Hidden Homicide

1959 British film by Anthony Young

25 February 1959 (1959-02-25)

Running time

71 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

Hidden Homicide is a 1959 British 'B'^[1] mystery film directed by Tony Young and starring Griffith Jones, Patricia Laffan, James Kenney, Bruce Seton, Peter Carver and Danny Green.^[2] It was written by Bill Luckwell and Young, based on the 1951 novel Death at Shinglestrand by Paul Capon. It was released on 25 February 1959 by Rank Film Distributors.^[3]^[4]

Plot

Writer Michael Cornforth wakes up in a strange house in the countryside – fully clothed and holding a gun. On investigating, he discovers his cousin's dead body in the kitchen, and soon finds himself accused of murder.

Cast

Griffith Jones as Michael Cornforth
Patricia Laffan as Jean Gilson
James Kenney as Oswald Castellan
Bruce Seton as Bill Dodd
Peter Carver as Wally Gizzard
Danny Green as Cliff Darby
Charles Farrell as Mungo Peddy
John Moore as the stranger
Richard Shaw as Wright
Robert Raglan as Ashbury
Maya Koumani as Marian Savage
David Chivers as the chemist
Norman Wynne as the innkeeper
Frank Hawkins as Ben Leacock
Jan Wilson as porter
Joe Wadham as Marshall
John Watson as policeman

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "After an intriguing start, this romantic 'whodunnit' collapses under clumsy development, involving a strained exercise in female impersonation from James Kenney and a particularly far-fetched dénouement."^[5]

References

^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
^ "Hidden Homicide". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
^ "Hidden Homicide (1959)". BFI. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
^ Sandra Brennan. "Hidden Homicide (1959) - Tony Young". AllMovie. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
^ "Hidden Homicide". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 26 (300): 33. 1 January 1959 – via ProQuest.