The_Diplomatic_Corpse
The Diplomatic Corpse
1958 British film
The Diplomatic Corpse is a 1958 British second feature[1] comedy thriller film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Robin Bailey, Susan Shaw and Liam Redmond.[2] It was produced by ACT Films.
| The Diplomatic Corpse | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Montgomery Tully |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Francis Searle |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Phil Grindrod |
| Edited by | Jim Connock |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 65 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
A crime reporter, assisted by his girlfriend, a fashion reporter at the same newspaper, investigates a dead body taken out of the River Thames. They are soon able to link it with a foreign embassy, making it a sensitive diplomatic matter.
- Robin Bailey as Mike Billings
- Susan Shaw as Jenny Drew
- Liam Redmond as Inspector Corcoran
- Harry Fowler as Knocker Parsons
- André Mikhelson as Hamid
- Bill Shine as Humphrey Garrad
- Charles Farrell as Percy Simpson
- Maya Koumani as Marian Koumaya
- Nicholas Bruce as Karim
- Peter Bathurst as Cartwright
- John Briggs as Johnny, copy boy
- Frank Hawkins as Police Sergeant
- George Street as Station Police Sergeant
Producer Francis Searle recalled the film "was a near-disaster. We had cast Ursula Howells; then, at the very last moment, she was taken sick and couldn’t appear. I then had to find another artiste quickly. We finished up with Susan Shaw and she was all right."[3]
The film's sets were designed by the art director Joseph Bato.
Monthly Film Bulletin said "Though mainly naive and sterotyped hokum, lively presentation makes this an entertaining second feature. The 'foreign' voice of Maya Koumani is rather fetching and other less exotic players spirited enough in their way."[4]
Chibnall and McFarlane in The British 'B' Film wrote: "`a pair of sparring reporters (Robin Bailey and Susan Shaw) is meant to be striking sparks of sexual interest, but Bailey in particular is quite lost in this sort of role. ... the characters are thinly written – apart from the uninspiring romantic duo."[1]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Thriller with a sense of humour."[5]
- Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. pp. 109–110. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- "The Diplomatic Corpse". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- McFarlane, Brian (1997). An autobiography of British cinema: as told by the filmmakers and actors who made it. p. 525.
- "The Diplomatic Corpse". Monthly Film Bulletin. 25 (288): 45. 1 January 1958 – via ProQuest.
- Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 302. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
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