''The Whole Truth'' is a 1958 British-American

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by John Guillermin and starring

Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

, Donna Reed,

Gianna Maria Canale Gianna Maria Canale (12 September 1927 – 13 February 2009) was an Italian film actress. Biography Canale was born in 1927 in Reggio Calabria. In 1947, she competed in the Miss Italia beauty contest, where she was runner-up to Lucia B ...

and

Peter Dyneley Peter Dyneley (13 April 1921 – 19 August 1977) was a British actor. Although he appeared in many smaller roles in both film and television, he is best remembered for supplying the voice of Jeff Tracy for the 1960s " Supermarionation" TV serie ...

. It was based on the 1955 play of the same title by Philip Mackie. It was made at Walton Studios with some brief

location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for ex ...

in France. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

Anthony Masters.

Plot

While making a film on the

French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend from ...

, the producer, Max Poulton, has been having an affair with his star, Gina Bertini. A married man, Max does not want to lose his wife Carol, but the hot-tempered Gina threatens to tell all. Max comes home with a blood stain on his shirt cuff. A visit follows from an Inspector Carliss of

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

, who says Gina's body has just been found, stabbed to death. Rushing to the house where he and Gina used to secretly meet, Max gathers up possessions he's left behind. A neighbour spots his car. Upon returning home, to a party Carol is hosting, Max is astounded to find Gina alive and well among the guests. Confused, he drives her home, leaves her in the car briefly, then returns to find her lifeless body, stabbed. This time, a local police official, Inspector Simon, comes to call. The only conclusion Max can draw is that Carliss is somehow trying to frame him. His suspicions are correct. Carliss is not a Scotland Yard inspector at all but Gina's jealous husband. He has arranged things to make Max appear guilty, and Simon, having the neighbour's eyewitness description of seeing Max's car, has little choice but to place Max under arrest. When it looks as though Carliss intends to harm Carol as well, Max escapes from jail. He manipulates Carliss into stealing his own car, and when the police give chase to the wrong man, Carliss, in a panic, drives off a cliff to his death. Max's innocence becomes apparent to the police.

Cast

Original TV play

Philip Mackie's 90-minute play debuted on television, airing on the BBC in July 1955. The TV play was screened again in 1956. Stephen Harrison directed.

Cast

*Ellen Blueth as Deenie *Michael Brill as Hugh Carliss

Stage play

It was then turned into a stage play which was presented by

Henry Sherek Jules Henry Sherek (1900–1967) was a British theatrical manager, known for producing the plays of T. S. Eliot. Sherek was born on 23 April 1900, at 2 Guilford Street, London, to Bernard a merchant (and later an international theatrical agent), ...

in London in October 1955 starring Leslie Philips. Reviewing it Kenneth Tynan said the first two acts were "the tautest puzzle play since '' Dial M for Murder''" but did not like the ending.

Original cast

Ernest Clark Ernest Clark (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor of stage, television and film. Early life Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving sc ...

as the director *

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. ...

as the murderer * Sarah Lawson as the director's wife

Production

Development

The US rights and film rights were bought by

Gilbert Miller } Gilbert Heron Miller (July 3, 1884 – January 3, 1969) was an American theatrical producer. Born in New York City, he was the son of English-born theatrical producer Henry Miller and Bijou Heron, a former child actress. Raised and educated i ...

in January 1956. The film was made by Romulus Productions. Stewart Granger had just finished his contract with MGM and signed a two-picture deal with Romulus, of which ''The Whole Truth'' was to be the first; the second was to be ''The Night Comers'' from a novel by

Eric Ambler Eric Clifford Ambler OBE (28 June 1909 – 22 October 1998) was an English author of thrillers, in particular spy novels, who introduced a new realism to the genre. Also working as a screenwriter, Ambler used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for bo ...

and co-starring

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and aft ...

. (This film was never made).

Jeanne Crain Jeanne Elizabeth Crain (May 25, 1925 – December 14, 2003) was an American actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her title role in '' Pinky'' (1949). She also starred in the films '' In the Meantime, Darling'' (194 ...

was originally announced as the female lead. However Donna Reed ended up playing it. George Sanders joined the cast in July 1957.

Shooting

Filming started in London on 16 September 1957. Romulus later announced they offered Stewart Granger a six-picture contract worth $1.5 million, however, he made no more films for that company. Teddy Darvas, sound editor, recalled that Granger "behaved exceedingly badly to Jackie Clayton on that film" by demanding large amounts of money to do ADR. " I think the problem is that he is not a really good actor," said Darvas. "I think the better the actor the bigger the star, the nicer and easier they are to work with."

Reception

''Filmink'' praised the "brilliant first half".

References

External links

* *
The Whole Truth
at Letterbox DVD
The Whole Truth
at BFI
Review of film
at Variety * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whole Truth (1958 Film) 1958 films 1950s crime thriller films 1950s mystery thriller films Adultery in films British black-and-white films British crime thriller films British mystery thriller films Columbia Pictures films Films about film directors and producers Films based on television plays Films directed by John Guillermin Films set on the French Riviera Films shot at Nettlefold Studios 1950s English-language films 1950s British films