Though the basic plot for this was extracted from Edgar Wallace's novel Angel of Terror, the cold, cynical characters are very much of the 1960s. They are more memorable though than the bland, insipid individuals who tended to be a more usual feature of this Merton Park series. There are so many potential snags to Richard Leech's initial blackmail and murder scheme, as to strain credibility, but the fast-moving storyline and devious characters prove gripping. In addition to Maxine Audley as Leech's frosty wife, there's Patrick Magee, at home as a menacing police official and Dudley Foster who was always a treat as smooth, sly operators from both sides of the law. Another plus is the superb, sharp photography from Jimmy Wilson, an unsung hero of British 'B's making good use of the ice-rink setting and the exterior scenes, filmed during the 'big freeze' of 1962-63 when snow lay on the ground for several months.
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wilvram29 August 2014
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One of the better Edgar Wallace adaptations made at Merton Park Studios, it is a gripping account of a man's scheme to grasp hold of his wife's money. There are many scenes filmed in snow covered England that give a distinctly chilly atmosphere to the film, well lensed by James Wilson. It reflects the cast of characters who all rather cold hearted and amoral. The players are uniformly excellent; Richard Leech as the duplicitous husband (the part where he laughs when he thinks he has got away with it is truly creepy);Patrick Magee as the unsympathetic inspector, Alex Scott as the philandering fall guy Brodie, Dudley Foster as the sleazy blackmailer and Maxine Audley as the beset wife. Perhaps the ending is a little rushed but overall a nice slice of British noir.
It was interesting to see Streatham Ice Arena, alas now no longer there, in it's full glory. -
A smart solicitor Alan Phipps (Richard Leech) approaches an acquaintances that might appear as a random guy to anyone else and hires him to blackmail his wealthy wife, in actual facts framing her who ends up killing the blackmailer. Phipps was also trying to get a full revenge as he planned to approach the man he found out was his wife's lover. But he makes an oversight mistake in the last second...
Infidelity, murder and blackmail plays a big role in this fairly involving thriller. It's well-acted by all, and suspenseful,too. Will the husband get away with his scheme hooks you in. Nice twist at the end. Judging by the abundance of snow in the exterior shots this entry was filmed during the big freeze of 1963 that brought Britain to a near standstill for months. Streatham railway station features here as well. Good shots of an ice rink. -
searchanddestroy-117 July 2011I consider it as one of the best episodes of Edgard Wallace Mystery series. Wonderful little story of blackmail between a jealous husband, his lover's wife and the latest. The husband discovers who the lover is, meets him and makes a strange bargain with him. He suggests him to blackmail the wife, with the letters written between the two illegitimate lovers, and he asks him to push the wife to kill him, her lover, but in fact with a blank loaded weapon, to make believe her she actually killed him...But that's what he tells his rival to push him to accept the proposition
Do you follow?
I won't tell the following any further but, believe me, it's worth seeing . Really. A very good UK crime yarn from the sixties, and directed by the prolific John Moxey, who made so TV movies over the years in the US. -
waldog200626 August 2012This is one of the Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre films that qualifies as a noir in Michael F Keaney's British FILM NOIR GUIDE. He rates it a generous two-and-a-half stars out of five. It is well-made within its limited budget: James Wilson's cinematography is top-notch, especially making atmospheric use of an ice skating rink and snow-covered landscapes, and all the actors - Maxine Audley as the blackmailed and manipulated wife; Richard Leech as the duplicitous husband; Alex Scott as the partner-in-crime; Dudley Foster as the fly in the husband's ointment; and Patrick Magee as the less-than-sympathetic inspector - give good performances, but the script is a real clinker. How the husband, who is supposed to be a solicitor, could hatch a plan with so many things that could go wrong, and that anybody should go along with it, simply beggars belief. And even if you buy the implausible plotting at the beginning of the film, the end is even more ridiculous. Shame, because this had a lot going for it. Fans of the genre, however, should not be put off by my low rating.
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The good: photography is excellent, especially the scenes at the ice rink, and the performances by the actors is superb.
The not-so-good: the plot is a little confusing and contrived in places, and the lawyer's character comes across as a a rather ineffectual blackmailer, compared to Dudley Foster's character who exudes false charm and greed. However, for me, at least, just he atmosphere and performances make the film very watchable.
The film includes scenes filmed at Stretham Ice Rink, Britain's second-oldest ice rink, opened in 1930, sadly now demolished to make way for yet another Tesco supermarket. One for fans of London landmarks. -
mark.waltz11 March 2024Blackmail is such a scheme, and for Richard Leech, using letters his wealthy wife Maxine Audley wrote to her lover against her turns against him when the jilted lover Alex Scott has the same idea. Audley ends up in prison for murder and Leech is implicated in the blackmail scheme, desperately trying to get out.
I found this interesting and intriguing, especially the spooky first scene where approaching her house in the dark realizes that she's being followed. But like many of the extremely low budget Edgar Wallace series of crime dramas, it's filled with unbelievable plot holes, and how the plot wraps up is questionable. Patrick Magee as the cynical investigator and Dudley Foster as a co-conspirator adds to the fun, but it's frustrating to put all the pieces of every little detail together to make sense of it so after a while, it's best in these films to just stop trying.