The Impersonator

The Impersonator
Theatrical poster for 1962 continental release
Directed by Alfred Shaughnessy
Produced by Anthony Perry
Written by Kenneth Cavander
Alfred Shaughnessy
Starring John Crawford
Jane Griffiths
Music by De Wolfe
Cinematography John Coquillon
Edited by John Bloom
Production
company
Eyeline Productions
Herald
Distributed by Bryanston Films (UK)
Release date
  • May 1961 (1961-05)
Running time
 64 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English

The Impersonator is a 1961 low-budget black and white British thriller film directed and co-written by Alfred Shaughnessy.[1] An American angle and U.S. character actor John Crawford were incorporated to give this second feature some transatlantic box office appeal.[2]

Plot

In an effort to improve relations between a US air force base and the sleepy local English village nearby, airman Sergeant Jimmy Bradford organises a school trip to see the pantomime "Mother Goose". Meanwhile a prowling killer is on the loose and after a night out with the victim, the finger of suspicion points at Bradford.[3]

Cast

Critical reception

Writing in The Radio Times, David Parkinson gave the film two out of five stars, saying, "it's shoestring stuff, but still better than most British B-movies."[4] Britmovie called the film an "excellent British B-thriller produced by Bryanston on a budget of £23,000 that is a cut above the majority of second features."[2]

It was one of 15 films selected by Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane in The British 'B' Film, their survey of British B films, as among the most meritorious of the B films made in Britain between World War II and 1970. They called it "exceptionally proficient" and noted that the critics Penelope Gilliatt and Dilys Powell had also praised it at the time of its release.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "The Impersonator | BFI | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  2. 1 2 "The Impersonator 1960 | Britmovie | Home of British Films". Britmovie. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  3. ↑ "The Impersonator/A Time To Kill [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: John Horsley, John Crawford: DVD & Blu-ray". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  4. ↑ "The Impersonator | Film review and movie reviews". Radio Times. 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  5. ↑ Steve Chibnall & Brian McFarlane, The British 'B' Film, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2009, pp. 278–80.
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