Touch of Death (1961 film)

Last updated

Touch of Death
"Touch of Death" (1961).jpg
British quad poster
Directed by Lance Comfort
Written byLyn Fairhurst, Aubrey Cash and Wilfred Josephs (story)
Produced byLewis Linzee
Starring William Lucas
David Sumner
Ray Barrett
Jan Waters
Cinematography Basil Emmott
Edited byJohn Trumper
Music by Johnny Douglas
Production
company
Helion Pictures
Distributed byPlanet Film Distributors
Release date
  • 1961 (1961)(UK)
Running time
58 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Touch of Death is a 1961 black and white British second feature [1] crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring William Lucas, David Sumner, Ray Barrett and Jan Waters. [2] It was written by Lyn Fairhurst from a story by Aubrey Cash and Wilfred Josephs.

Contents

Premise

A criminal gang pull off a big robbery, unaware the cash has been infected with toxic poison. The thieves hide out on a Thames houseboat and terrorise its female occupant, before they start dying.

Cast

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "In an effort to ring the changes on the usual crime and punishment formula, the script overloads the tale with suspenseful possibilities that strain the credibility. But it creates a nice sense of urgency, and the direction, though not particularly original, keeps the action going at a lively pace. The characterisation of the two crooks gives those two good actors, William Lucas and David Sumner, something to bite on, and some tedious playing in the minor roles does not weigh too heavily on the rest of this able little second feature." [3]

AllMovie wrote, "Director Lance Comfort wasn't what you could call inspired, but he sure knew how to sustain audience interest." [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Nightmare</i> (1964 film) 1964 film by Freddie Francis

Nightmare is a 1964 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Jennie Linden. It was written by Jimmy Sangster, who also produced the film for Hammer Films. The film focuses on a young girl in a finishing school who is plagued by nightmares concerning her institutionalized mother.

<i>The Food of the Gods</i> (film) 1976 science fiction thriller American film by Bert I. Gordon

H.G. Wells' The Food of the Gods, also billed as just The Food of the Gods, is a 1976 American-Canadian science fiction thriller film released by American International Pictures and was written, produced and directed by Bert I. Gordon. Starring Marjoe Gortner, Pamela Franklin, Ralph Meeker, Jon Cypher, and Ida Lupino, the film was loosely based on a portion of the 1904 H. G. Wells novel The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth. The film reduced Wells' tale to an "nature revenge" plot, common in science fiction films of the time.

<i>Dateline Diamonds</i> 1965 British film by Jeremy Summers

Dateline Diamonds is a 1965 black and white British music film directed by Jeremy Summers and starring William Lucas, Kenneth Cope and the Small Faces.

<i>Temptation Harbour</i> 1947 British film by Lance Comfort

Temptation Harbour is a 1947 British black and white crime/drama film, directed by Lance Comfort and starring Robert Newton, Simone Simon and William Hartnell. It was adapted by Rodney Ackland and Frederick Gotfurt from Newhaven-Dieppe, the 1933 novella by Georges Simenon.

<i>Stranger in Town</i> (1957 film) 1957 British film by George Pollock

Stranger in Town is a 1957 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by George Pollock and starring Alex Nicol and Anne Paige. The screenplay was by Edward Dryhurst and Norman Hudis, based on the 1954 novel The Uninivited by Frank Chittenden.

<i>Eight OClock Walk</i> 1954 film by Lance Comfort

Eight O'Clock Walk is a 1954 British drama film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Richard Attenborough, Cathy O'Donnell, Derek Farr and Maurice Denham.

<i>Tomorrow at Ten</i> 1962 British film by Lance Comfort

Tomorrow at Ten is a 1962 British second feature thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring John Gregson, Robert Shaw and Kenneth Cope. It was written by James Kelley and Peter Miller.

<i>The Man in the Road</i> 1956 British film by Lance Comfort

The Man in the Road is a 1956 British second feature thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Derek Farr, Ella Raines, Donald Wolfit and Cyril Cusack. It was written by Guy Morgan based on the 1952 novel He Was Found in the Road by Anthony Armstrong.

<i>The Painted Smile</i> 1962 British film by Lance Comfort

The Painted Smile is a 1962 British second feature thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Liz Fraser, Kenneth Griffith, Peter Reynolds and Tony Wickert. It was written by Pip and Jane Baker.

<i>The Marked One</i> 1963 British film by Francis Searle

The Marked One is a 1963 British second feature crime film directed by Francis Searle and starring William Lucas, Zena Walker and Patrick Jordan. It was written by Paul Erickson. An ex-con's daughter is kidnapped by a blackmailer.

<i>Devils of Darkness</i> 1965 British horror film by Lance Comfort

Devils of Darkness is a 1965 British horror film directed by Lance Comfort and starring William Sylvester, Hubert Noël and Carole Gray. It was written by Lyn Fairhurst. It was the last feature film directed by Comfort.

<i>Squadron Leader X</i> 1943 British film, now lost

Squadron Leader X is a 1943 British World War II spy drama directed by Lance Comfort and starring Eric Portman and Ann Dvorak. The screenplay was adapted by Miles Malleson and Wolfgang Wilhelm from a short story by Emeric Pressburger. Unfortunately, the BFI National Archive currently considered this film as "missing, believed lost".

<i>Face in the Night</i> 1957 British film by Lance Comfort

Face in the Night, released in the US as Menace in the Night, is a 1957 British second feature crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Griffith Jones, Lisa Gastoni and Vincent Ball. It was based on the novel Suspense by Bruce Graeme.

<i>Bang! Youre Dead</i> 1954 British film by Lance Comfort

Bang! You're Dead, also known as Game of Danger, is a 1954 British psychological drama film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Jack Warner, Anthony Richmond, Veronica Hurst, Derek Farr and Sean Barrett. When a child accidentally kills a man, the child and his companion struggle to comprehend the gravity of what has happened.

<i>Esther Waters</i> (film) 1948 British film by Ian Dalrymple and Peter Proud

Esther Waters is a 1948 British drama film directed by Ian Dalrymple and Peter Proud and starring Kathleen Ryan, Dirk Bogarde, and Cyril Cusack. It is an adaptation of the 1894 novel Esther Waters by George Moore.

<i>Not So Dusty</i> (1956 film) 1956 British film by Maclean Rogers

Not So Dusty is a 1956 black and white British 'B' movie comedy film directed and written by Maclean Rogers and starring Bill Owen, Leslie Dwyer and Joy Nichols.

<i>Clash by Night</i> (1963 film) 1963 British film by Montgomery Tully

For the 1952 Fritz Lang film of the same name see Clash by Night.

<i>Bond of Fear</i> 1956 British film by Henry Cass

Bond of Fear is a 1956 British 'B' crime drama film directed by Henry Cass and starring Dermot Walsh, Jane Barrett, and John Colicos. The screenplay was by John Gilling and Norman Hudis.

<i>The Sky Bike</i> 1967 British childrens film by Charles Frend

The Sky-Bike is a 1967 colour British children's film written and directed by Charles Frend. It was produced by Harol Orton for the Children's Film Foundation. A novel based on the script was later published.

<i>The Break</i> (1963 film) 1963 British film by Lance Comfort

The Break is a 1963 British second feature drama film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Tony Britton, William Lucas and Christina Gregg. It was written by Pip and Jane Baker.

References

  1. ↑ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 200. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ↑ "Touch of Death". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Touch of Death". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 30 (348): 25. 1 January 1963 – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ "Touch of Death (1962) - Lance Comfort - 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.