The Long Knife
| The Long Knife | |
|---|---|
Australian daybill poster | |
| Directed by | Montgomery Tully |
| Written by | Ian Stuart Black |
| Based on | novel by Leslie Truss |
| Produced by | Jack Greenwood |
| Starring | Joan Rice Sheldon Lawrence |
| Edited by | Geoffrey Muller |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Anglo Amalgamated Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 57 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Long Knife is a 1958 British second feature ('B')[1] crime film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Joan Rice, Sheldon Lawrence and Victor Brooks.[2][3][4] It was written by Ian Stuart Black based on the 1956 novel of the same title by Leslie Truss.
Plot
Young nurse Jill Holden gets involved with an extortion gang targetting Mrs Cheam, one of her patients. Jill is implicated in a murder, and is helped by Mrs. Cheam's American lawyer Ross Waters. When Mrs. Cheam is murdered Jill becomes a suspect but is able clear herself with Ross's help. The real murderer is revealed to be a woman disguised as a man.
Cast
- Joan Rice as Jill Holden
- Sheldon Lawrence as Ross Waters
- Dorothy Brewster as Angela
- Ellen Pollock as Mrs Cheam
- Victor Brooks as Superintendent Leigh
- Alan Keith as Doctor Ian Probus
- Arthur Gomez as Sergeant Bowles
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Well turned-out crime thriller which suffers from an unlikely nurse as a heroine and a denouement which connoisseurs of the detective story might well consider obsolete."[5]
Picture Show wrote: "Joan Rice and Sheldon Lawrence are convincing in the leading roles."[6]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Competent, lively thriller holds the interest, isn't too long."[7]
References
- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "The Long Knife". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "BFI | Film & TV Database | The LONG KNIFE (1958)". web.archive.org. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (12 January 2025). "Forgotten British Moguls: Nat Cohen – Part One (1905-56)". Filmink. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
- ^ "The Long Knife". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 25 (288): 129. 1 January 1958 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "The Long Knife". Picture Show. 72 (1867): 10. 10 January 1959. ProQuest 1879631391.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 339. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.