| Face the Music | |
|---|---|
 American Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Terence Fisher |
| Screenplay by | Ernest Borneman |
| Based on | Face the Music by Ernest Borneman |
| Produced by | Michael Carreras |
| Starring | Alex Nicol Eleanor Summerfield Paul Carpenter |
| Cinematography | Walter J. Harvey |
| Edited by | Maurice Rootes |
| Music by | Ivor Slaney Kenny Baker |
| Production company | Hammer Film Productions |
| Distributed by | Exclusive Films Lippert Pictures (US) |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Face the Music (U.S. title: The Black Glove) is a 1954 British crime drama film directed by Terence Fisher, and starring Alex Nicol, Eleanor Summerfield and Paul Carpenter. It was released in the United States by Lippert Pictures.
Plot
An American trumpet player in Britain is accused of murdering a beautiful blues singer.
Cast
- Alex Nicol as James Bradley
- Eleanor Summerfield as Barbara Quigley
- John Salew as Maxie Maguilies
- Paul Carpenter as Johnny Sutherland
- Geoffrey Keen as Maurie Green
- Ann Hanslip as Maxine Halbard
- Fred Johnson as Detective Sergeant MacKenzie
- Martin Boddey as Inspector Mulrooney
- Arthur Lane as Jeff Colt
- Paula Byrne as Gloria Lewis Colt
- Leo Phillips as dresser
- Freddie Tripp as stage manager
- Ben Williams as gatekeeper
- Frank Birch as trumpet aalesman
- Jeremy Hawk as recording technician
- Melvyn Hayes as hotel bellhop
Production
It was produced by Hammer Films and shot at Bray Studios outside London with sets designed by the art director J. Elder Wills.
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Though this highly involved and improbable affair is given a contain gloss by slick camera work and competent direction, nothing could bring an essentially unconvincing story to life, The denizens of Archer Street and Soho are well portrayed, but Alex Nicol seems uneasy in the leading role. Some shots of the show at the Palladium are interesting, and the music, particularly Kenny Baker's trumpet playing, is very effective."
Allmovie wrote: "Not one of Fisher's more rousing films."
The Radio Times called it an "adequate mystery."
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Slow-paced whodunnit with phoney showbiz atmosphere. Star seems ill-at-ease."
References
- "Face the Music". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- "Face the Music (1953)". Archived from the original on 17 February 2017.
- ^ "The Black Glove (1954) – Terence Fisher – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related – AllMovie".
- "Face the Music". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 21 (240): 39. 1 January 1954 – via ProQuest.
- "Face the Music – Film from RadioTimes".
- Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 307. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
Bibliography
- Hutchings, Peter. Terence Fisher. Manchester University Press, 2017.
External links
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- 1954 films
- 1954 crime drama films
- British crime drama films
- British black-and-white films
- Films based on British novels
- Films directed by Terence Fisher
- Films about music and musicians
- Hammer Film Productions films
- Lippert Pictures films
- Films shot at Bray Studios
- Films set in London
- 1950s English-language films
- 1950s British films
- Films scored by Ivor Slaney
- English-language crime drama films
- Crime drama film stubs
- 1950s British film stubs