The Third Visitor

Last updated

The Third Visitor
"The Third Visitor" (1951).jpg
British trade ad
Directed by Maurice Elvey
Written byGerald Anstruther
David Evans
Based onplay by Gerald Anstruther
Produced byErnest Gartside
Starring Sonia Dresdel
Guy Middleton
Karel Stepanek
Cinematography Stephen Dade
Edited by Helen Wiggins
Music by Leighton Lucas
Production
company
Elvey-Gartside Productions
Distributed by Eros Films (UK)
Release date
  • January 1951 (1951-01)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Third Visitor is a 1951 British crime film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Sonia Dresdel, Guy Middleton and Karel Stepanek. [1] [2] It was written by Gerald Anstruther and David Evans based on the 1950 play of the same name by Gerald Anstruther, and filmed at Merton Park Studios. [1]

Contents

Plot

Crook Richard Carling is found murdered. Inspector Mallory investigates and discovers that Carling's business partner's wife's alibi is false. However, Carling is not really dead, having murdered a man who held a grudge against him, and arranged the latter's body to be identified as his own. But soon Carling is really murdered by one of his many enemies.

Cast

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Stagey and foolish – particularly in one short scene purporting to depict New York – but with a vigorous performance from Sonia Dresdel." [3]

Picturegoer wrote: "Here we have a British whodunit that slips up on its own red herrings and plunges into the unintentionally comic. The jolt, however, is partly cushioned by a resourceful cast, headed by Sonia Dresdel. Provided you're not too exacting, you may find this story about the phoney murder of an international crook and its widely varied surface action mildly entertaining." [4]

Picture Show wrote: "Murder mystery melodrama that provides quite good entertainment, despite an overload of dialogue ... It is attractively set and well acted, with Sonia Dresdel composed and effective in a dramatic performance with a touch of comedy." [5]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Actors try hard with unconvincing material." [6]

References

  1. 1 2 "The Third Visitor". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  2. ↑ "The Third Visitor (1951)". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
  3. ↑ "The Third Visitor". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 18 (204): 236. 1 January 1951. ProQuest   1305814546.
  4. ↑ "The Third Visitor". Picturegoer . 27: 16. 5 January 1954. ProQuest   1705161327.
  5. ↑ "The Third Visitor". Picture Show . No. 1458. 10 March 1951. p. 10. ProQuest   1879618706.
  6. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 386. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
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.