The Man in the Road
1956 British film by Lance Comfort
- 16 April 1956 (1956-04-16)
Running time
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
A brilliant scientist suffering from amnesia is hunted by Communist agents in search of a secret formula.
Cast
- 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
The film was shot at Beaconsfield Studios.[citation needed]
Critical reception
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
- ^ 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
- The Man in the Road at IMDb
- The Man in the Road then-and-now location photographs at ReelStreets
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Films directed by Lance Comfort
- Penn of Pennsylvania (1941)
- Hatter's Castle (1942)
- Those Kids from Town (1942)
- Squadron Leader X (1943)
- Escape to Danger (1943)
- When We Are Married (1943)
- Old Mother Riley Detective (1943)
- Hotel Reserve (1944)
- Great Day (1945)
- Bedelia (1946)
- Temptation Harbour (1947)
- Daughter of Darkness (1948)
- Silent Dust (1949)
- Portrait of Clare (1950)
- The Girl on the Pier (1953)
- Bang! You're Dead (1954)
- Eight O'Clock Walk (1954)
- The Man in the Road (1956)
- Face in the Night (1957)
- Man from Tangier (1957)
- At the Stroke of Nine (1957)
- The Ugly Duckling (1959)
- Make Mine a Million (1959)
- The Breaking Point (1961)
- Rag Doll (1961)
- Pit of Darkness (1961)
- Touch of Death (1961)
- The Painted Smile (1962)
- The Break (1963)
- Blind Corner (1963)
- Live It Up! (1963)
- Tomorrow at Ten (1963)
- Be My Guest (1965)
- Devils of Darkness (1965)
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