''Walk a Crooked Path'' (also known as ''Twilight Man'' ) is a 1969 British

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by

John Brason John Brason is a British scriptwriter and script editor, best known for the series made in collaboration with television producer Gerard Glaister, ''Colditz (1972 TV series), Colditz'' and ''Secret Army (TV series), Secret Army'' both set during ...

and starring

Tenniel Evans Walter Tenniel Evans (17 May 1926 – 10 June 2009) was a British actor. Family Walter Tenniel Evans was born in Nairobi, Kenya. His middle name derived from the illustrator Sir John Tenniel, a distant relation.Faith Brook Faith Brook (16 February 1922 – 11 March 2012) was an English actress who appeared on stage, in films and on television, generally in upper-class roles. She was the daughter of actor Clive Brook. Early years Although she was born in Yor ...

and Patricia Haines. It was written by Barry Perowne.

Plot

At a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

, a man plans to murder his wealthy teacher wife.

Cast

as Elizabeth Hemming * Christopher Coll as Bill Coleman * Patricia Haines as Nancy Coleman * Clive Endersby as Philip Dreeper * Georgina Simpson as Elaine *

Margery Mason Margery Eileen Mason (27 September 1913 – 26 January 2014) was a British actress and director. She was the artistic director of The Repertory Theatre in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland in the 1960s. Career Mason played Sarah Steven ...

as Aunt Mildred * Georgina Cookson as Imogen Dreeper *

Peter Copley Peter Copley (20 May 1915 – 7 October 2008) was an English television, film and stage actor. Biography Copley was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, son of the printmakers, John Copley and Ethel Gabain. After changing his mind about joining ...

as Arnold Oberon * Paul Dawkins as Inspector * Barry Perowne as Unwins *

Robert Powell Robert Thomas Powell ( ; born 1 June 1944) is an English actor who is known for the title roles in '' Mahler'' (1974) and '' Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977), and for his portrayal of secret agent Richard Hannay in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1978) ...

as Mullvaney

Production

The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Wilfred Arnold Wilfred Arnold (1903–1970), also known as C. Wilfred Arnold, was a British art director.Ryall p.98 He was a prolific contributor to British films, designing the sets for more than a hundred. His brother Norman Arnold was also an art directo ...

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: "''Walk a Crooked Path'' is the end product of a daunting series of production problems which began in 1966. Twice commenced and twice abandoned, it was eventually taken over by the present company who decided to scrap everything that had already been filmed, salvaging from the second attempt the composer and three of the cast. Finished and released at last, the story turns out to be rather reminiscent of '' The Children's Hour'' (a pupil's accusation, unwittingly accurate, that his teacher is homosexual), but the film is an efficient little piece, ably directed and performed and very attractively scored, although marred by some distracting lumps of padding and a dire lack of light relief in the otherwise capable writing." In ''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 ...

Guide to Films'' Adrian Turner gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "The plot is quite clever, revealed in flashbacks and sudden twists and revelling in the rather risqué elements."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walk a Crooked Path 1969 films 1969 crime films Butcher's Film Service films British crime films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films English-language crime films