back Losers is a 1961 British 'B' crime film directed by Robert Tronson and starring Jack Hedley, Jacqueline Ellis and Patrick Magee. It was written by Lucas Heller based on the 1929 novel The Green Ribbon by Edgar Wallace. It was one of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series, produced at Merton Park Studios in the early 1960s.
The White Trap is a 1959 British second feature thriller film directed by Sidney Hayers and starring Lee Patterson. The screenplay is by playwright Peter Barnes, who went on to write the cult stage and film comedy The Ruling Class (1972); and the Oscar nominated screenplay for Enchanted April (1991).
The Malpas Mystery is a 1960 British second feature ('B') crime film, directed by Sidney Hayers and starring Maureen Swanson and Allan Cuthbertson. The screenplay was by Paul Tabori and Gordon Wellesley, based on the 1924 Edgar Wallace novel The Face in the Night.
Man at the Carlton Tower is a 1961 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Robert Tronson and starring Maxine Audley, Lee Montague and Allan Cuthbertson. The screenplay was by Philip Mackie, based on the 1931 Edgar Wallace novel The Man at the Carlton. It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios from 1960 to 1965.
The Three Oak Mystery is a 1924 crime novel by the British writer Edgar Wallace.
Marriage of Convenience is a 1960 British crime film directed by Clive Donner and starring Harry H. Corbett, John Cairney and John Van Eyssen. The screenplay was by Robert Banks Stewart, based on the 1924 Edgar Wallace novel The Three Oak Mystery. It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios from 1960 to 1965.
Partners in Crime is a 1961 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Peter Duffell and starring Bernard Lee, Moira Redmond and John Van Eyssen. The screenplay was by Robert Banks Stewart, based on the 1918 Edgar Wallace novel The Man Who Knew. It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios from 1960 to 1965.
The Sinister Man is a 1924 thriller novel by the British writer Edgar Wallace.
Clue of the Silver Key is a 1961 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Gerard Glaister and starring Bernard Lee, Lyndon Brook and Finlay Currie. The screenplay was by Philip Mackie based on the 1930 Edgar Wallace novel of the same title. It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios from 1960 to 1965.
The Set Up is a 1963 British second feature film directed by Gerard Glaister and starring Maurice Denham, John Carson and Maria Corvin. Part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios, it is based on a Wallace story.