Rogue's Yarn is a film released in 1957 which has recently featured on the Talking Pictures TV channel. The clever screenplay, by Vernon Sewell and Ernie Bradford, is an "inverted mystery", and the story is told in gripping fashion. It may not be Dial M for Murder, but it's not far short of Hitchcock's much better known movie in terms of storytelling quality. A well-made film, it's definitely worth watching.
Our attention is grabbed right at the start. Michele Cartier (Nicole Mauray) is waiting for the arrival of her lover, John Marsden (Derek Bond, the best-known actor in the cast). He announces that he has bad news. This turns out to be an announcement that his invalid wife, whose death the pair had been eagerly anticipating, is now expected to make a full recovery from serious illness.
The snag is that the wife is very rich, and the lovers are desperate not only to get together, but to do so with Mrs Marsden's money. The only solution is murder. Marsden, an accomplished sailor, quickly works out an elaborate plan which involves taking his boat on a trip to Le Havre to create an alibi, then swimming back to the English shore to do the dirty deed.
At first, all goes well. Unfortunately, the Yard are called in, and Inspector Walker (Elwyn Brook-Jones, who is very good in the role) decides to take a closer look at the circumstances of the crime. We know that all is not likely to go well for Marsden, and we don't like him enough to root for him to get away with it, but there are several memorable moments, notably including a great scene where Walker, not once but several times, nearly walks into a fatal trap set by the bad guy.
10 comments:
Hey, I saw this one just the other day. Wait - Rogue's Yarn?
Never mind.
Just watched it on the Talking Pictures channel. It has echoes of Mystery in the Channel - the same auto-pilot motif.
Superficial, I know, but...
Thanks, Mike. Good point.
Just watched this on Talking Pictures. Interesting plot & well acted, especially the police inspector on the trail of the murderer. I love these old 1950's crime dramas, remind me of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries & Scotland Yard tv dramas. Great for a wet Wednesday afternoon!
The music score is, like so many films of this type and age, excellent.
One aspect of the plot, which I find difficult, is how does he get back to the yacht after he leaves the English coast and not only how does he find the boat and then how does he get on it when it is moving about at sea presumably circling.
However, it is a very enjoyable hour and a half. I particularly enjoyed the just credible unraveling of his scheming.
The Scotland Yard detective is refreshingly ordinary and not at all dashing which makes a nice change.
Thanks for all your work Martin in traditional crime stories, I have been reading some of your introductions in crime novels.
Tim
The music score is, like so many films of this type and age, excellent.
One aspect of the plot, which I find difficult, is how does he get back to the yacht after he leaves the English coast and not only how does he find the boat and then how does he get on it when it is moving about at sea presumably circling.
However, it is a very enjoyable hour and a half. I particularly enjoyed the just credible unraveling of his scheming.
The Scotland Yard detective is refreshingly ordinary and not at all dashing which makes a nice change.
Thanks for all your work Martin in traditional crime stories, I have been reading some of your introductions in crime novels.
Tim
He crossed the Channel by fast packet boat, just in time to pick up the small motor boat he had bought in France, then intercept his yacht close to the French shore. He tied up the motor boat to the yacht then scuttled it and cut the rope once onboard. Unfortunately for him, the boat is dredged up by fishermen. (All rather implausible, of course.) The cut rope is the key for the police to solving the case.
Great film. Great plot and good acting. I'm grateful to Talking Pictures for showing it. I watched it today. I love British B films of the 50s
Great film
Great film. Great plot and good acting. I'm grateful to Talking Pictures for showing it. I watched it today. I love British B films of the 50s
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