''Account Rendered'' is a 1957 British

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Peter Graham Scott Peter Graham Scott (27 October 1923 – 5 August 2007) was an English television producer, television and film producer, television director, film director, Film editing, film editor and screenwriter. He was one of the producers and directors wh ...

and starring Griffith Jones,

Ursula Howells Ursula Howells (17 September 1922 – 16 October 2005) was an English actress whose elegant presence kept her much in demand for roles in film and television. Life and career Howells was born in London, the daughter of composer Herbert Howells, ...

and

Honor Blackman Honor Blackman (22 August 1925 – 5 April 2020) was an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in '' The Avengers''Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 58. (1962� ...

. The film's sets were designed by

Norman G. Arnold Norman G. Arnold (19 September 1892 – 7 December 1963) was a British art director who designed the sets for over a hundred and twenty films. Early life and World War I Arnold studied architecture, interior decoration & design. During the Firs ...

. It was made as a

second feature A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

for release by the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribu ...

Premise

When wealthy Lucille Ainsworth is found strangled on

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band o ...

, Detective Inspector Marshall is put on the case. Lucille's husband Robert suspected her of being unfaithful, and had been following her. But he is just one of many suspects with a motive for murder.

Cast

* Griffith Jones as Robert Ainsworth *

as Lucille Ainsworth *

as Sarah Hayward *

Ewen Solon Peter Ewen Solon (7 September 1917 – 7 July 1985) was a New Zealand-born actor, who worked extensively in both the United Kingdom and Australia. At the outbreak of World War II, Solon became a member of the First Echelon, 2nd NZEF that saw ...

as Detective Inspector Marshall * Carl Bernard as Gilbert Morgan *

Mary Jones Mary Jones may refer to: People American * Mary Alice Jones (1898–1980), American children's writer *Mary Cover Jones (1896–1987), American psychologist * Mary Ellen Jones (chemist) (1922–1996), American biochemist * Mary Ellen Jones (politi ...

as Nella Langford *

Philip Gilbert Philip Gilbert (March 29, 1931 – January 6, 2004) was a Canadian actor. Background Gilbert was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and educated at Vancouver College. He was a player with the Rank Organisation, appearing in many films during ...

as John Langford *

John Van Eyssen John Van Eyssen (born Matthew John Du Toit Van Eyssen, 19 March 1922 – 13 November 1995) was a South African born actor, agent and film production executive. He moved to Britain following the Second World War, attending the Central School of ...

as Clive Franklyn * Robert Raikes as Detective Sergeant Berry * Gordon Phillott as Rigby * Doris Yorke as Landlady * Vernon Smythe as Colonel Jarvis * Gerda Larsen as Blondi * Harry Ross as Bernard Goodman * Barry Steele as Barman *

Edwin Richfield Edwin Richfield (11 September 1921 – 2 August 1990) was an English actor. Career Richfield starred in the television series ''Interpol Calling'' (1959). He was ''The Odd Man'' in Granada Television's series of the same name in the early 196 ...

as Porter

Critical reception

The ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' called it "substandard"; whereas ''Britmovie'' called it an "efficient b-movie murder mystery based on Pamela Barrington’s 1953

pulp novel Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

and directed by the tireless

. The plot is fairly straightforward but entertainingly interwoven by screenwriter Barbara S Harper and cinematographer Walter J. Harvey brings an air of tension to proceedings. The cast is entirely competent but a young pre-Bond

shines through."

References

Bibliography

* Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. ''The British 'B' Film''. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.

External links

* 1957 films 1957 crime films 1950s English-language films British crime films Films based on British novels Films directed by Peter Graham Scott Films set in London 1950s British films {{1950s-UK-film-stub