The Very Edge
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''The Very Edge'' is a 1963 British
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
Cyril Frankel Cyril Solomon Israel Frankel (28 December 19217 June 2017) was a British film and television director. His career in television began in 1953 and he directed for over 30 TV programmes until 1990. He directed many episodes of popular British TV s ...
and starring Anne Heywood,
Richard Todd Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor n ...
, Jack Hedley,
Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes from 1984 to 1994 in 41 episodes of a Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV ...
and
Maurice Denham William Maurice Denham (23 December 1909 – 24 July 2002) was an English actor who appeared in over 100 films and television programmes in his long career. Early life Denham was born on 23 December 1909 in Beckenham, Kent, the son of Eleanor ...
. It was written by
Leslie Bricusse Leslie Bricusse OBE (; 29 January 1931 – 19 October 2021) was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films '' D ...
and Vivian Cox. A young woman is assaulted and stalked by a maniac. It was one of a series of films producer Raymond Stross made starring his wife Heywood.


Plot

Happily married couple Tracey and architect Geofrey are expecting their first child, when, one fateful day, a maniac breaks into their home and assaults Tracey, causing her subsequent miscarriage. Initially unable to cope with life after the attack, Tracey is unresponsive to her husband, and her great trauma does not heal easily. Even after moving home, taking a holiday, and showing his wife every consideration, the strain of waiting for a second attack by the obsessive stalker, and his wife's continuing frigidity, tempts Geoffrey to start an affair with his secretary, who's confessed to falling in love with him whilst supporting him after becoming his secretary, and during his wife's hospitalisation. In the meantime, Scotland Yard detective McInnes has been unable to find the psychopath responsible for the assault, and Tracey's safety is still in question as she is constantly stalked by the criminal.


Cast

* Anne Heywood as Tracey Lawrence *
Richard Todd Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor n ...
as Geoffrey Lawrence * Jack Hedley as McInnes *
Nicole Maurey Nicole Maurey (20 December 1925 – 11 March 2016) was a French actress, who appeared in 65 film and television productions between 1945 and 1997. Life and career Born in Bois-Colombes, a northwestern suburb of Paris, Maurey was originally ...
as Helen *
Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes from 1984 to 1994 in 41 episodes of a Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV ...
as the intruder * Barbara Mullen as Doctor Crawford *
Maurice Denham William Maurice Denham (23 December 1909 – 24 July 2002) was an English actor who appeared in over 100 films and television programmes in his long career. Early life Denham was born on 23 December 1909 in Beckenham, Kent, the son of Eleanor ...
as Shaw * William Lucas as Inspector Davies *
Gwen Watford Gwendoline Watford (10 September 1927 – 6 February 1994), professionally known after the mid-1950s as Gwen Watford, was an English actress. Watford's talent was spotted by John Gielgud while she was still a schoolgirl, and with his help ...
as Sister Holden * Patrick Magee as Simmonds


Production

Filming took place at
Ardmore Studios Ardmore Studios, in Bray, County Wicklow, is Ireland's oldest film studio. It opened in 1958 under the management of Emmet Dalton and Louis Elliman. Since then, it has evolved through many managements and owners. It has been the base for man ...
in Dublin and in London. Producer Raymond Stross developed the project as a vehicle for his wife Anne Heywood, and they approached Richard Todd to star (he had just made ''
Don't Bother to Knock ''Don't Bother to Knock'' is a 1952 American psychological thriller starring Richard Widmark and Marilyn Monroe and directed by Roy Ward Baker. The screenplay was written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel ''Mischief'' by Charlotte ...
'' (1961) with the same director,
Cyril Frankel Cyril Solomon Israel Frankel (28 December 19217 June 2017) was a British film and television director. His career in television began in 1953 and he directed for over 30 TV programmes until 1990. He directed many episodes of popular British TV s ...
.) Richard Todd recalls filming as "a happy unit".


Critical 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: "There may be the germ of an idea in this unbelievable melodrama, but playing and production have destroyed any chance of giving it life. Conceived in cliché, it is an advertising man's (well photographed) dream, with all the O.K. gadgets of modern super-Span living. This would not have been a reproach if treated properly, but as used here it merely illustrates the essential shallowness in attitude and contempt for its audience which run right through the film. Faults in conception are not helped by the general superficiality of the performances, but there are some touches which hint at better things. Anne Heywood makes Tracey believable, and her scenes with the little girl down the road are charming and naturally played. Terror of violence from the under-privileged intruding into a carefree, secure life is lurking at the back of the film, and it would only have needed a little more integrity and artistry to turn the film from an insult to audience intelligence into an interesting piece of cinema." The ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'' noted, "Another British cheapie that hoped to lure audiences into auditoriums with the sort of sensationalist story they devoured in their Sunday papers". ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' called it "An effectively handled psychodrama." ''Movie Magazine International'' wrote, "The intriguing element about ''The Very Edge'', under Cyril Frankel's assured direction, was that Tracey Lawrence had more of a psychic bond with her attacker than she did with her own husband. ... She had a compassion for his illness and she was, ironically, less of a victim around Mullen than she was around Geoffrey. ... Brett was riveting as the tortured psycho..." ''
Sky Movies Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema on ...
'' wrote, "Producer Raymond Stross put his wife Anne Heywood through her most strenuous acting test to date when he and Leslie Bricusse thought up this dramatic thriller ... The plot bears a strong resemblance to the previous year's '' Return of a Stranger'' 961with John Ireland, although that didn't have the benefit of the distinguished supporting cast here."


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Very Edge, The 1963 films 1963 drama films British drama films Films directed by Cyril Frankel 1960s English-language films 1960s British films Films scored by Dave Lee (jazz musician)