Inquest (1939 film)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Inquest
Roy Boulting
Music byCharles Brill
Production
company
Charter Film Productions
Distributed byGrand National Pictures
Release date
December 1939
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Inquest is a 1939

supporting feature.[2]

Plot

A young widow is accused of murder and enlists the support of a King's Counsel to help prove her innocence.[3]

Cast

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This unpretentious film has a somewhat involved plot, but it maintains suspense, has interesting scenes in a Coroner's Court, and crisp dialogue. The acting of the three leading players is good. Elizabeth Allan makes an appealing heroine, while the duel between Herbert Lomas as the Coroner and Hay Petrie as the K.C. is effectively put over. The settings are mainly of the Coroner's Court, which is satisfactorily presented."[4]

Kinematograph Weekly wrote: "Crime drama of purpose and ingenuity set for the most part in a coroner's court in a small English town. ... The brunt of the acting responsibility is shared by Herbert Lomas as the coroner and Hay Petrie as the KC. The duels between these two are, in fact, the picture.  ...Brief and unpretentious as the picture is, it has the punch of the thriller, together with dialogue that would not disgrace a debate. Its compass gives it universal appeal".[5]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Standard courtroom mystery adequately maintains its tension."[6]

TV Guide concluded, "not bad as courtroom dramas go. This was the first attempt by the Boulting brothers to give higher production values to programmer filmmaking."[7]

References

  1. ^ "Inquest". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Three Silent Men & Inquest". renownfilms.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Inquest (1940)". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Inquest". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 6 (61): 217. 1 January 1939 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ "Inquest". Kinematograph Weekly. 506 (2704): 13. 21 December 1939 – via ProQuest.
  6. .
  7. ^ "Inquest". TVGuide.com.

External links