Suspended Alibi

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Suspended Alibi
"Suspended Alibi" (1957).jpg
British quad poster
Directed by Alfred Shaughnessy
Written by
  • Kenneth R. Hayles (as Kenneth Hayles)
  • Robert Dunbar (additional scenes and dialogue)
  • Alfred Shaughnessy (additional scenes and dialogue)
Based onoriginal story by Kenneth R. Hayles (as Kenneth Hayles)
Produced byRobert Dunbar
Starring
CinematographyPeter Hennessy
Edited by Robert Jordan Hill (as Robert Hill)
Production
company
Distributed by J. Arthur Rank (UK)
Release date
  • February 1957 (1957-02)(UK)
Running time
64 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Suspended Alibi (U.S. title: Suspected Alibi) is a 1957 black and white British 'B' [1] crime film directed by Alfred Shaughnessy and starring Patrick Holt, Honor Blackman and Lloyd Lamble. [2] [3] [4] The film was produced by Robert Dunbar for Act Films Ltd. [5]

Contents

Plot

Paul Pearson's alibi for seeing his mistress Diana is with his friend, but when this friend is found murdered, Pearson is arrested for the crime, condemned by his own alibi and sentenced to hang. Fortunately, his story is believed by Sandy Thorpe, a diligent crime reporter, who helps to fight Pearson's case.

Cast

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Coincidence is stretched almost to breaking point in this conventional murder story, although the film is partially redeemed by some serviceable characterisation and efficient acting." [6]

Kine Weekly wrote: "It crowds thrills, punctuated by a popular heart interest, into its comvenient running time, yet ends on a happy note. Patrick Holt takes it on the chin gallantly as Paul, Honor Blackman and Naomi Chance score in contrast as Lynn and Diana, Lloyd Lamble is a nasty bit of work as Waller and Valentine Dyall impresses as a police inspector. Moreover, its backgrounds are constantly changing and dialogue is reduced to a minimum." [7]

Britmovie called the film an "efficient thriller...undemanding yet fanciful b-movie crime drama crisply directed by Alfred Shaughnessy"; [8]

TV Guide noted "an okay crime drama that passes the time pleasantly." [9]

Film historians Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane praise it as "much faster, more frantically and densely plotted than most 'B' movies. The familiar race-against-the-clock to save the condemned man produces some well-sustained tension, and, if the ending is never in serious doubt, Shaughnessy's brisk storytelling and Robert Hill's editing sustain interest in the crowded narrative." [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 Steve Chibnall & Brian McFarlane, The British 'B' Film, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2009, p. 108.
  2. ↑ "Suspended Alibi". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  3. ↑ "Suspended Alibi". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012.
  4. ↑ Snow Leopard (1 February 1957). "Suspended Alibi (1957)". IMDb.
  5. ↑ Action! Fifty Years in the Life of a Union. Published: 1983 (UK). Publisher: ACTT. ISBN   0 9508993 0 5. ACT Films Limited - Ralph Bond p81 (producer listed as Robert Dunbar)
  6. ↑ "Suspended Alibi". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 24 (276): 35. 1 January 1957 – via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ "Suspended Alibi". Kine Weekly . 478 (2582): 16. 7 February 1957 – via ProQuest.
  8. ↑ "Suspended Alibi".
  9. ↑ "Suspended Alibi". TV Guide.
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