The Black Panther (1977 film)
| The Black Panther | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ian Merrick |
| Produced by | Ian Merrick |
| Written by | Michael Armstrong |
| Starring |
Donald Sumpter Debbie Farrington Marjorie Yates |
| Music by | Richard Arnell |
| Cinematography | Joseph Mangine |
| Edited by | Teddy Darvas |
Production company |
Impics Productions |
| Distributed by | Alpha Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | UK |
The Black Panther is a 1977 British crime film. Its subject is the criminal Donald Neilson, known as the "Black Panther". It was directed and produced by Ian Merrick, his first feature,[1] and stars Donald Sumpter, Debbie Farrington and Marjorie Yates.[2][3] It was seen as exploitative so soon after the events depicted.[4]
The film featured the kidnap of a young girl, Leslie Whittle. It was controversial on its release, and was slandered by media figures such as Sue Lawley of Tonight. Subsequently, the film was effectively banned.[5] In 2012, the film was remastered, and resurrected into the British Film Institute Archives and Hall of Fame, as an important British film to rave reviews. John Patterson of The Guardian commented that The Black Panther "emerges as a meticulous, tactful, well made and highly responsible true crime movie".[5]
Cast
- Donald Sumpter – Donald Neilson
- Debbie Farrington – Lesley Whittle
- Marjorie Yates – Neilson's Wife
- Sylvia O'Donnell – Neilson's Daughter
- Andrew Burt – Lesley's Brother
- Alison Key – Lesley's Sister-In-Law
- Ruth Dunning – Lesley's Mother
- David Swift – Detective Chief Superintendent
References
- ↑ "The Black Panther(1977)". Yahoo movies. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ↑ The Black Panther (1996 [1977]), BFI Film & TV database
- ↑ Chibnall & Petley p.225
- ↑ Amazon review by Trevor Willsmer
- 1 2 John Patterson "Why The Black Panther can hold its head up high", The Guardian (blog), 6 June 2012
Bibliography
- Chibnall, Steve & Petley, Julian. British Horror Cinema. Routledge, 2002.