Rent The Flaw / Witness in the Dark (1959)

review is of Witness in the Dark. - The Flaw / Witness in the Dark review by Steve

Just another quota quickie among hundreds made in the UK between 1928 and 1960. Though intended to promote the home film industry, the legislation led to the production of low budget filler which ended up on the lower half of double bills. And few of these micro-budgeted relics survive as much more than obscure curiosities.

This is one of the last gasps. It clocks in at 62m and betrays many typical flaws. There is basic, flat lighting which makes the black and white look drab. There are limited interior sets, and lesser known actors. Director Wolf Rilla made some more auspicious films but this doesn't have any visual style.

However, it is one of the best quota quickies ever made. The queen of the British Bs Patricia Dainton plays a resourceful blind woman helping the police investigate the murder of her elderly neighbour, exclusively through what she has heard. It mainly stands out for the intelligent script which takes a little time to reflect on its themes.

Rilla tells his story coherently, which almost never happened. There is some chemistry between Dainton and Conrad Phillips, as the Inspector. And Nigel Green is properly intimidating as the killer who returns to eliminate the witness. It's a woman in peril film which owes a debt to to The Spiral Staircase (1946), but survives on its own merits.