Tiger Bay

"MURDER...enacted before the eyes of a little girl. She alone has the proof the police are searching for."

1959 1h 45m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 58

ThrillerCrime

Synopsis

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In Tiger Bay, the docklands of Cardiff, street urchin Gillie witnesses the brutal murder of a young woman. Instead of reporting the crime, she merely pockets a prize for herself — the perpetrator's shiny black revolver — and flees. When Detective Graham discovers that Gillie has the murder weapon, the fiery young girl weaves a web of lies to throw him off course.

“MURDER...enacted before the eyes of a little girl. She alone has the proof the police are searching for.”

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Cast

John Mills
Superintendent Graham
Horst Buchholz
Korchinsky
Hayley Mills
Gillie
Yvonne Mitchell
Anya
Megs Jenkins
Mrs. Phillips
Anthony Dawson
Barclay
George Selway
Det. Sgt. Harvey
Shari
Christine

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: J. Lee Thompson
Writers: John Hawkesworth, Noël Calef, Shelley Smith
Languages: Polish, Spanish, 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

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Polish, Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Mills and Horst Buchholz and Hayley Mills carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "MURDER...enacted before the eyes of a little girl. She alone has the proof the police are searching for.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0053361 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

J. Lee Thompson directs. Eric Cross behind the camera. Laurie Johnson scores. Sidney Hayers cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in Polish, Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

167 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Polish, Spanish, English.
3Directed by J. Lee Thompson, shot by Eric Cross. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Laurie Johnson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Sidney Hayers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6John Mills and Horst Buchholz and Hayley Mills carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "MURDER...enacted before the eyes of a little girl. She alone has the proof the police are searching for.".
8IMDB entry: tt0053361 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 58 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 25 themes, including "wales", "murder", "unfaithful girlfriend", "witness to murder".

The technical file

Cinematography: Eric Cross
Original score: Laurie Johnson
Editing: Sidney Hayers
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): 16
IMDB: Tiger Bay (1959)

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J. Lee Thompson

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-09-06
★ 9/10
I spy, I spy you. Tiger Bay is directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by John Hawkesworth and Shelley Smith. It stars Horst Buchholz, Hayley Mills, John Mills, Megs Jenkins and Anthony Dawson. Music is by Laurie Johnson and cinematography by Eric Cross. A young girl witnesses a murder and complicates the investigation by becoming attached to the killer. The Lord's My Shepherd. Set in the Principality of Cardiff, South Wales, Tiger Bay is a boffo noir drama in the tradition of the excellent Charles Crichton/Dirk Bogarde picture, Hunted (1952). The core of the story is about the friendship that forms between a murderer and the child that saw him do it. There is nothing remotely risqué in this friendship, it's tender and pertinent given the absence of parents and kin in Gillie's (H. Mills) life (she lives with her Auntie played by Jenkins). Korchinsky (Buchholz) is not a madman psychopath, his crime was a moment of madness, a crime of passion, and he is very likable and therefore it's believable that young Gillie would take him for surrogate kinship. If you want to be happy and live a king's life, never make a pretty woman your wife. The drama comes from the investigation led by Superintendent Graham (J. Mills), who has to stay on top of things whilst being spun lots of yarns by the precocious Gillie. Things are further spiced up by the presence of another suspect played by Dawson, who is all jittery and suspicious, this is a very good splinter in the narrative, ensuring that the pic never relies on being just about a special/odd friendship. The writers also provide much intelligence as regards the era, with nods to sexual politics, the changing of attitudes with children, while there's a multi cultural background to the play. Pat on the back is deserved as well for incorporating a thread about the opposing laws of maritime and those of the land. Yes, I have, and a very brave man. The aged dockside locales keep things earthy, as does the run down and cramped housing arrangements, these allow Thompson & Cross to cover it with noirish tints, the dockside scenes (and the church interiors) are all shadows and shimmers, it really is gorgeous work, the black and white compositions perfectly lit. Cast are superb, has Buchholz - away from the iconography of The Magnificent Seven - ever been better than he is here? J. Mills is class, but then he almost always was, Dawson is quality old boy, but it's young Hayley's movie, a stupendous performance from one so young, it's easy to see why she would carve out a considerable career in acting. A little irk exists about the complete lack of any scene showing Gillie's Auntie being worried that her charge has gone missing, especially since there has been a murder in the block, but it's a small itch to scratch. Tiger Bay, smart, pretty and dramatic. 9/10

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