THE DARK MAN

UK, 1950, 91 minutes, Black and white.
Maxwell Reed, Edward Underdown, Natasha Parry, Barbara Murray, William Hartnell.
Directed by Jeffrey Dell.

The Dark Man is a brief and efficient British thriller of 1950. It was written and directed by Jeffrey Dell, collaborated with the Boulting Bros, director of Carlton Browne of the F.O. Edward Underdown was a British star of this kind of movie of the period and has a supporting cast of actors and actresses who appeared in these small budget films. It is a police investigation, Maxwell Reed as a murderer, coastal settings most effectively filmed in black and white.

1. entertaining thriller? Police investigation?

2. Black and white photography, the coastal settings? The town? The musical score?

3. The title, the focus? The crimes? The investigations, the pursuit and the confrontation?

4. Jack Viner: Scotland Yard, skills in investigation, collaboration with colleagues? The meeting with Molly Lester, the attraction? Protecting her? Their discussions, meals, falling in love? His investigation of the case, relationship with the local police? Questioning witnesses? Return to-London? The dangers for Molly, his return? The information about the dark man? The pursuit on the beach, the light house? The danger with the children in their house? His pursuit, the final confrontation?

5. The dark man, sinister, the taxi ride? The murder and the robbery? Killing the taxi driver? Molly as witness? His taking a room? Stalking Molly? His skill in pretending he had the flu, going out to attack Molly? Not killing her? His confrontation, the taxi, the flowers? On the beach and his sinister presence? The final confrontation, the pursuit, the shoot-out, his death?

6. Molly, in the theatre, friendship with Carol? Witness to the killing? Her stubborn attitudes? Meeting Jack, the friendship? Her being looked after, with Carol and her husband? Going to the beach, her sketches an diary, being afraid? The attack in her flat, left for dead? Her recovery? The final danger?

7. Carol, friend, flirting? Looking after Molly? Her husband?

8. The local police, their investigations?

9. The range of ordinary characters: the taxi driver, the murder victim? The landlady, the desk clerk, the people in the theatre? The taxi driver with the flowers? A credible crime investigation, thriller?