The Green Scarf
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Mystery film |
The Green Scarf is a British mystery motion picture from 1954, directed by George More O'Ferrall. The cast includes Michael Redgrave, Ann Todd, Leo Genn, Kieron Moore, Richard O'Sullivan, and Michael Medwin.[1] The screenplay, penned by Gordon Wellesley, adapts the 1951 novel The Brute authored by Guy des Cars.[2]
Plot
A man is charged with committing a murder that appears to lack any clear motive.[3]
Cast
- Michael Redgrave as Maitre Deliot
- Ann Todd as Solange Vauthier
- Leo Genn as Rodelec
- Kieron Moore as Jacques
- Richard O'Sullivan as young Jacques
- Jane Lamb as young Solange
- Michael Medwin as Teral
- Jane Griffiths as Danielle
- Ella Milne as Louise
- Jane Henderson as Mme. Vauthier
- George Merritt as Advocate General
- Peter Burton as purser
- Tristan Rawson as prison governor
- Henry Caine as ship’s captain
- Phil Brown as John Bell
- Anthony Nicholls as Goirin
- Walter Horsbrugh as interpreter
- Evelyn Roberts as President of the Court
- Neil Wilson as Inspector
- Michael Golden as warder
- Launce Maraschal as Sen. Bell
- Terence Alexander as wireless operator
- Frank Singuineau as telegram desk clerk
- Wilfrid Brambell as court clerk
Production
Filming took place at Shepperton Studios, with art direction and set design led by Wilfred Shingleton.
Critical
According to The Monthly Film Bulletin, the melodramatic storyline held promise for an intense character exploration of Jacques Vauthier; however, director George More O'Ferrall did not fully exploit cinematic methods to express the central character’s deep sense of alienation. Kieron Moore’s interpretation of Vauthier came across more pitiable than empathetic, lacking complexity. Michael Redgrave’s role as the older lawyer seemed somewhat hesitant, with certain lines muffled by his beard. Overall, the production was competent, though the concluding mystery resolution felt inconsistent with the film’s overall atmosphere.
Critic Leslie Halliwell characterized the movie as a "slow courtroom drama" featuring well-known actors in roles that failed to convincingly portray French characters.
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959, film scholar David Quinlan assigned it an "average" rating, acknowledging a capable ensemble and intriguing storyline but noting a deficiency in emotional resonance.
Box office
Bosley Crowther, writing for The New York Times, described The Green Scarf as "inconsistent and unpersuasive."
Despite varied critical opinions, Kinematograph Weekly identified the film as a commercial success within the British market in 1954.
References
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBFIsearch - ↑ Ronald Bergan. "The Green Scarf". RadioTimes.
- ↑ "The Green Scarf (1954)". BFI. Archived from the original on 2009-01-14.
External links
- 1954 films
- 1950s mystery films
- British mystery films
- Films directed by George More O'Ferrall
- British Lion Films films
- Films shot at Shepperton Studios
- Films based on French novels
- 1950s English-language films
- British black-and-white films
- 1950s British films
- English-language mystery films
- Films scored by Brian Easdale