The Spider's Web | |
---|---|
Directed by | Godfrey Grayson |
Written by | Agatha Christie (play) Albert G. Miller Eldon Howard |
Produced by | Edward J. Danziger Harry Lee Danziger |
Starring | Glynis Johns John Justin Cicely Courtneidge Jack Hulbert |
Cinematography | James Wilson |
Edited by | Bill Lewthwaite |
Music by | Tony Crombie |
Production company | Danziger Productions |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The Spider's Web (also known as The Spider's Web by Agatha Christie) is a 1960 British mystery film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Glynis Johns, John Justin, Cicely Courtneidge and Jack Hulbert. [1] [2] It was adapted by Albert G. Miller and Eldon Howard from the 1954 play Spider's Web by Agatha Christie, and was a rare Technicolor 'A' feature from the Danzigers.
It was remade as a television special starring Penelope Keith that was broadcast on 26 December 1982.
An ambassador's wife must hide the corpse of her stepdaughter's unlikeable stepfather from her husband, who is bringing important visitors to their country home. [3]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The attempt at light relief falls flat, while the comically inept police inspector is little short of ludicrous. ...There is the usual surprise denouement, but much is left vague or unclarified." [4]
Leslie Halliwell said: "Fairly standard who-done-it played unwisely for comedy." [5]
TV Guide wrote, "an entertaining film version of Agatha Christie's 1954 stage play about a diplomat's wife who hides the corpse of her stepdaughter's father. Though there is no Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot to push this programmer along, it still moves at a lively pace." [6]
The L-Shaped Room is a 1962 British drama romance film directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Lynne Reid Banks. It tells the story of Jane Fosset, a young French woman, unmarried and pregnant, who moves into a cheap London boarding house, befriending a young man, Toby, in the building. The work is considered part of the kitchen sink realism school of British drama. The film reflected a trend in British films of greater frankness about sex and displays a sympathetic treatment of outsiders "unmarried mothers, lesbian or black" as well as a "largely natural and non-judgmental handling of their problems". As director, Forbes represents "a more romantic, wistful type of realism" than that of Tony Richardson or Lindsay Anderson.
Dame Esmerelda Cicely Courtneidge, was an Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer. The daughter of the producer and playwright Robert Courtneidge, she was appearing in his productions in the West End by the age of 16, and was quickly promoted from minor to major roles in his Edwardian musical comedies.
John Norman Hulbert was a British actor, director, screenwriter and singer, specializing primarily in comedy productions, and often working alongside his wife (Dame) Cicely Courtneidge.
Bottoms Up is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi, and starring Jimmy Edwards in a spin-off of his TV comedy series Whack-O!, playing the seedy, alcoholic, cane-wielding headmaster of Chiselbury School, a fictional British public school. The screenplay was by Michael Pertwee, with additional dialogue by Frank Muir and Denis Norden.
The Gentle Sex is a 1943 British black-and-white romantic comedy-drama war film, directed by Leslie Howard and Maurice Elvey and narrated by Howard. It was produced by Concanen Productions, Two Cities Films, and Derrick de Marney. It was Howard's last film before his death.
Spider's Web is a play by crime writer Agatha Christie. Spider's Web, which premiered in London's West End in 1954, is Agatha Christie's second most successful play, having run longer than Witness for the Prosecution, which premiered in 1953. It is surpassed only by Christie's record-breaking The Mousetrap, which has run continuously since opening in the West End in 1952.
Not Now, Darling is a 1973 British comedy film directed by Ray Cooney and David Croft and starring Trudi Van Doorn, Leslie Phillips and Julie Ege. It was adapted from the 1967 play of the same title by John Chapman and Ray Cooney. The film is a farce centred on a shop in London that sells fur coats. A loosely related sequel Not Now, Comrade was released in 1976.
Escape by Night is a 1953 British crime film directed and written by John Gilling.
High Terrace is a 1956 black and white British second feature ('B') mystery film directed by Henry Cass and starring Dale Robertson, Lois Maxwell, Derek Bond, Eric Pohlmann and Lionel Jeffries. It was written by Norman Hudis, Alfred Shaughnessy and Brock Williams from an original story by A. T. Weisman.
Loot is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Silvio Narizzano starring Richard Attenborough, Lee Remick, Hywel Bennett, Milo O'Shea and Roy Holder. The screenplay was by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson based on the 1965 play Loot by Joe Orton. It was entered into the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.
Under Your Hat is a 1940 British musical comedy spy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge and Austin Trevor.
Jack's the Boy is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Francis Lister and Peter Gawthorne. It became well known for its song "The Flies Crawled Up the Window", sung by Hulbert, which was released as a record and proved a major hit. The film was released in the U.S. as Night and Day.
Take My Tip is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Mason, produced by Michael Balcon and starring Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Harold Huth and Frank Cellier.
Miss Tulip Stays the Night is a 1955 British comedy crime film starring Diana Dors, Patrick Holt, Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge. It was the last major feature film directed by Leslie Arliss. The screenplay concerns a crime writer and his wife who stay at a country house where a mysterious corpse appears.
An Honourable Murder is a 1960 British second feature ('B') drama film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Norman Wooland, Margaretta Scott and Lisa Daniely. It was written by Brian Clemens and Eldon Howard and produced by The Danzigers.
Kill Her Gently is a 1957 British second feature thriller film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Griffith Jones, Maureen Connell and Marc Lawrence. It was written by Paul Erickson.
Things Are Looking Up is a 1935 British musical comedy film directed by Albert de Courville, produced by Michael Balcon for Gaumont British and starring Cicely Courtneidge, Max Miller and William Gargan. It was made at Islington Studios by British Gaumont, an affiliate of Gainsborough Pictures. The film's sets were designed by Alex Vetchinsky. The film was distributed by Gaumont British Distributors.
Passport to Treason is a 1956 British second feature mystery thriller directed by Robert S. Baker and starring Rod Cameron, Lois Maxwell, and Clifford Evans. It was written by Kenneth R. Hayles and Norman Hudis, based on the Manning O'Brine novel of the same name.
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.
Spider's Web is a 1982 British mystery television film directed by Basil Coleman and starring Penelope Keith, Robert Flemyng and Thorley Walters. It is an adaptation of the 1954 play of the same title by Agatha Christie, produced with very few alterations from the original dialogue.