Street of Shadows (1953 film)

Street of Shadows, also known as Shadow Man, is a 1953 British film noir written and directed by Richard Vernon and starring Cesar Romero, Kay Kendall and Edward Underdown.[1] It is based on the 1951 novel The Creaking Chair by Laurence Meynell.

Street of Shadows
US theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Vernon
Written byRichard Vernon
Based onThe Creaking Chair
by Laurence Meynell
Produced byWilliam Nassour
William H. Williams
executive
Nat Cohen
Stuart Levy
StarringCesar Romero
Kay Kendall
Victor Maddern
Simone Silva
CinematographyPhil Grindrod
Edited byGeoffrey Muller
Music byEric Spear
Production
companies
William Nassour Productions
Merton Park Studios
Distributed byAnglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors
Release date
  • April 1953 (1953-04) (UK)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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Luigi, the owner of a Soho pin table saloon, is romancing an unhappily married socialite, Barbara Gale. He is accused of the murder of his former girlfriend Angela, who was found stabbed in his apartment. He evades the police and asks his friend Limpy for help, but Limpy is revealed to be Angela's killer.

Cast

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Production

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It was shot at the Merton Park Studios in London and on location in the city's West End. The film's sets were designed by the art director George Haslam. It was an early production of Anglo-Amalgamated who had signed a deal with Lippert Pictures who distributed the film in the United States. While much of the company's output at the time were second features, this was a more expensive film aimed at the first feature market.[2]

Critical reception

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A conventional thriller. The sound track is somewhat enlivened by Tommy Reilly's harmonica solos, particularly 'The Limping Man', which seems destined to share the fate of the 'Harry Lime Theme'."[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Street of Shadows". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  2. ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  3. ^ "Street of Shadows". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 20 (228): 76. 1 January 1953 – via ProQuest.
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