Directed by Anthony Asquith • 1950 • United Kingdom
Starring Jean Kent, Dirk Bogarde, John McCallum
Fortune teller Agnes Huston (Jean Kent), a.k.a. Madame Astra, has been murdered—but that’s about all anyone can agree on as five different perspectives on the dead woman’s personality come to light during the course of a labyrinthine police investigation. Each suspect remembers her differently. Was Agnes a beautiful, well-bred lady? A slovenly, raging drunk? Can we ever understand the truth of another person’s life? Putting a noir spin on the CITIZEN KANE/RASHOMON–style subjective-flashback structure makes for a delightfully clever and involving whodunnit.
Up Next in British Noir
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Hell Drivers
Directed by Cy Endfield • 1957 • United Kingdom
Starring Stanley Baker, Herbert Lom, Peggy CumminsBlacklisted from Hollywood, American director Cy Endfield found a fresh start in Britain, where he brought a pronounced anticapitalist punch to this exciting crime drama set in the trucking industr...
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Time Without Pity
Directed by Joseph Losey • 1957 • United Kingdom
Starring Michael Redgrave, Ann Todd, Leo McKernOn the day before his estranged son is scheduled to be executed for a murder he didn’t commit, an alcoholic writer (a riveting Michael Redgrave) embarks on a last-ditch attempt to save him, journeyin...
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All Night Long
Directed by Basil Dearden • 1962 • United Kingdom
Othello is translated to the world of sixties London jazz clubs in Basil Dearden's smoky and sensational All Night Long. Over the course of one eventful evening, the anniversary celebration of the musical and romantic partners Aurelius Rex (Pau...
