At the Stroke of Nine
{{Short description|1957 British film by Lance Comfort}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name = At the Stroke of Nine
| image = "At_the_Stroke_of_Nine"_(1957).jpg
| caption = Original British lobby card
| director = Lance Comfort
| writer = Harry Booth
Brian Clemens
Michael Deeley
Jon Penington
| producer = Harry Booth
Michael Deeley
Jon Penington
| starring = Patricia Dainton
Stephen Murray
Patrick Barr
Dermot Walsh
| narrator =
| cinematography = Gerald Gibbs
| editing =
| music = Edwin Astley
| studio = Towers of London Productions
| distributor = Grand National (UK)
| released = {{Film date|1957|06}}
| runtime = 71 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget = £20,000Michael Deeley, Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies, Pegasus Books, 2009 p 20
| gross =
}}
At the Stroke of Nine is a 1957 British crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Patricia Dainton, Stephen Murray, Patrick Barr and Dermot Walsh.{{Cite web |title=At the Stroke of Nine |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150011932 |access-date=25 December 2023 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}} It was written by Harry Booth, Brian Clemens, Michael Deeley and Jon Penington. A female journalist is kidnapped by a madman who forces her to write articles about him and threatens to kill her.
Plot
When reporter Sally Bryant chases a major scoop, she is captured by concert pianist Stephen Garrett, who says he will murder her within the next five days. He forces her to send daily reports of her ordeal to her newspaper. The typeface of the reports gives a clue to the police, who reach Garrett's house in time to prevent him from strangling Sally. Garrett falls out of a window to his death.
Cast
- Patricia Dainton as Sally Bryant
- Stephen Murray as Stephen Garrett
- Patrick Barr as Frank
- Dermot Walsh as MacDonnell
- Clifford Evans as Inspector Hudgell
- Leonard White as Thompson
- Reginald Green as Toby
- Alexander Doré as Carter
- Leonard Sharp as news vendor
- Robert Hartley as Westcott
- Frank Atkinson as porter
- William Moore as Campion
- Marianne Stone as secretary
- George Lee as young reporter
- William Hepper as clerk
- Donald B. Edwards as Gray
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This implausible melodrama has little to recommend it. The villain has no virtues and the hero no vices; the heroine registers suitable cold terror: and the script calls for little more from them."{{Cite journal |date=1 January 1957 |title=At the Stroke of Nine |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1305819986/771F278DFD5C4FC3PQ/1 |journal=The Monthly Film Bulletin |volume=24 |issue=276 |pages=86 |via=ProQuest}}
Picture Show called the film a "taut and suspenseful drama."{{Cite journal |date=3 August 1957 |title=At the Stroke of Nine |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1879656022 |journal=Picture Show |volume=69 |issue=1792 |pages=10 |url-access=subscription |via=ProQuest}}
TV Guide wrote, "the frantic search for the loonie by police offers some interesting scenes with fair suspense."{{cite web |url=http://movies.tvguide.com/at-the-stroke-of-nine/review/125916 |title=At The Stroke Of Nine Review |publisher=Movies.tvguide.com |date= |access-date=2014-05-07 |archive-date=8 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508025725/http://movies.tvguide.com/at-the-stroke-of-nine/review/125916 |url-status=dead }}
References
External links
- {{IMDb title|0050145}}
{{Lance Comfort}}
Category:1950s English-language films
Category:Films directed by Lance Comfort
Category:Films scored by Edwin Astley