1 / 7
ERA
Did you know
69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Cast
Jack Hawkins
Oliver Branwell
Arlene Dahl
Sarah Moreton Branwell
Dennis Price
Tracey Moreton
Violet Farebrother
Mrs. Moreton
Ian Hunter
Clive Fisher
Malcolm Keen
Old Abercrombie
Geoffrey Keen
Michael Abercrombie aka Young Abercrombie
Patrick Holt
Fred Connor
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Sidney Gilliat
- Writers
- Val Valentine, Frank Launder, Sidney Gilliat
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United Kingdom
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 7
ERA
Did you know
Directed by Sidney Gilliat, shot by Gerald Gibbs. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 7
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Geoffrey Foot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 7
CAST
Did you know
Jack Hawkins and Arlene Dahl and Dennis Price carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 7
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "They Can't Kiss Away Their Conscience".
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 7
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0050405 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 7
WILD
Did you know
Only 16 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Sidney Gilliat directs. Gerald Gibbs behind the camera. Geoffrey Foot cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 169 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
- 2Directed by Sidney Gilliat, shot by Gerald Gibbs. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 3Editor Geoffrey Foot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 4Jack Hawkins and Arlene Dahl and Dennis Price carry the top of the cast.
- 5Marketing tagline: "They Can't Kiss Away Their Conscience".
- 6IMDB entry: tt0050405 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 7Only 16 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Gerald Gibbs
- Editing
- Geoffrey Foot
- Runtime
- 95 min · 1h 35m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
Also by
Sidney Gilliat
Community reviews
What people are saying
- CinemaSerf★ 7/10
A better than average crime noir that features Jack Hawkins as an insurance investigator drafted in, on Christmas Eve, to investigate a fire at a country house. When he gets there he discovers an old flame (Irene Dahl) married to the owner (Dennis Price). When he dies in a second fire at the house, Hawkins suspects that she was behind it for the insurance cash, but she convinces him not and they marry and all seems straightforward until a blackmailer rears his ugly head and together they have to try to get to the bottom of things. Hawkins is good in this, he keeps it all tense and although the plot does trip over itself once or twice, a good supporting cast including Ian Hunter and Geoffrey Keen make this quite an intriguing mystery with plenty of red herrings to keep us hooked.
Production companies
Who made it
- JO
John Harvel Productions
- IN
Individual Pictures
GB
Key crew
- NovelWinston Graham
- ProducerSidney Gilliat
- EditorGeoffrey Foot
- ProducerFrank Launder
- MusicWilliam Alwyn
- Executive ProducerJohn Harvel
- Associate ProducerLeslie Gilliat
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- film noir
- british noir
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1957-03-13
Also known as
International titles
- She Played with FireUS
- Fortune Is a WomanGB
