Circus of Fear
| Circus of Fear | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | John Llewellyn Moxey |
| Produced by | Harry Alan Towers |
| Written by |
Harry Alan Towers Edgar Wallace |
| Starring | Christopher Lee |
| Music by | Johnny Douglas |
| Cinematography | Ernest Steward |
| Edited by | John Trumper |
Production company |
Circus Films, Proudweeks |
| Distributed by |
Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) American International Pictures (US) |
Release date |
29 April 1966 (W. Germany) November 1967 (UK) |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Circus of Fear (German: Das Rätsel des silbernen Dreieck/ Mystery of the Silver Triangle), also Scotland Yard auf heißer Spur, also Circus of Terror) is a 1966 Anglo-German international co-production thriller film starring Christopher Lee, Suzy Kendall, Cecil Parker, Klaus Kinski and Victor Maddern.[1] The U.S. title was Psycho-Circus. It was based on the novel The Three Just Men by Edgar Wallace (1926).[2][3][4]
Plot
When an armoured car is robbed, in a daring daylight raid on Tower Bridge, one of the gang hides the money in Barberini's Circus. The police also investigate people being murdered by throwing knives. Gregor (Christopher Lee), is a facially scarred lion tamer, one of the many suspects in the case investigated by Scotland Yard's detective Elliot (Leo Genn). His examination of all the clues leads to a final denouement in front of the assembled suspects during a knife-throwing act.
Cast
- Christopher Lee - Gregor
- Leo Genn - Elliott
- Anthony Newlands - Barberini
- Heinz Drache - Carl
- Eddi Arent - Eddie
- Klaus Kinski - Manfred Hart
- Margaret Lee - Gina
- Suzy Kendall - Natasha
- Cecil Parker - Sir John
- Victor Maddern - Mason
- Maurice Kaufmann - Mario
- Lawrence James - Manley
- Tom Bowman - Jackson
- Skip Martin - Mr. Big
- Nosher Powell - Red (as Fred Powell)
- Gordon Petrie - Man
- Henry B. Longhurst - Hotel porter
- Dennis Blakely - Armoured van guard
- George Fisher - Fourth man
- Peter Brace - Speedboat man
- Roy Scammell - Speedboat man
- Geoff Silk - Security man
- Keith Peacock - Security man
- John Carradine - Narrator (uncredited)
Production
The film was partially shot at Billy Smart's Circus.[5]
Release
The film premiered in Germany on 29 April 1966 and in the UK in November 1967.[6]
Reception
The Radio Times wrote, "Christopher Lee wears a black woolly hood for nearly all of his scenes in this lame whodunnit, with minor horrific overtones...but the stalwart efforts of the cast including Klaus Kinski and Suzy Kendall act as a welcome safety net for the shaky plot" ;[7] while Britmovie called it "fairly suspenseful." [8]
See also
References
- ↑ "New York Times: Circus of Fear". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
- ↑ "Circus of Fear". BFI.
- ↑ "Network ON AIR > Edgar Wallace Presents: Circus of Fear". networkonair.com.
- ↑ "Circus of Fear". rottentomatoes.com. 1 January 1966.
- ↑ "Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Flashbacks". google.co.uk.
- ↑ "Filmportal: Circus of Fear". Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ↑ Alan Jones. "Circus of Fear". RadioTimes.
- ↑ "Circus of Fear". britmovie.co.uk.
External links
- Circus of Fear on IMDb
- Circus of Fear at the TCM Movie Database