A pleasant wartime thriller, released just after World War II although set during, it’s a murder mystery thriller with the usual roster of plummy-voiced actors who all seem a bit dubious. They’re doctors and nurses, and a patient has mysteriously died on the operating table despite being in relatively good health, and it’s up to our inspector — Alistair Sim, in a real stand-out role, cheerfully able to sit back while others bicker and fight — to figure out whodunit. It’s all a bit hectic at the outset, and I found it difficult keeping these people apart in my mind (they’re all well-spoken professionals, half the time hidden under masks), but the tension cranks up under the directorial guidance of Sidney Gilliat. I have a soft-spot for black-and-white movies with colours in their titles, and indeed things all revolve around the colour a certain item is painted, and this film is a keen British genre thriller.
FILM REVIEW: Criterion Collection
Director Sidney Gilliat; Writers Gilliat and Claud Gurney (based on the novel by Christianna Brand); Cinematographer Wilkie Cooper; Starring Sally Gray, Trevor Howard, Rosamund John, Alastair Sim, Leo Genn; Length 91 minutes.
Seen at home (Blu-ray), London, Monday 17 August 2020.
filmcentric 