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Incident at Midnight

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Incident at Midnight
Directed byNorman Harrison
Written byArthur La Bern
Based ona short story by Edgar Wallace
Produced byJack Greenwood
Starring
CinematographyJames Wilson
Edited byDerek Holding
Music byBernard Ebbinghouse
Production
company
Distributed byAnglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors
Release date
  • 1963 (1963)
Running time
56 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Incident at Midnight is a 1963 British crime film directed by Norman Harrison and starring Anton Diffring, William Sylvester and Justine Lord.[1] It was written by Arthur La Bern adapted from an Edgar Wallace's short story,[2] and was made at Merton Park Studios as part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries.[3]

Plot

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Old Dr. Schroeder, who has been struck off, attends a late night chemist every night for a prescription, and to observe Dr. Leichner, an ex-Nazi war criminal who has taken a new identity. Leichner has a blonde wife, and a blonde mistress, who is blackmailing him. He is also involved in a drug scam involving two lockers and two keys, and aims to become a millionaire selling drugs. Meanwhile, a wounded bank robber has been taken to the dispensary for treatment, and to rendezvous with his gang leader. Dr. Schroeder finds himself attending to the robber's injuries.

Cast

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Critical reception

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "An all-night chemist is at least a novel setting for a crime drama. Often vague, despite the final clarification, it is quite adequately played. Despite the billing, William Sylvester has only a small, inconsequential role."[4]

Sky Movies wrote that the "harsh black-and-white photography effectively catches the bleak, claustrophobic atmosphere of the all-night chemist's in which some of the drama is set."[5]

Leonard Maltin rated it two stars, calling it a "trim yarn."[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Incident at Midnight". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  2. ^ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110951943 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "» EDGAR WALLACE AT MERTON PARK – by Tise Vahimagi".
  4. ^ "Incident at Midnight". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 30 (348): 48. 1 January 1963 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ "Incident at Midnight".
  6. ^ Maltin, Leonard (29 September 2015). Turner Classic Movies Presents Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965: Third Edition. Penguin. ISBN 9780698197299 – via Google Books.
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