| Director | George More O'Ferrall |
|---|---|
| Producer | Albert Fennell Bertram Ostrer |
| Writer | Gordon Wellesley |
| Based on | The Brute by Guy des Cars |
| Starring | |
| Music | Brian Easdale |
| Cinematography | Jack Hildyard |
| Editing | Sidney Stone |
| Studio | B & A Productions |
| Distributor | British Lion Films |
| Released | 25 August 1954 (London) |
| Runtime | 96 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Green Scarf is a 1954 British mystery film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Michael Redgrave, Ann Todd, Leo Genn, Kieron Moore, Richard O'Sullivan and Michael Medwin.[1][2] It was written by Gordon Wellesley based on the 1951 Guy des Cars novel The Brute.[3]
Plot
A deafblind man is accused of a seemingly motiveless murder.[4]
Cast
- Michael Redgrave as Maitre Deliot
- Ann Todd as Solange Vauthier
- Leo Genn as Rodelec
- Kieron Moore as Jacques
- Richard O'Sullivan as child Jacques
- Jane Lamb as Child Solange
- Michael Medwin as Teral
- Jane Griffiths as Danielle
- Ella Milne as Louise
- Jane Henderson as Mme. Vauthier
- George Merritt as Advocate General
- Peter Burton as purser
- Tristan Rawson as prison governor
- Henry Caine as ship's captain
- Phil Brown as John Bell
- Anthony Nicholls as Goirin
- Walter Horsbrugh as interpreter
- Evelyn Roberts as President of the Court
- Neil Wilson as Inspector
- Michael Golden as warder
- Launce Maraschal as Sen. Bell
- Terence Alexander as wireless operator
- Frank Singuineau as clerk at telegram desk
- Wilfrid Brambell as court clerk
Production
The film was shot at Shepperton Studios with sets designed by the art director Wilfred Shingleton.[1]
Reception
Critical
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The melodramatic plot might well have given scope for an interesting character study of Jacques Vauthier; but the director, George More O'Ferrall, makes little use of filmic effects to suggest the extraordinary loneliness of a man unable to hear, see or speak, confronted with a charge of murder. As played by Kieron Moore, Vauthier is a pathetic rather than a sympathetic character, and he never really comes to life: were there some attempt to show the world as Vauthier sees it rather than to show Vauthier through the eyes of the other characters, the task of making a convincing character of a blind deaf-mute might be easier. Michael Redgrave, as the ageing lawyer, seems a little uncertain as to the proper interpretation of the part, and some of his lines are lost on their way through a large ragged beard. The production is on the whole adequate, although the final whodunit denouement appears out of key with the subject."[5]
Leslie Halliwell said: "Plodding courtroom drama with familiar faces in unconvincingly French guise."[6]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Competent-plus cast and interesting plot, although drama doesn't touch many emotional chords."[7]
Box office
In The New York Times, its film critic Bosley Crowther concluded: "The Green Scarf is a mottled and unconvincing thing."[8]
According to Kinematograph Weekly the film was a "money maker" at the British box office in 1954.[9]
References
- ^ "The Green Scarf". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Orren (28 January 1955). "The Green Scarf (1954)". IMDb
- ^ Ronald Bergan. "The Green Scarf". RadioTimes
- ^ "The Green Scarf (1954)". BFI. Archived from the original on 2009-01-14.
- ^ "The Green Scarf". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 21 (240): 128. 1 January 1954.
- ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide. 7th ed. London: Paladin. p. 430. ISBN 0586088946.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd.. p. 317. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
- ^ "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. 11 November 2021.
- ^ Billings, Josh (16 December 1954). "Other monkey makers". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 9.