The Brain Machine is a 1956 British thriller film directed and written by Ken Hughes and starring Maxwell Reed, Elizabeth Allan and Patrick Barr.[2]
| The Brain Machine | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ken Hughes |
| Written by | Ken Hughes |
| Produced by | Alec C. Snowden |
| Starring | Maxwell Reed Elizabeth Allan Patrick Barr Russell Napier |
| Cinematography | Josef Ambor |
| Edited by | Geoffrey Muller |
| Music by | Richard Taylor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Anglo-Amalgamated |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editA husband and wife team of doctors attempt to stop a dangerously unbalanced man from committing a series of crimes.
Cast
edit- Maxwell Reed as Frank Smith
- Elizabeth Allan as Doctor Phillipa Roberts
- Patrick Barr as Doctor Geoffrey Allen
- Russell Napier as Inspector Durham
- Gibb McLaughlin as Spencer Simon
- Neil Hallett as Detective Superintendent John Harris
- Mark Bellamy as Louie, the gangster
- Bill Nagy as Charlie, gym owner
- Edwin Richfield as Henry Arthur Ryan
- Clifford Buckton as Edward Jarritt
- John Horsley as Doctor Richards
- Gwen Bacon as nurse-matron
- Donald Bisset as Major Gifford
- Thomas Gallagher as Bates, plant foreman
- Vanda Godsell as Mabel Smith
- Cyril Smith as prison warder
- Anthony Valentine as Tony
- Joan Tyrrell as woman in hallway
- Henry Webb as apartment janitor
- Dan Wilson as personnel manager
- Hilda Barry as Mrs. Wright
- Marianne Stone as hospital echnician
Production
editThe film was made at Merton Park Studios in South London by Anglo-Amalgamated. It was released as a co-feature, as part of a double bill.[3] Berkshire Pictures Corp. later sued RKO claiming the latter did a poor job distributing.[4]
Critical reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Ihe opening scenes lead one to anticipate a science fiction story, but the film soon develops into a conventional crime thriller. Within its terms of reference, though, it is a good one, lacking in neither pace nor incident. Although the plot is largely formula, Ken Hughes' script is lively and his direction often shows imagination, particularly in the use of sound. Of the cast, Maxwell Reed is competent as Smith and Elizabeth Allan convincing as the psychiatrist; the acting otherwise is variable."[5]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "This British B-movie begins, promisingly, in sci-fi mode but soon lapses into routine thrillerdom. ...Despite its cheap production values and leaden acting, the picture has a trashy energy that can be enjoyed if you disengage your own brain."[6]
Filmink called it " a decent little thriller that feels like it wants to be sci-fi but isn’t."[7]
References
edit- ^ "The Brain Machine". imdb.com. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ "The Brain Machine". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "Efforts Not Best". Variety. 10 April 1957. p. 10.
- ^ "The Brain Machine". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 22 (252): 23. 1 January 1955 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 125. ISBN 9780992936440.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (14 November 2020). "Ken Hughes Forgotten Auteur". Filmink.
External links
edit- The Brain Machine at IMDb
- The Brain Machine at AllMovie
- The Brain Machine at BFI
- The Brain Machine at Letterbox DVD
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