The Black Rider (1954)
Directed by Wolf Rilla

Film Review

Cracking performances from Leslie Dwyer and Lionel Jeffries enliven this routine B-movie thriller which looks suspiciously as if it may have started out as one of Enid Blyton's Famous Five adventures.  The anodyne plot and complete lack of suspense are made up for by Geoffrey Faithfull's atmospheric cinematography and the boisterous sense of fun the likeable ensemble injects into the film.  Whilst The Black Rider isn't remotely memorable, it is a pleasing enough little time-waster if you have nothing better to do with your time.

Film Synopsis

In the English seaside town of Swanhaven, Jerry Marsh works as a journalist for Robert Plack, the father of Mary, the girl he has started going out with.  Plack has little patience with the younger generation and gives Jerry a hard time, especially when he starts showing off his new motorcycle.  Jerry and Mary take a sudden interest in the legend of the Black Rider, a ghost that is reputed to haunt the ruins of an old castle in the area.  Whilst visiting the castle one evening, Jerry is attacked by someone and left for dead.  His attacker is the chauffeur of Martin Bremner, a newcomer to the area who is involved with a scheme to build an atomic bomb with parts smuggled into the country by a black-clad motorcyclist...