My Death Is a Mockery

1952 British film by Tony Young

  • Donald Houston
  • Kathleen Byron
  • Bill Kerr
CinematographyPhil GrindrodEdited byLito Carruthers
Production
company
Park Lane Films
Distributed byAdelphi Films
Release date
  • 1 August 1952 (1952-08-01)
Running time
75 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

My Death Is a Mockery is a 1952 British second feature ('B')[1] crime film directed by Tony Young and starring Donald Houston, Kathleen Byron and Bill Kerr.[2] It was written by Douglas Baber from his novel of the same name.

The following year it attracted notoriety as the last film watched by Christopher Craig before he shot dead a policeman during a failed burglary.[1]

Synopsis

After being condemned to death, a man recounts the events that have brought him there. A struggling Brixham fisherman, he was persuaded by an Australian chancer to switch to smuggling brandy from the French coast. However the murder of a policeman rapidly leads to things falling apart.

Cast

  • Donald Houston as John Bradley
  • Kathleen Byron as Helen Bradley
  • Bill Kerr as Hansen
  • Eddie Leslie as Le Cambre
  • Liam Gaffney as Father Matthews
  • Kenneth Henry as Inspector
  • Felix Felton as Closterman
  • Sheila McCormack as Patsy, barmaid
  • Christopher Quest as first customs officer
  • Michael Voysey as second customs officer
  • Vincent Holman as prison governor
  • Meadows White as warder
  • Christmas Grose as sailor

Production

It was shot at the Brighton Studios.

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Unfortunately the script, partcularly at first, is rather pompous and artificial. Otherwise, the film is technically adequate and acting and direction have a certain freshness."[3]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Drama is resolutely dark and glum, minimally entertaining."[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ^ "My Death Is a Mockery". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  3. ^ "My Death Is a Mockery". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 19 (216): 129. 1 January 1952 – via ProQuest.
  4. ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 350. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.

External links

  • My Death Is a Mockery at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata


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