A Matter of Murder

A Matter of Murder
Directed by	John Gilling
Written by	John Gilling
Produced by	Sam Lee Roger Proudlock
Starring	Maureen Riscoe John Barry Charles Clapham Ivan Craig
Cinematography	S.D. Onions
Music by	George Melachrino
Production company	Vandyke Productions
Distributed by	Grand National Pictures
Release date	December 1949 (1949-12)
Running time	59 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

A Matter of Murder is a 1949 British second feature ('B')[1] crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Maureen Riscoe, John Barry, Charles Clapham, Ian Fleming and John Le Mesurier.[2][3]

Plot

Mild mannered bank clerk Geoffrey Dent is persuaded by his nagging, gold digging girlfriend, Laura, to embezzle money. When an attempt is made on Laura's life, Geoffrey runs away with the cash to avoid being blamed. With the killer and a detective hot on his heels, Geoffrey hides out in a Cheltenham boarding house, where he becomes the murderer's next intended victim.

Cast

• John Barry as Geoffrey Dent
• Maureen Riscoe as Julie McKelvin
• Charles Clapham as Col Peabody
• Ivan Craig as Tony
• Ian Fleming as Det Sgt McKelvin
• Sonya O'Shea as Laura Wilson
• Peter Madren as Sgt Bex
• John Le Mesurier as Ginter
• Sam Lee as Cullen
• Blanche Fothergill as Miss Budge

Production

The film was made partly at the Kensington Studios, by Vandyke Productions.

Reception

Kine Weekly wrote: "Stilted acting and dialogue remove the edge from many intended thrills. Very moderate quota offering."[4]

Picturegoer wrote: "Characters are drawn from stock, with a provincial boarding house setting, and the drama as a whole is most ingenuous. Maureen Riscoe is quite good as the heroine, but the rest of the cast hardly comes up to scratch."[5]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Tatty programme-filler."[6]

References

1. Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
2. "A Matter of Murder". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
3. "A Matter of Murder (1950)". Archived from the original on 21 December 2016.
4. "A Matter of Murder". Kine Weekly. 394 (2223): 24. 8 December 1949 – via ProQuest.
5. "A Matter of Murder". Picturegoer. 19: 17. 9 April 1950 – via ProQuest.
6. Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 229. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.

External links

• A Matter of Murder at IMDb