Film Review
In contrast to the moodily stylised look of his other
psycho-thrillers
The Boston Strangler
(1968) and
Blind Terror (1971),
Richard Fleischer's next foray into the genre is a much more
sombre and realistic affair, and more effective for this
reason.
10 Rillington
Place is a fairly accurate dramatisation of possibly the most
notorious
cause célèbre
of Britain in the Twentieth Century. It was the
wrongful execution of a simple-minded Welshman, Timothy Evans, and the
subsequent conviction of John Christie that fuelled the polemic over
the safeness of capital punishment which lead to its abolition in the
UK in 1965. The film was adapted from Ludovic Kennedy's book
Ten Rillington Place, published in 1961.
Although it received mixed reviews when it was first released,
10 Rillington Place is now regarded
as a superlative example of both the drama-documentary and
psycho-thriller, and is easily one of Richard Fleischer's best
films, every bit as impressive as the director's
better known films
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
and
Soylent Green (1973).
It is almost a return to the atmospheric, doom-laden films noirs of
Fleischer's early years -
Follow Me Quietly (1949),
Trapped (1949).
The dreary confined sets (which include rooms adjacent to
those in which the real-life Christie performed his horrific deeds) and
restrained cinematography create a loveless claustrophobic environment
within which all of the protagonists, including Christie himself, are
hopelessly trapped.
In one of the defining performances of his career, Richard Attenborough
is both chilling and strangely sympathetic as the psychopath John
Christie. At first sight, it seems incredible that the
mild-mannered man that Attenborough portrays so convincingly could hurt
anyone. This is what makes the murder sequences so shocking - not
because they are particularly violent, but because they are so
unexpected, so at odds with Christie's seemingly inoffensive
persona. The film effectively makes the point that evil is not
always easy to identify from outward signs and that we should never
rush to judgement. It was John Christie's apparent ordinariness
that allowed him to get away with murder, whilst an emotionally
unstable young Welshman ended up being caught in the net of justice,
and paid the price.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Richard Fleischer film:
Blind Terror (1971)
Film Synopsis
In 1948, Tim and Beryl Evans, a young married couple, move into a top
floor flat at 10, Rillington Place, Ladbroke Grove, London. They
have a one-year-old daughter and find it difficult to make ends meet,
thanks to Tim's illiteracy and learning difficulties. When Beryl
discovers that she is pregnant with a second child, she decides to have
an abortion. She cannot believe her good fortune when her ground
floor neighbour, the amiable Mr Christie, reveals that he was once a
trained doctor and has the wherewithal to provide her with an abortion,
at no cost. Tim reluctantly agrees, and whilst he is out at work,
Christie gives Beryl the treatment. Unfortunately, Christie is
not a doctor but a psychopath who has already raped and murdered two
women. Beryl will be his third victim...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.