The Saint's Return

"BULLETS... BLONDES... AND BLACKMAIL"

1953 1h 13m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 28

MysteryCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A private detective goes after the people who murdered his girlfriend.

“BULLETS... BLONDES... AND BLACKMAIL”

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Cast

Louis Hayward
Simon Templar
Naomi Chance
Carol Denby
Sydney Tafler
Max Lennar
Charles Victor
Chief Insp. Claud Teal
Jane Carr
Kate Finch
Harold Lang
Jarvis
William Russell
Keith Merton
Diana Dors
The Blonde in Lennar's Apartment

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Seymour Friedman
Writers: Allan MacKinnon, Leslie Charteris
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

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 73-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Saint (RKO Radio Pictures) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Seymour Friedman, shot by Walter J. Harvey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Louis Hayward and Naomi Chance and Sydney Tafler carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "BULLETS... BLONDES... AND BLACKMAIL".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Seymour Friedman directs. Walter J. Harvey behind the camera. Ivor Slaney scores. James Needs cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 73-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
273 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "The Saint (RKO Radio Pictures) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Seymour Friedman, shot by Walter J. Harvey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ivor Slaney. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor James Needs shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Louis Hayward and Naomi Chance and Sydney Tafler carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "BULLETS... BLONDES... AND BLACKMAIL".
9IMDB entry: tt0047440 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 28 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "gambling debt", "murder", "car accident", "british noir".
12Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Walter J. Harvey
Original score: Ivor Slaney
Editing: James Needs
Makeup / hair: Nina Broe
Runtime: 73 min · 1h 13m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): 16
IMDB: The Saint's Return (1953)

Part of

The Saint (RKO Radio Pictures) Collection

Debonair thief-turned-detective Simon Templar circles the globe to solve cases with charm and cunning in a series of fast-paced films full of clever banter and cleverer twists. Based on stories by bestselling author Leslie Charteris.

Also by

Seymour Friedman

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Community reviews

What people are saying

dennyjt2022-08-09
★ 5/10
Diverting final big screen outing for Simon Templar, fittingly played by the actor who began the series, Louis Hayward. The only one of the series made in England, it is populated by sleazy characters like Sydney Tafler, Harold Lang and Sam Kydd, all involved in the seedy gambling underworld of London. Hayward is a smooth charmer, as adept with his fists as he is with witty asides, as he doggedly gets to the bottom of a girlfriend's death. Although Naomi Chance makes for a charmless leading lady, Diana Dors does offer a sizzling single scene cameo. It took another decade before Roger Moore would revive and exemplify the character in a long-running TV series.
CinemaSerf2024-07-14
★ 6/10
I always felt that Louis Hayward did better with the swash and buckle that with an hat and raincoat, and back after fifteen years since his first outing as the eponymous detective he doesn't really manage to make much impact with this thinly spun drama. His ex-girfriend had send him a cryptic note asking for his help, but before he can meet her she has a fatal car accident. The police are content it was just an accident but he isn't and so together with his nimble-fisted valet "Hoppy" (Thomas Gallagher) determines to get to the bottom of things. Along the way, it becomes clear that there is some sinister goings-on and that the gambling, debt-laden, "Carol" (Naomi Chance) might be able to help out with their investigations into the nasty machinations of the underworld. There's a little gentle humour here but the rest of it is very by-the-numbers with a story that isn't the strongest. There's still a decent set of supporting characters and there's a slight twist at the end to make it worth a watch, but the "Saint" formula for the big screen is a bit tired now, and I doubt I'll remember it for long.