''The Hypnotist'' is a 1957 British

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Montgomery Tully Montgomery Tully (6 May 190410 October 1988) was an Irish film director and writer. Film career Born in Dublin, Tully studied at the University of London, and originally entered the film industry as a director of documentaries. Later, Tully wo ...

and starring Paul Carpenter,

Patricia Roc Patricia Roc (born Felicia Miriam Ursula Herold; 7 June 1915 – 30 December 2003) was an English film actress, popular in the Gainsborough melodramas such as ''Madonna of the Seven Moons'' (1945) and '' The Wicked Lady'' (1945), though she only ...

and

Roland Culver Roland Joseph Culver, (31 August 1900 – 1 March 1984) was an English stage, film, and television actor. Life and career After Highgate School, he joined the Royal Air Force and served as a pilot from 1918 to 1919. After considering other c ...

. It follows a hypnotist who has grown sick of his wife and attempts to convince one of his patients to murder her. It is based on a play by

Falkland Cary Thomas Falkland Lucius Cary (2 January 1897 – 7 April 1989), known professionally as Falkland Cary or Falkland L. Cary, was an Irish playwright, best known for his collaborations with Philip King. He abandoned a successful career as a doctor to ...

. The film was released as ''Scotland Yard Dragnet'' in the U.S.

Cast

... Dr. Francis Pelham *

... Mary Foster * Paul Carpenter ... Valentine 'Val' Neal *

William Hartnell William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the First Doctor, first incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' from 1963 to 1966. In film, ...

... Inspector Ross * Gordon Needham ... Detective Sergeant Davis *

Edgar Driver Edgar Driver (1 November 188515 September 1964) was a British actor."Edgar Driver"
at BFI.

Selec ...

... Atkins, the porter * Tom Tann ... Wang, the houseboy *

Ellen Pollock Ellen Pollock (29 June 1902 – 29 March 1997) was a British character actress who mainly appeared on stage in London's West End. She also appeared in several films and TV productions. A devotee of Bernard Shaw, she was president of the Shaw S ...

... Miss Barbara Barton * Robert Sansom ... Senior Test Flight Official *

Martin Wyldeck Martin Wyldeck (11 January 1914 – 29 April 1988) was an English actor who played a wide range of parts over many years on stage, screen and TV. He also appeared in the first episode of the TV series '' Fawlty Towers'', as Sir Richard Morri ...

... Dr. Bradford * John Serret ... Dr. Martin * Oliver Johnston ... Dr. Kenyon *

Kay Callard Kay Callard (10 November 1923 – 7 March 2008) was a Canadian film and television actress who spent most of her career in Britain. She was married to the actor Jack McNaughton Jack McNaughton (22 December 190522 February 1990) was a British ...

... Jazz Club Blonde * Tim Fitzgerald ... Val as a boy * Mary Jones ... Val's Mother

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 ...

wrote "Irish-born director Montgomery Tully was one of the key figures in the British

B-movie 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 ...

industry during the 1950s and 1960s. This is one of his better efforts, as

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

Roland Culver attempts to frame disturbed

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...

Paul Carpenter for the murder of his wife. Culver does a nice line in evil manipulation and Patricia Roc is typically spirited as the girlfriend standing by her man"; while

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

wrote, "the film drags on and on, going nowhere and taking too long to get there."

References

External links

* 1957 films 1950s thriller films British thriller films Films directed by Montgomery Tully Films about hypnosis 1950s English-language films 1950s British films English-language thriller films {{1950s-thriller-film-stub