''Someone Behind the Door'' (french: Quelqu'un derrière la porte) is a 1971 French crime-drama film directed by

Nicolas Gessner Nicolas Gessner (born 17 August 1931, in Budapest, Hungary) is a Hungarian-born filmmaker who mostly worked in France. His movies are often characterized by strange, quirky atmospheres and unusual cast mixing French and international actors. Sta ...

. In the UK, it was twice retitled as ''Two Minds For Murder'' (theatrical title) and ''Brainkill'' (VHS title). The film was shot on location in

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Plot

neurosurgeon Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...

and psychiatrist manipulates an

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

c to murder his wife's lover, believing that the patient will have no memory of what he has done, providing the surgeon with a perfect alibi.

Cast

Production

Filming

Almost all of the film was shot at various locations in

. Key locations include

Folkestone Harbour Folkestone Harbour is the main harbour of the town of Folkestone in Kent, England. History In 1541, King Henry VIII of England was about to wage a war against the French. A plan was made to use Folkestone as a port of embarkation to supplies an ...

and Beach.

Controversy

When Charles Bronson appeared on the Dick Calvert Show, with fellow guests Richard Attenborough and Jill Ireland (Bronson’s wife) he confirmed that this was one story about his attacking a director that was true. On the last day of filming his frustration at the director, whom he believed had stuck doggedly to a poor plan of how to film the story, boiled over, he grabbed Nicolas Gessner by the throat, and gave him a shake. Jill Ireland confirmed this and agreed with Bronson’s assessment of Gessner, “He was a bit thick”

References

External links

* * * 1971 films 1971 crime drama films 1970s psychological thriller films Films about amnesia Films about psychiatry Films directed by Nicolas Gessner Films set in Kent Films shot in Kent English-language French films 1970s English-language films 1970s French films {{psychological-thriller-film-stub