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The Dark Light (film)

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The Dark Light
Directed byVernon Sewell
Written byVernon Sewell
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMoray Grant
Edited byFrancis Bieber
Music byFrank Spencer
Production
company
Distributed byExclusive Films (UK)
Release date
  • 23 April 1951 (1951-04-23) (UK)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Dark Light is a 1951 British second feature[1] thriller film directed and written by Vernon Sewell and starring Albert Lieven, David Greene and Norman Macowan.[2]

Plot

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The crew of a lighthouse take in what they assume to be the survivors of a shipwreck, but who turn out to be criminals on the run after a bank robbery.

Cast

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Production

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It was filmed at a rented country estate in Gilston and on location around Portsmouth.[1]: 77  Sewell used his own boat.[3]

Critical reception

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A good setting and an adequate idea are wasted in a film which suffers from incoherent plot development, clumsy handling, and generally indifferent performances."[4]

The Radio Times called it "dismal" writing: " 'Quota quickie' veteran Vernon Sewell gets matters off to a promising start as a desperate gang of bank robbers are rescued from the stormy sea by a lighthouse crew. By tossing away the dramatic possibilities of the claustrophobic setting, however, he is unable to sustain more than a modicum of tension as the crew begin scheming to keep the swag for themselves, rather than let justice take its course."[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ^ "The Dark Light". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  3. ^ Fowler, Roy (8 July 1994). "Vernon Sewell". British Entertainment History Project.
  4. ^ "The Dark Light". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 18 (204): 263. 1 January 1951 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ "The Dark Light - Film from RadioTimes".
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