The Dark Man
Directed byJeffrey Dell
Written byJeffrey Dell
Produced byJulian Wintle
StarringEdward Underdown
Maxwell Reed
Natasha Parry
William Hartnell
Barbara Murray
CinematographyEric Cross
Edited byGeoffrey Muller
Music byHubert Clifford
Production
company
Distributed byGeneral Film Distributors
Release date
  • 22 January 1951 (1951-01-22)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£58,200[1]
Box office£90,000[1]

The Dark Man (also known as Man Detained) is a 1951 British black and white film-noir thriller film written and directed by Jeffrey Dell and starring Edward Underdown, Maxwell Reed and Natasha Parry.[2] It was produced by Julian WIntle for Rank Studios.

Plot

At a farmhouse in a lonely wood, ruthless killer "The Dark Man" murders a petty criminal. He then shoots the taxi driver who drove him there, knowing he would be able to identify him. However, the murder is witnessed by a young actress, Molly, who is passing by. The Dark Man now has reason to silence her as well. When the police investigate the murder, Inspector Viner is assigned to the case, and soon develops romantic feelings for Molly. Meanwhile, The Dark Man continues to stalk his prey, and is foiled in an attempt to strangle Molly at her home, but continues to pursue her. The climax comes with a desperate chase across a desolate landscape.

Cast

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This attempt at a low-budget thriller, shot mainly on location, is undermined by the staggering improbabilities of the script. Molly's reactions to the threats of the Dark Man and her hesitancy in seeking help from the police, are unbelievably stupid: with equal stupidity she allows herself to be kidnapped by an old and obvious trick. The contrivances of the script are not helped, either, by stilted dialogue. The Dark Man has some excellent exterior camerawork, and both Natasha Parry and Edward Underdown show, in unrewarding parts, talent and personality."[3]

The New York Times wrote: "this Julian Wintle production often stirs up a fair amount of suspense and absorption, chiefly because of the efficient direction of Jeffrey Dell, an excellent performance by Edward Underdown, as a detective, and a painless round-up of typical British "types" in minor roles. But the scenario is a meandering affair overbalanced with too many sneering close-ups of its culprits, and ... anything but suggestive of the banner of the distributors, Fine Arts Films, Inc.".[4]

AllMovie noted: "the plot is nothing new, though the settings – a provincial repertory theatre, a military rifle range – are rather novel."[5]

Britmovie said, "Edward Underdown is clearly too old to be the young policeman and love interest, but brooding Maxwell Reed is very effective as the shadowy ‘Dark Man’."[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 102. Income is producer's share of receipts.
  2. ↑ "The Dark Man". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Dark Man". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 18 (204): 232. 1 January 1951 – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ "Movie Review -- Two Offerings by Fine Arts Films - NYTimes.com". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "The Dark Man (1951) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie". AllMovie. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "The Dark Man". Retrieved 17 October 2014.


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