''Blind Date'' (U.S. title: ''Chance Meeting'') is a 1959 British murder
mystery film
A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...
directed by
Joseph Losey
Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...
and starring
Hardy Krüger
Hardy Krüger (; born Eberhard August Franz Ewald Krüger; 12 April 1928 – 19 January 2022) was a German actor and author, who appeared in more than 60 films from 1944 onwards. After becoming a film star in Germany in the 1950s, Krüger increa ...
,
Stanley Baker
Sir William Stanley Baker (28 February 192828 June 1976) was a Welsh actor and film producer. Known for his rugged appearance and intense, grounded screen persona, he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s, and later a pro ...
, and
Micheline Presle
Micheline Presle (; born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; 22 August 1922) is a French actress. She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting in 1939, she starred in over 50 French and English language films that were made in H ...
. The plot is about a police inspector who investigates a woman's death, with her lover being the prime suspect.
Ben Barzman
Ben Barzman (October 12, 1910 – December 15, 1989) was a Canadian journalist, screenwriter, and novelist, blacklisted during the McCarthy Era and best known for his screenplays for the films ''Back to Bataan'' (1945), '' El Cid'' (1961), and ''T ...
and
Millard Lampell
Millard Lampell (born Milton Lampell, January 23, 1919 – October 3, 1997) was an American movie and television screenwriter who first became publicly known as a member of the Almanac Singers in the 1940s.
Early life and career
Lampell was bor ...
were nominated for the
BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay
The BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay was a British Academy Film Award from 1954 to 1967.
1950s 1954
'' The Young Lovers'' – George Tabori, Robin Estridge
* ''The Divided Heart'' – Jack Whittingham
* ''Doctor in the House'' – Nichola ...
.
The film was one of star Stanley Baker's favourites.
As there is no
blind date
A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance.
Structure
A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...
in the storyline the title is somewhat misleading. The plot revolves around a rendezvous rather than a blind date. The title perhaps alludes to the hero being blind to the truth of his lover's background.
Plot
Jan Van Rooyer, a young Dutch artist, working in a
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
private art gallery, cheerfully arrives at the large mews flat owned by Jacqueline Cousteau. The door is open and he goes in and has a drink and puts on a loud jazz record. Around 20 minutes later uniformed police arrive and start questioning him. Inspector Morgan arrives soon after.
They have had a phone call from the flat and on the investigation, Jacqueline is found dead in the bedroom - so Jan has much explaining to do. He explains the relationship in a series of vignettes. They had met in the gallery and she had asked for private lessons in his studio. She tells him she is married and when she starts to model for him they also become lovers despite their age difference and very different social background.
The investigation finds little evidence of his innocence but the investigation proves that Jacqueline had more than one lover.
During the police search, Jan had pocketed an envelope of cash in the flat with his name on it. The inspector finds it and the £500 inside is concluded to be a "pay off".
However, Jacqueline rematerialises! The dead woman in the flat is a nightclub singer and not her. Jacqueline is married to a high ranking public figure: Lord Fenton. Inspector Morgan leaves the two alone together. She continues to deny knowing him. The police reveal the dead woman is her husband's mistress. The mistress was called "Jacqueline Cousteau". The wife has assumed her identity then killed her. Jan was part of her plot all along.
Cast
*
Hardy Krüger
Hardy Krüger (; born Eberhard August Franz Ewald Krüger; 12 April 1928 – 19 January 2022) was a German actor and author, who appeared in more than 60 films from 1944 onwards. After becoming a film star in Germany in the 1950s, Krüger increa ...
as Jan Van Rooyer
*
Stanley Baker
Sir William Stanley Baker (28 February 192828 June 1976) was a Welsh actor and film producer. Known for his rugged appearance and intense, grounded screen persona, he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s, and later a pro ...
as Inspector Morgan
*
Micheline Presle
Micheline Presle (; born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; 22 August 1922) is a French actress. She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting in 1939, she starred in over 50 French and English language films that were made in H ...
as "Jacqueline Cousteau" (Lady Fenton)
*
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 Inspector Westover
*
Gordon Jackson as uniformed Police Sergeant
*
Robert Flemyng
Benjamin Arthur Flemyng (3 January 1912 – 22 May 1995), known professionally as Robert Flemyng, was a British actor. The son of a doctor, and originally intended for a medical career, Flemyng learned his stagecraft in provincial repertory th ...
as Sir Brian Lewis
*
Jack MacGowran
John Joseph MacGowran (13 October 1918 – 30 January 1973) was an Irish actor, probably best known for his work with Samuel Beckett.
Stage career
MacGowran was born on 13 October 1918 in Dublin, and educated at Synge Street CBS. He establis ...
as Postman
*
Redmond Phillips
Redmond Bernard Phillips (5 June 1912 – 3 November 1993) was a New Zealand actor and writer, particularly of theatre and television, who worked in his native country, as well also worked in England and Australia.
Biography
Phillips was born i ...
as Police Doctor
*
George Roubicek
George Roubicek (born 25 May 1935) is an Austrian actor, and a dialogue director and script adaptor for English-language versions of foreign films and television shows. Born in Austria, Roubicek appeared in a number of small roles throughout the ...
as Police Constable
*
Lee Montague
Lee Montague (born Leonard Goldberg; 16 October 1927) is an English actor noted for his roles in film and television, usually playing tough guys.
Montague was a student of the Old Vic School.
Montague's film credits include ''The Camp on Bloo ...
as Sergeant Farrow
Production
The script was originally written by Eric Ambler. Losey disliked it so it was rewritten. The budget consisted of £40,000 put up by the German producer and £98,000 provided by SBA.
Virginia McKenna turned down the part of Lady Fenton. Losey wanted the part of the police officer to go to Peter O'Toole but he was not considered a name at the time so it was offered to Stanley Baker who would make several films with Losey. The film was shot from March to May 1959.
Losey says John Davis of Rank wanted references to the corruption of the police and the class system to be removed but the filmmakers held firm and changes were not made.
Reception
Sydney Box
Frank Sydney Box (29 April 1907 – 25 May 1983) was a British film producer and screenwriter, and brother of British film producer Betty Box. In 1940, he founded the documentary film company Verity Films with Jay Lewis.
He produced and co-wro ...
sold the film to Paramount in the US for twice what it cost, putting it in profit.
(Another source says Box sold it for its cost.) After this and the film's box office response in the UK it made a profit of £160,000.
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' found the film "absorbing", noting that "Joseph Losey proves himself a strikingly adept technician with an alert and caustic personal style." ''Variety'' called it a "better than average yarn".
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{Joseph Losey
1959 films
British black-and-white films
British mystery films
Films based on British novels
Films directed by Joseph Losey
Films scored by Richard Rodney Bennett
Films set in London
1950s English-language films
1950s British films