The Man in the Road
| The Man in the Road | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Lance Comfort |
| Written by | Guy Morgan |
| Based on | He Was Found in the Road by Anthony Armstrong |
| Produced by | Charles Leeds |
| Starring | Derek Farr Ella Raines Donald Wolfit Lisa Daniely |
| Cinematography | Stanley Pavey |
| Edited by | Jim Connock |
| Music by | Bruce Campbell |
Production company | Gibraltar Films |
| Distributed by | Grand National (UK) Republic Pictures (US) |
Release date | 16 April 1956 |
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Man in the Road is a 1956 British second feature[1] thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Derek Farr, Ella Raines, Donald Wolfit and Cyril Cusack.[2] It was based on the 1952 novel He Was Found in the Road by Anthony Armstrong.
Plot[edit]
A brilliant scientist suffering from amnesia is hunted by Communist agents in search of a secret formula.
Cast[edit]
- Derek Farr as Ivan Mason/Doctor James Paxton
- Ella Raines as Rhona Ellison
- Donald Wolfit as Professor Cattrell
- Lisa Daniely as Nurse Mitzi
- Bruce Beeby as Doctor Manning
- Russell Napier as Superintendent Davidson of Scotland Yard
- Cyril Cusack as Doctor Kelly
- Frederick Piper as Inspector Hayman
- Karel Stepanek as Dmitri Balinkev
- Olive Sloane as Mrs Lemming, the landlady
- Alfred Maron as ambulance driver
- John Welsh as employer
- Robert Bruce as Scotland Yard Detective
Production[edit]
The film was shot at Beaconsfield Studios.[citation needed]
Critical reception[edit]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Spy hokum concocted from a variety of well-tried ingredients (kidnapped scientist, hypnotism, amnesia) and lacking only a set of stolen secret plans. But it is all done with some gusto and played with appropriate seriousness. The best performances come from Cyril Cusack, effective as an alcoholic doctor, and from Russell Napier, with a reliable impersonation of a Scotland Yard superintendent."[3]
Britmovie called the film a "fast-paced, implausible, but engrossing Cold War spy thriller."[4]
TV Guide wrote, "the complicated plot never really amounts to anything more than predictable propaganda, though a capable cast handles the material in a professional and convincing manner."[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 341. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "The Man in the Road". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ "The Man in the Road". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 23 (264): 62. 1 January 1956 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "The Man in the Road 1956 | Britmovie | Home of British Films". www.britmovie.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014.
- ^ "The Man In The Road - TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
External links[edit]
- The Man in the Road at IMDb
- The Man in the Road then-and-now location photographs at ReelStreets
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- 1956 films
- 1950s spy thriller films
- British spy thriller films
- Films directed by Lance Comfort
- Cold War spy films
- Films about amnesia
- Films based on British novels
- Films shot at Beaconsfield Studios
- 1950s English-language films
- 1950s British films
- British black-and-white films
- 1950s British film stubs
- Thriller film stubs