Crown v. Stevens is a 1936 British crime thriller film directed by Michael Powell. It was made as a quota quickie.[1]
| Crown v. Stevens | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Michael Powell |
| Written by | Brock Williams |
| Based on | Third Time Unlucky 1935 novel by Laurence Meynell |
| Produced by | Irving Asher |
| Starring | Beatrix Thomson Patric Knowles Glennis Lorimer |
| Cinematography | Basil Emmott |
| Edited by | Bert Bates |
Production company | Warner Bros. |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 66 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editEx-dancer Doris Stevens kills a moneylender who is pressing her for settlement of her debt and threatening to tell her respectable businessman husband. Chris Jensen, who also owes money, sees her there but does not report her. Later, Jensen finds out the woman is his employer's wife. He later accidentally intervenes when Doris attempts to also murder her dull and stingy husband.[2]
Cast
edit- Beatrix Thomson as Doris Stevens
- Patric Knowles as Chris Jensen
- Glennis Lorimer as Miss Molly Hobbes
- Reginald Purdell as Alf
- Allan Jeayes as Inspector Carter
- Frederick Piper as Arthur Stevens
- Googie Withers as Ella Levine
- Mabel Poulton as Mamie
- Morris Harvey as Maurice Bayleck (uncredited)
- Bernard Miles as Detective Wells (uncredited)
Critical reception
editAt the time of the film's release, Kinematograph Weekly called it a "Vivid portrayal of a young woman who commits murder and then tries to poison her husband, thereby involving his employee, a witness to the former crime. Plot is entirely suited to those who do not demand that a crime story should justify its existence by reaching too high an artistic level in theme, acting or presentation. Definitely unsuited to the family, the picture may nevertheless find a place in the average programme as a quota thriller";[3] while more recently, TV Guide called it "Occasionally suspenseful," though opined "the plot is soggy and the actors all wet";[4] whereas Dennis Schwartz noted "a very entertaining little melodrama," and concluded "The acting honors go to (Beatrix) Thomson. The stage actress was superb as the quintessential femme fatale, and easily steals this film from her capable co-stars."[5]
References
edit- ^ "Teddington Studios Introduction". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Crown V Stevens | Britmovie | Home of British Films". Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
- ^ "Contemporary Review (Kinematograph Weekly) - Crown v. Stevens (1936)". www.powell-pressburger.org.
- ^ "Crown Vs Stevens - TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
- ^ Schwartz, Dennis. "crownvsstevens". homepages.sover.net.
External links
edit- Crown v. Stevens at IMDb
- Crown v. Stevens at AllMovie
- Crown v. Stevens at the TCM Movie Database
- Crown v. Stevens at the BFI's Screenonline
- Reviews and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages
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