''You Can't Escape'' is a 1956 British second feature ('B')

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 Wilfred Eades and starring

Noelle Middleton Evelyn Noelle Woodeson (née Middleton; 18 December 1926 – 30 January 2016) was an Irish actress and one of the first BBC television announcers. She was also a leading lady of the 1950s British films. Middleton received a BAFTA Film Award no ...

Guy Rolfe Guy Rolfe (born Edwin Arthur Rolfe, 27 December 1911 – 19 October 2003) was a British character actor. He was best known for portraying villains. Early life Born in Kilburn, London, Edwin Arthur "Guy" Rolfe was descended from Thomas Rolfe, ...

and Robert Urquhart. It was written by Robert Hall and

Doreen Montgomery Doreen Catherine Mary Montgomery (12 April 1913 in Glasgow – 24 February 1992 in London) was a British screenwriter. Biography Montgomery graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an arts degree. She submitted scripts to Associated B ...

based on the 1938 novel ''

She Died Young ''She Died Young'' is a 1938 thriller novel by the British writer Alan Kennington. It was published in France in 1950 translated by Maurice-Bernard Endrèbe, himself a noted writer of crime novels. Adaptation In 1956 the novel served as a basi ...

'' by

Alan Kennington Alan Kennington (1906–1986) was a British novelist and playwright, particularly known for his thrillers. Two of his novels were adapted into films. The 1939 novel '' The Night Has Eyes'' was made into a 1942 film of the same title, while ''She ...

Plot

Rising novelist, Peter Darwin, has a row with former mistress Claire, and accidentally kills her. He somehow manages to persuades his reluctant fiancé Kay to help him bury Claire's body in a wood. But when the body is found, and a blackmailing journalist appears on the scene, Darwin resorts to desperate measures to cover his tracks, including framing an innocent person.

Cast

as Kay March *

as David Anstruther * Robert Urquhart as Peter Darwin * Peter Reynolds as Rodney Nixon * Elizabeth Kentish as Claire Segar * Barbara Cavan as Aunt Sue *

Martin Boddey Albert Martin Boddey (16 April 1907 – 24 October 1975) was a British film and television actor. Boddey started acting when he was nearly 40, often portraying irritable authority figures such as police officers or magistrates. He was a fo ...

as Inspector Crane *

Thorley Walters Thorley Swinstead Walters (12 May 1913 – 6 July 1991) was an English actor. He played comedy roles in films including '' Carlton-Browne of the F.O.'' (1959) and ''Two-Way Stretch'' (1960). Early life Walters was born in Teigngrace, Devon, th ...

as Chadwick * Jacqueline Mackenzie as Mrs. Baggerley *

as Chadwick * Wensley Pithey as Constable Wagstaff * Edward Forsyth as Colonel Tripp * Barbara Leake as Mrs. Trussler *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British actor. Most of his film roles were very small but he appeared in more than 290 films, more than any other British actor, including 119 between 1946 and 1952. His best-known ro ...

as Ted, Poacher *

Hal Osmond Hal Osmond (27 May 1903 – December 1959) was a British stage, film and television actor. He played Anselm in ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' episode "Errand of Mercy" (1956). Selected filmography * '' Non-Stop New York'' (1937) - Ship Steward ...

as Poacher's Friend * Victor Platt as Darts Player * Arthur Gross as Bystander *

Noel Coleman Noel Coleman (26 November 1919 – 12 October 2007) was an English actor who appeared in many television roles. Early life Coleman trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Career Coleman appeared in the 1969 ''Doctor Who'' serial '' The ...

as Official *

Robert Cawdron Robert Chattey Cawdron (29 December 1921 – 14 September 1997) was a French-born British film and television actor. Often cast as police officers, he had a long-running role on ''Dixon of Dock Green'' as Detective Inspector Cherry.The Guinness ...

as Pugilist * Maureen Connell as 1st Peasant Blouse *

Sally Bazely Sally Bazely (born 1933) is a British television actress. Her main roles were in '' Father, Dear Father'' (1968–1970) and ''Harriet's Back in Town'' (1972). She also played the '2nd Peasant Blouse', in '' You Can't Escape'' (1957); Jenny in a 1 ...

as 2nd Peasant Blouse * Alec Finter as Foreman of The Jury

Release

It was released as an 'A' certificate. Though filmed in 1.33:1, it was also framed in 1.66:1 for any theatre that had the equipment to exhibit widescreen films.

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: "A stereotyped murder melodrama, which ambles unexcitingly towards a conclusion that the spectator has anticipated long before the film reaches that far. Playing and direction are somewhat lifeless." ''

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 ...

'' concluded there was "Nothing much to get excited about." In ''British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959'' David Quinlan rated the film as "poor", writing: "Very lacklustre thriller." ''My Reviewer'' found the film "full of action from the off and whilst it all feels a little dated now, it has a certain old school charm – like the very best of ITC shows from back in the day." ''Blueprint Review'' wrote, "Despite its rather stagey tone ''You Can’t Escape'' remains a fun example of British

B-movies A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...

from that era."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0221722 1957 films 1957 drama films Films shot at Associated British Studios 1950s English-language films British drama films Films based on British novels 1950s British films English-language drama films Films scored by Charles Williams (composer)