Judgment Deferred is a 1952 British second feature[2] drama film directed by John Baxter and starring Joan Collins, Hugh Sinclair, Helen Shingler and Abraham Sofaer.[3] The film is a remake of the director's earlier film, Doss House (1933).

Judgment Deferred
Australian daybill poster
Directed byJohn Baxter
Screenplay byBarbara K. Emary
Walter Meade
Geoffrey Orme
Produced byJohn Baxter
Barbara K. Emary
StarringJoan Collins
Hugh Sinclair
Helen Shingler
Abraham Sofaer
CinematographyArthur Grant
Edited byVi Burdon
Music byKennedy Russell
Production
company
Distributed byAssociated British Film Distributors (UK)
Release date
  • February 1952 (1952-02)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£50,000[1]

Production edit

The film was shot at Southall Studios with sets designed by the art director Don Russell. It was the first production from Group 3 Films, a company formed to encourage new young British film-makers (which later produced The Brave Don't Cry, Conflict of Wings, The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp and several other low-budget features).[4][5][6]

Plot edit

With the assistance of a journalist a group of refugees and down and outs try and unmask the criminal who has framed one of their number as a drug dealer.

Cast edit

Critical reception edit

The Radio Times described the film as "a muddled, maudlin melodrama that feels like substandard Frank Capra done by amateur theatricals."[5]

TV Guide found the film "captivating mainly because of the novelty of the story and the many strange characters that are introduced."[7]

Sky Movies wrote "this one occasionally creaks under the strain of its longish running time but offers some striking tableaux, especially within the weird 'court' held by a crowd of criminals, eccentrics and jobless that in some ways recalls the 'jury' that proved the nemesis of Peter Lorre in Fritz Lang's classic thriller 'M'."[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Group Three - a lesson in state intervention? Popple, Simon. Film History; New York Vol. 8, Iss. 2, (Jan 1, 1996): 131.
  2. ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  3. ^ "BFI | Film & TV Database | JUDGEMENT DEFERRED (1951)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Judgment Deferred - Sky Movies HD". Skymovies.sky.com. 23 May 2002. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Judgement Deferred | Film review and movie reviews". Radio Times. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  6. ^ Grierson, John (27 September 1951). "Three's Company Adds Up". Kine Weekly.
  7. ^ "Judgment Deferred Trailer, Reviews and Schedule for Judgment Deferred | TVGuide.com". Movies.tvguide.com. Retrieved 15 November 2023.

External links edit