The Stranger Came Home (U.S. title: The Unholy Four) is a 1954 British film noir directed by Terence Fisher and starring Paulette Goddard, William Sylvester and Patrick Holt.[3] The screenplay was written by Michael Carreras based on the 1946 eponymous novel credited to actor George Sanders but actually ghostwritten by Leigh Brackett.[4] The film was released in the United States by Lippert Pictures.
| The Stranger Came Home | |
|---|---|
 A poster for the film bearing its American title: The Unholy Four | |
| Directed by | Terence Fisher |
| Written by | Michael Carreras |
| Based on | Stranger at Home by George Sanders |
| Produced by | Michael Carreras |
| Starring | Paulette Goddard William Sylvester Patrick Holt |
| Cinematography | Walter J. Harvey Len Harris |
| Edited by | Bill Lenny |
| Music by | Leonard Salzedo John Hollingsworth |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | 11,349 admissions (France)[2] |
Plot
editFour friends go on a fishing trip but only three return. After an absence of four years, during which time he had been an amnesiac, the fourth man, Philip Vickers, returns home after regaining his memory. He tells of a "friend" who knocked him out, drugged him, and left him to die. Any one of the remaining men could be a suspect as Job Crandall, Bill Saul and Harry Bryce have all been interested in Philip's attractive 'widow', Angie. Unfortunately, Philip's return coincides with a murder and he becomes the main suspect. Angie joins forces with her husband to help solve the mystery and clear his name.
Cast
edit- Paulette Goddard as Angie
- William Sylvester as Philip Vickers
- Patrick Holt as Job Crandall
- Paul Carpenter as Bill Saul
- Alvys Maben as Joan Merrill
- Russell Napier as Inspector Treherne
- Kay Callard as Jenny
- Patricia Owens as blonde
- David King-Wood as Sessions
- Jeremy Hawk as Police Sergeant Johnson
Production
editFilming began 4 January 1954. The film was produced by Hammer Films at Bray Studios in Berkshire[5] with sets designed by the art director J. Elder Wills.
Release
editThe film was trade shown in the UK on 14 July 1954, and released on 9 August.[6]
Critical reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This confused and unconvincing murder mystery is so spattered with red herrings as to be almost incomprehensible. Paulette Goddard works hard; but for the most part the acting is little superior to the material."[7]
The New York Times wrote, "A THIRD-RATE British-made whodunit called The Unholy Four, featuring Paulette Goddard and a nondescript cast ... A few more fly-by-nights like this Lippert presentation, produced and written by Michael Carreras, and the still-shapely Miss Goddard may find herself collecting the pieces of a career."[8]
Leonard Maltin called it "Muddled."[9]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Strength of character sees well-worn, fairly suspenseful thriller through."[10]
References
edit- ↑ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 96. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
- ↑ Box office information for Terence Fisher films in France at Box office Story
- ↑ "The Stranger Came Home". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ↑ Allen Eyles. "The Stranger Came Home". RadioTimes.
- ↑ Howard Maxford (8 November 2019). Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company. McFarland. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-1-4766-2914-8.
- ↑ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 96. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
- ↑ "A Stranger Came Home". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 21 (240): 136. 1 January 1954. ProQuest 1305823684.
- ↑ "Movie Review - Stranger Came Home - The Screen in Review; 'Unholy Four' Followed on the Palace Bill by 'A Street Cat Named Sylvester'". The New York Times. 23 March 2023.
- ↑ "The Unholy Four (1954) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013.
- ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 381. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
External links
edit
Media related to A Stranger Came Home at Wikimedia Commons