Blood Orange (1953 film)
| Blood Orange (1953 film) | |
|---|---|
U.S. theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Terence Fisher |
| Screenplay by | Jan Read |
| Produced by | Michael Carreras |
| Starring | Tom Conway Mila Parély Naomi Chance Michael Ripper |
| Cinematography | Walter J. Harvey Don Aton |
| Edited by | Maurice Rootes |
| Music by | Ivor Slaney |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Exclusive Films (UK) Astor (US) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Blood Orange (U.S. title: Three Stops to Murder[2]) is a 1953 British crime drama directed by Terence Fisher and starring Tom Conway and Mila Parély.[3] The screenplay was by Jan Read. J. Elder Wills was art director, Phil Leakey Makeup, and Jimmy Sangster was assistant director. Tom Conway's career was on the downslide at this time (for years he had played the Falcon in a series of Hollywood films), and he died two years after making this film. Filming began on March 16, 1953, and the film was released on Oct. 10, 1953. Most reviewers commented on how uneventful the film was, which is surprising given its extremely complex plot.[4]
Plot
In a London fashion house, "Blood Orange" is the name of a new dress designed by Helen Pascall. A model and a rich client are found murdered, each wearing the new dress. Private Eye Tom Conway and his employer Mr. Mercedes suspect a link between the murders and the jewel robberies they have been investigating. What follows is a very complicated "whodunit" involving multiple suspects.
Cast
- Tom Conway as Tom Conway
- Mila Parély as Helen Pascall
- Naomi Chance as Gina
- Eric Pohlmann as Mr Mercedes
- Andrew Osborn as Captain Colin Simpson
- Richard Wattis as Detective Inspector MacLeod
- Margaret Halstan as Lady Marchant
- Eileen Way as Mme Fernande
- Michael Ripper as Eddie
- Betty Cooper as Miss Betty
- Thomas Heathcote as Detective Sergeant Jessup
- Alan Rolfe as Inspector
- Roger Delgado as Marlowe
- Reed De Rouen as Heath
- Delphi Lawrence as Chelsea
- Ann Hanslip as Jane
- Cab Kaye, singing "Don't Talk About Me Baby"
Critical reception
Monthly Film Bulletin said "This thriller sets its involved story in the world of the couturiers, with back-biting models, a jealous manageress, and a heroine who attempts to achieve her ambitions through murder. The film tries, not very successfully, to be crisp and smart in style; the mystery, however, is fairly well sustained."[5]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Thriller is smartly styled but low-cut in excitement."[6]
Chibnall and McFarlane in The British 'B' Film called the film "competent but conventional mystery".[7]
Sky Movies gave the film two out of five stars, and wrote: "This one is smartly styled but shorter than a mini-skirt when it comes to thrills."[8]
References
- ^ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 85. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
- ^ "Blood Orange (1953)". Archived from the original on 18 August 2016.
- ^ "Blood Orange". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 85. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
- ^ "Blood Orange". Monthly Film Bulletin. 20 (228): 161. 1 January 1953. ProQuest 1305818702.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 285. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "Blood Orange".
External links
- Blood Orange at IMDb