Yield to the Night

"The Man-By-Man Story of a Lost Soul!"

1956 1h 39m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 42

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Locked in her cell, a murderer reflects on the events that have led her to death row.

“The Man-By-Man Story of a Lost Soul!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Diana Dors
Mary Price Hilton
Yvonne Mitchell
Matron Hilda MacFarlane
Michael Craig
Jim Lancaster
Marie Ney
Prison Governess
Geoffrey Keen
Prison Chaplain
Liam Redmond
Prison Doctor
Olga Lindo
Senior Matron Hill
Joan Miller
Matron Barker

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: J. Lee Thompson
Writers: John Cresswell, Joan Henry, Frederick Gotfurt
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 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by J. Lee Thompson, shot by Gilbert Taylor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ray Martin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Best shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Diana Dors and Yvonne Mitchell and Michael Craig carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Man-By-Man Story of a Lost Soul!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0049019 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

J. Lee Thompson directs. Gilbert Taylor behind the camera. Ray Martin scores. Richard Best cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

170 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by J. Lee Thompson, shot by Gilbert Taylor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Ray Martin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Richard Best shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Diana Dors and Yvonne Mitchell and Michael Craig carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The Man-By-Man Story of a Lost Soul!".
7IMDB entry: tt0049019 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 15 themes, including "death penalty", "based on novel or book", "cheating", "narration".

The technical file

Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor
Original score: Ray Martin
Editing: Richard Best
Makeup / hair: Bob Clark
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Yield to the Night (1956)

Also by

J. Lee Thompson

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-02-26
★ 7/10
This is a super vehicle for Diana Dors as the imprisoned "Mary". We know right from the start that she gunned down "Lucy" outside her mews cottage, and that her appeal has failed. Death row looms as she sits in her cell, accompanied at all times by two prison officers, awaiting a reprieve that may, or may not, come. Whilst she waits, we wait - and we learn a little about just what drove her to commit this cold-blooded crime. You see, she fell in love with the rather weak "Jim" (Michael Craig) and when she discovered that he was in love with someone else, she struggled to cope. Always hoping that he would choose her. When tragedy strikes, her course of revenge is set and... Most of the backstory is delivered to us as dreams; when she is awake and killing time in her room she begins to befriend "MacFarlane" (Yvonne Mitchell) - a outwardly hard-nosed woman but one in whom "Mary" begins to realise she can trust as she wrestles with her conscience, and visits from her estranged husband, her mother and her younger brother - all of whom she would rather not see. J. Lee Thompson starts this off simply and then allows Miss Dors to show us how to deliver a strong, characterful, performance. This is well paced, perhaps a little over-scored but a well delivered drama that proves compelling to watch and shows this star had plenty of serious actor strings to her bow. Well worth a watch, this film.

Production companies