The_Trunk

<i>The Trunk</i>

The Trunk

1961 British film by Donovan Winter


The Trunk is a low budget, black and white 1961 British mystery film directed by Donovan Winter and starring Phil Carey, Julia Arnall and Dermot Walsh.[1]

Quick Facts The Trunk, Directed by ...

Plot

Trouble ensues when Lisa marries Henry, a British lawyer. Lisa's jealous ex-boyfriend Stephen decides to take revenge by convincing her that she has killed Diane, her husband's ex-girlfriend. Lisa gives Stephen the money he wants to keep quiet and dispose of the corpse. Unfortunately, the dead woman's other ex-lover, Nicholas, sees the two together. After getting his money from Lisa, Stephen puts Diane's body in a trunk and drives to an isolated area. There he discovers that the woman is not feigning death; she has been killed by the jealous Nicholas, in a manner that will incriminate Stephen.

Cast

  • Phil Carey as Stephen Dorning
  • Julia Arnall as Lisa Maitland
  • Dermot Walsh as Henry Maitland
  • Vera Day as Diane
  • Peter Swanwick as Nicholas Steiner
  • John Atkinson as Matt
  • Betty Le Beau as Maria
  • Tony Quinn as porter
  • Robert Sansom as bank manager
  • Pippa Stanley as Mrs. Stanhope
  • Richard Nellor as Sir Hubert
  • Nicholas Tanner as policeman

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin said "Frame-ups, red herrings, theatrical atmosphere and a twist ending, all equally unbelievable, add up to a utility piece of melodramatic nonsense, nowhere really clever enough to arouse much enthusiasm."[2]

TV Guide wrote, "the movie is badly produced and too seamy for its own good."[3]

In The New York Times, Bosley Crowther wrote, "now that the British are importing American actors to commit homicide in their low-budget movies, they seem to have lost their flair." Crowther called it a "foolish melodrama" that is "several kilometers removed from Agatha Christie."[4]

Sky Movies called it a "creepy little thriller" that is "hugely enjoyable. The director doesn't miss a trick at tightening up the suspense."[5]


References

  1. "The Trunk". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  2. "The Trunk". Monthly Film Bulletin. 28 (324): 37. 1961 via ProQuest.
  3. "The Trunk Review". Movies.tvguide.com. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  4. "The Trunk - Sky Movies HD". Skymovies.sky.com. 9 October 2003. Retrieved 13 June 2014.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article The_Trunk, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.