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Clue of the Twisted Candle
UK 1960
produced by
Jack Greenwood for Merton Park Studios
directed by Allan Davis
starring Bernard Lee, David Knight, Francis De Wolff, Colette Wilde, Christine Shaw, Stanley Morgan, A.J. Brown, Richard Caldicot, Edmond Bennett, Simon Lack, Anthony Baird, Gladys Henson, Alfred Maron, Richard Vernon, Harry Locke, Roy Purcell, Kenneth Fortescue
screenplay by Philip Mackie, based on the novel by Edgar Wallace, music by Francis Chagrin
Merton Park Studios' Edgar Wallace Mysteries
review by
Mike Haberfelner
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Karadis (Francis De Wolff), a rich and ruthless man, forces Viney
(Richard Vernon), one of the men in his power, to write a blackmail letter
to Lexman (David Knight) and equips him with an unloaded gun to collect
the money. Then he visits Lexman, who turns out to be a good friend of
his, lets Lexman tell him about the blackmail letter, then provides him
with a loaded gun to take care of things. Things come as expected, Lexman
shoots Viney dead when he comes to collect, and when Lexman implicates
Karadis' involvement, Karadis denies everything, and Lexman is convicted
to life in prison. Superintendent Meredith (Bernard Lee) starts to
investigate, and soon discovers Karadis is knee-deep in shit. And to prove
Karadis' involvement, Meredith figures it might be best to release Lexman
from jail, but before he can be released legally, he makes a successful
breakout - but a few days later writes Meredith he wants to give himself
up, and even sets a time and date up for it. And when he presents himself
to Meredith, the Superintendent receives a call from Karadis' direct line.
And at Karadis' place, they find him killed, but what's weird is that he
has bolted himself in, and hasn't had a visitor, an eccentric explorer,
since a few hours ago. But he halso finds two burnt down candles out of
place, one right beneath the bolt, the other by the phone receiver - and
of course, ultimately all points to the explorer who has created the
illusion of Karadis bolting himself in and picking up the phone with a
direct line to Scotland Yard using the candles ... and the explorer was of
course Lexman in disguise, who actually was not quite as innocent as it
seemed but Karadis partner in his blackmailing operations, but whom
Karadis wanted out of the way and had thus tricked into a murder ... A
very straight-forward Edgar Wallace mystery with all the gimmickry and
far-fetched plot devices you'd come to expect from the man in place, but
told in a straightforward way to appease to the roughly 60 minute running
time - and the result is a very functional movie somewhat let down by its
no-frills direction but elevated by a strong ensemble. Basically, it's ok
genre entertainment, but nothing you won't have forgotten in a couple of
days.
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amazon.com
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
