The Delavine Affair

Last updated

The Delavine Affair
"Delavine Affair" (1954 film).jpg
Directed byDouglas Peirce
Screenplay byGeorge Fisher
Basil Boothroyd
Based onWinter Wears a Shroud by Robert Chapman
Produced by John Croydon
Henry Passmore
Starring Peter Reynolds
Honor Blackman
Gordon Jackson
CinematographyJonah Jones
Edited by Inman Hunter
Production
company
Croydon Passmore Productions
Distributed by Monarch Film Corporation
Release date
  • 3 January 1955 (1955-01-03)
Running time
64 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Delavine Affair is a 1955 British second feature [1] crime film directed by Douglas Peirce and starring Peter Reynolds, Honor Blackman and Gordon Jackson. [2] The screenplay was by George Fisher and Basil Boothroyd, based on the 1952 novel Winter Wears a Shroud by Robert Chapman. [3]

Contents

Plot

Journalist Rex Banner, with the aid of his wife Maxine, attempts to solve a jewel robbery, but the criminals try to frame Rex for their murder of a witness.

Cast

Production

The film was produced at Walton Studios and on location in West London, including Kensington and West Brompton. Sets were designed by the art director John Stoll.

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin said: "A murder comedy-melodrama on familiar lines. The story is seldom very plausible, coincidence reaches out with a long arm, and the developments and the solution have their vague aspects. The film, though, is reasonably bright in tone, and the playing of the principals to some extent makes up in enthusiasm for what it lacks in polish." [4]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Witty comedy-thriller with over-familiar plot but polished performances." [5]

TV Guide gave the film two out of five stars, noting a "Routine crime drama." [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Too Many Crooks</i> 1959 British film by Mario Zampi

Too Many Crooks is a 1959 British black comedy film directed by Mario Zampi and starring Terry-Thomas, George Cole, Brenda De Banzie, Sidney James, Bernard Bresslaw and Vera Day.

<i>Meet Mr. Lucifer</i> 1953 film by Anthony Pelissier

Meet Mr. Lucifer is a 1953 black-and-white British comedy satire film directed by Anthony Pelisser starring Stanley Holloway, Peggy Cummins and Jack Watling. It is based on the 1951 play Beggar My Neighbour by Arnold Ridley. It opened on 26 November 1953 at the Haymarket Gaumont cinema in London. It was filmed at Ealing Studios, London, and is one of the Ealing comedies.

<i>Make Mine a Million</i> 1959 British film

Make Mine a Million is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Lance Comfort, starring Arthur Askey, Sid James, and Bernard Cribbins. It was distributed by British Lion. The film parodies the perceived stuffiness of the 1950s BBC and the effect of television advertising in the era.

<i>Blind Spot</i> (1958 film) 1958 British film by Peter Maxwell

Blind Spot is a 1958 British drama film directed by Peter Maxwell and starring Robert MacKenzie, Delphi Lawrence, Gordon Jackson, John Le Mesurier, and Michael Caine.

<i>Eight OClock Walk</i> 1954 film

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>As Long as Theyre Happy</i> 1955 film by J. Lee Thompson

As Long as They're Happy is a 1955 British musical comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Jack Buchanan, Susan Stephen and Diana Dors. It is based on the 1953 play of the same name by Vernon Sylvaine. It was shot in Eastmancolor at Pinewood Studios near London with sets designed by the art director Michael Stringer.

<i>Saloon Bar</i> 1940 British film by Walter Forde

Saloon Bar is a 1940 British comedy thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Gordon Harker, Elizabeth Allan and Mervyn Johns. It was made by Ealing Studios and its style has led to comparisons with the later Ealing Comedies, unlike other wartime Ealing films which are different in tone. It is based on the 1939 play of the same name by Frank Harvey in which Harker had also starred. An amateur detective tries to clear an innocent man of a crime before the date of his execution.

<i>The Last Man to Hang</i> 1956 British film by Terence Fisher

The Last Man to Hang? is a 1956 crime film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Tom Conway and Elizabeth Sellars. It was produced by John Gossage for Act Films Ltd.

<i>Just My Luck</i> (1957 film) 1957 British film by John Paddy Carstairs

Just My Luck is a 1957 British sports comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom, Margaret Rutherford, Jill Dixon and Leslie Phillips.

<i>Your Money or Your Wife</i> 1960 British film by Anthony Simmons

Your Money or Your Wife is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Anthony Simmons and starring Donald Sinden, Peggy Cummins, and Richard Wattis. It was based on the play Count Your Blessings by Ronald Jeans. A couple must divorce in order to inherit a fortune.

<i>The Price of Silence</i> (1960 film) 1960 British film by Montgomery Tully

The Price of Silence is a 1960 British crime film directed by Montgomery Tully, and starring Gordon Jackson and June Thorburn, with Mary Clare, Maya Koumani and Terence Alexander in supporting roles. An ex-convict is blackmailed and suspected of murder.

<i>Paul Temples Triumph</i> 1950 British film by Maclean Rogers

Paul Temple's Triumph is a 1950 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan and Jack Livesey. It was the third in the series of four Paul Temple films made at Nettlefold Studios and was an adaptation of the Francis Durbridge radio serial News of Paul Temple (1939). Temple is on the trail of a gang of international criminals trying to steal atomic secrets.

<i>Murder at 3am</i> 1953 film by Francis Searle

Murder at 3 a.m. is a 1953 British crime film second feature directed by Francis Searle and starring Dennis Price, Peggy Evans and Rex Garner. A Scotland Yard detective investigates a series of attacks on women.

<i>Keep It Clean</i> 1956 British film by David Paltenghi

Keep It Clean is a 1956 British black-and-white comedy film directed by David Paltenghi and starring Ronald Shiner and Joan Sims.

<i>No Trace</i> (1950 film) 1950 British film

No Trace is a 1950 British second feature crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Hugh Sinclair, Dinah Sheridan and John Laurie. A crime writer murders a blackmailer, and is then asked to help solve the case by the police.

<i>Little Red Monkey</i> 1955 British film by Ken Hughes

Little Red Monkey is a 1955 British thriller film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Richard Conte, Rona Anderson and Russell Napier. The screenplay was by Hughes and James Eastwood, based on the 1953 BBC Television series of the same name written by Eric Maschwitz.

<i>The Scarlet Web</i> 1954 British film by Charles Saunders

The Scarlet Web is a 1954 British second feature crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Griffith Jones, Hazel Court and Zena Marshall.

<i>Come Back Peter</i> (1952 film) 1952 British film by Charles Saunders

Come Back Peter is a 1952 second feature British comedy film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Patrick Holt, Peter Hammond and Humphrey Lestocq. It was an independent picture by Charles Reynolds Productions.

<i>Mrs. Pym of Scotland Yard</i> 1939 British film

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.

<i>Wrong Number</i> (1959 film) 1959 British film by Vernon Sewell

Wrong Number is a 1959 British second feature crime film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Peter Reynolds, Lisa Gastoni and Olive Sloane. It was written by James Eastwood and Norman Edwards.

References

  1. ↑ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 310. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ↑ "The Delavine Affair". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN   9783110951943 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "The Delavine Affair". Monthly Film Bulletin . 22 (252): 23. 1955 – via ProQuest.
  5. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 300. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
  6. ↑ "The Delavine Affair". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016.


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.