You Can't Escape

Last updated

You Can't Escape
"You Can't Escape" (1956 film).jpg
U.S. poster
Directed byWilfred Eades
Written byRobert Hall
Doreen Montgomery
Based on She Died Young by Alan Kennington [1]
Produced byRobert Hall
Starring Noelle Middleton
Guy Rolfe
Robert Urquhart
Peter Reynolds
Cinematography Norman Warwick
Edited by E.B. Jarvis
Music by Charles Williams
Production
company
Forth Films
Distributed by Associated British-Pathé
Release date
  • 20 February 1956 (1956-2-20)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

You Can't Escape is a 1956 British second feature ('B') [2] drama film directed by Wilfred Eades and starring Noelle Middleton, Guy Rolfe and Robert Urquhart. [3] [4] It was written by Robert Hall and Doreen Montgomery based on the 1938 novel She Died Young by Alan Kennington. [5]

Contents

Plot

Rising novelist, Peter Darwin, has a row with former mistress Claire, and accidentally kills her. He somehow manages to persuades his reluctant fiancé Kay to help him bury Claire's body in a wood. But when the body is found, and a blackmailing journalist appears on the scene, Darwin resorts to desperate measures to cover his tracks, including framing an innocent person.

Cast

Release

It was released as an 'A' certificate. [6] Though filmed in 1.33:1, it was also framed in 1.66:1 for any theatre that had the equipment to exhibit widescreen films.[ citation needed ]

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A stereotyped murder melodrama, which ambles unexcitingly towards a conclusion that the spectator has anticipated long before the film reaches that far. Playing and direction are somewhat lifeless." [7]

TV Guide concluded there was "Nothing much to get excited about." [8]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "poor", writing: "Very lacklustre thriller." [9]

My Reviewer found the film "full of action from the off and whilst it all feels a little dated now, it has a certain old school charm – like the very best of ITC shows from back in the day." [10]

Blueprint Review wrote, "Despite its rather stagey tone You Can’t Escape remains a fun example of British B-movies from that era." [11]

References

  1. ↑ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN   9783110951943 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 165. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  3. ↑ "You Can't Escape". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  4. ↑ "You Can't Escape (1956)". Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
  5. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (11 November 2024). "Peter Reynolds: Forgotten Cad". Filmink. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "You Can't Escape". British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  7. ↑ "You Can't Escape". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 23 (264): 35. 1 January 1956. ProQuest   1305819563.
  8. ↑ "You Can't Escape". TV Guide . Archived from the original on 22 December 2016.
  9. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 403. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
  10. ↑ "myReviewer.com - Review for You Can't Escape".
  11. ↑ Richards, Justin (24 July 2015). "You Can't Escape". Blueprint Review. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
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.