''Fear No More'' is a 1961 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

Bernard Wiesen Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern ...

and starring

Mala Powers Mary Ellen "Mala" Powers (December 20, 1931 – June 11, 2007) was an American actress. Early life Powers was born in San Francisco. Her father was a United Press Associations executive, while her mother was a minister. In 1940, her family mov ...

Jacques Bergerac Jacques Bergerac (26 May 1927 – 15 June 2014) was a French actor and businessman. Life and career Jacques Bergerac was born in 1927 in Biarritz, France, the son of Alice (Romatet) and Charles Bergerac. Bergerac was a law student when he met a ...

and Anna Lee Carroll. It was written by Robert Bloomfield based on the 1946 novel of the same name by

Leslie Edgley Leslie John Edgley (October 14, 1912 – August 9, 2002) was an English-born American mystery fiction writer, radio dramatist screenwriter and playwright. Among the works for which he became known are the scripts for many episodes of '' Perry Mas ...

Plot

Personal secretary Sharon Carlin arrives at a railway station on a mission to deliver an important envelope for her boss. When she enters her compartment, a man threatens her with a gun. She sees a woman in the compartment who appears dead. The man knocks Sharon unconscious. When she comes to, she finds herself interrogated by a plainclothes policeman who accuses her of murdering the woman. When they leave the train for the police station, Sharon manages to dodge the detective and, panicked, runs in front of a car which has to swerve to avoid her, slightly injuring a young boy who is a passenger. Sharon begs the driver, Paul Colbert, a divorced man who is the boy's father and is returning the boy to his mother, to help her. He reluctantly agrees. After a disagreeable scene at the wife's house, Paul drops Sharon back at her home. She has forgotten that her male friend is staying in her flat. Later Paul phones her and they have a coffee together at a local beat café. When she returns home, she finds her friend dead. Chased by the murderer, she dashes out of the apartment block and Paul drives her away. She eventually discloses to him that she can't go to the police as they won't believe her: she has a mental health history and was once in a sanatorium. The following day, Paul drives her to her employer's house where, inexplicably, his employer and his staff disavow any knowledge of her errand. More worryingly, her employer, Milo Seymour claims a large sum of money has disappeared from his safe, to which only he and she have the combination. Is Sharon the victim of an elaborate plot, or is she veering into madness?

Cast

as Sharon Carlin *

as Paul Colbert *

John Harding John Harding is the name of: *John Harding (Leicester MP), British politician who represented Leicester (UK Parliament constituency) in 1338? * John Harding (President of Magdalen) (died 1610), English churchman and academic * Sir John Harding (180 ...

as Milo Seymour * Helena Nash as Irene Maddox * John Baer as Keith Burgess * Anna Lee Carroll as Denise Colbert *

Robert Karnes Robert Anthony Karnes (June 19, 1917 – December 4, 1979) was an American film, stage and television actor. Life and career Karnes was born in Kentucky. He served in World War II, during which he toured the Pacific with the Maurice Evans Tr ...

as Joe Brady *

Peter Brocco Carl Peter Brocco (January 16, 1903 – December 20, 1992) was an American screen and stage actor. He appeared in over 300 credits, notably ''Spartacus'' (1960) and '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975), during his career spanning over 60 ...

as Steve Cresca * Peter Virgo Jr. as Duke Maddox *

Gregory Irvin Gregory may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gregory (surname), a surname *Gregory (The Walking Dead), fictional character from the walkin ...

as Chris Colbert *

Emile Hamaty Emile or Émile may refer to: * Émile (novel) (1827), autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life * Emile, Canadian film made in 2003 by Carl Bessai * '' Emile: or, On Education'' (1762) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a treatise o ...

as Train Conductor

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "This melodrama of a skilfully engineered frame-up, with an unsuspecting secretary as victim, cleverly disguises its weaknesses and coincidences by carrying the audience along on the crest of swiftly mounting suspense and piled-up complications. Although the plot doesn't bear examination, it is enjoyably intriguing while one is watching. The acting is hardly more than adequate, but John Harding is effective as the villainous Milo."

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0150524 1961 films American thriller films 1960s thriller films Astor Pictures films Films based on American novels 1960s English-language films 1960s American films English-language thriller films