''Face of a Stranger'' is a 1964

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

film directed by John Moxey and starring

Jeremy Kemp Edmund Jeremy James Walker (3 February 1935 – 19 July 2019), known professionally as Jeremy Kemp, was an English actor. He was known for his significant roles in the miniseries '' The Winds of War'' and '' War and Remembrance'', the film ''T ...

Bernard Archard Bernard Joseph Archard (20 August 1916 – 1 May 2008) was an English actor who made many film and television appearances. Early life and career Archard was born in Fulham, London, where his father Alfred James Aloysius, who was born in Maryle ...

and Rosemary Leach. The screenplay was by John Sansom based on a story by Wallace. It is part of the series of

Edgar Wallace Mysteries The ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as ''Th ...

films made at Merton Park Studios.

Plot

Vince Howard and John Bell are prison cellmates awaiting their release. When Bell is found with a knife his release is delayed by three months. He asks Howard to visit his wife Mary, who is blind. Once out of jail, Howard discovers that his own wife has left him. He starts to live with Mary. Knowing that Bell has money stashed away from a robbery, on his release Howard offers to drive him to get the stolen cash. Howard kills him and he returns with the money to Mary, who drugs him and makes to run off with her friend Michael Forrest. Howard recovers from the dope and kills Forest and then Mary.

Cast

as Vince Howard *

as Michael Forrest * Rosemary Leach as Mary Bell *

Philip Locke Roy James "Philip" Locke (29 March 192819 April 2004) was an English actor who had roles in film and television. He is perhaps best known for his part in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' as Largo's personal assistant and chief henchman, Var ...

as John Bell * Elizabeth Begley as Mrs Holden *

Jean Marsh Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh (1 July 1934 – 13 April 2025) was an English actress and writer. She co-created and starred in the ITV series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1975), for which she won the 1975 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actr ...

as Grace *

Ronald Leigh-Hunt Ronald Frederick Leigh-Hunt (5 October 1920 – 12 September 2005) was a British film and television actor. His father was a stockbroker and he attended the Italia Conti Academy. He began acting whilst serving in the army. Though never a majo ...

as prison governor * Mike Pratt as Harry * Harry Longhurst as Peters * Alec Bregonzi as garage proprietor * Keith Smith as ticket collector * Edward Dentith as prison officer * Victor Charrington as chief prison officer

Critical reception

Kine Weekly ''Kinematograph Weekly'', popularly known as ''Kine Weekly'', was a trade paper catering to the British film industry between 1889 and 1971. Etymology The word Kinematograph was derived from the Greek ' Kinumai ', (to move, to be in motion, to ...

'' wrote: "This is a somewhat far-fetched story of double dealing and one which, in the first few reels at least, strikes some as preposterous. However, it has the Wallace surprises to bring it back on a saner level and the result is holding, and sometimes violent melodrama. ... Like all the pictures in this series it pours a pint into a half pint measure and this restriction of footage, while keeping the interest vibrantly alive, is an example of what may be achieved as opposed to the so often overlong film. Jeremy Kemp is good as a man whose morals obviously deteriorate at the thought of money while Bernard Archard is a disarming schemer, Rosemary Leach too, is quite convincing as the blind wife with deep laid plans for a future on her unfortunate husband's ill-gotten gains. Philip Locke, though a crook, is the one character to win a modicum of audience sympathy."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 8024684, Face of a Stranger 1964 films British black-and-white films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films Merton Park Studios films Films based on British novels Edgar Wallace Mysteries