Eight O'Clock Walk [DVD]

Product Information

Everything hinges on the brilliance of the inexperienced barrister and, of course, a lot of chance. Could this really be how an accused man would behave and could his fate rest in the lap of the gods, rather than the work of the police? I was not convinced; the police fail to conduct any real investigation whatsoever (aside from doing everything to incriminate their only suspect); this was left to the barrister. Are barristers supposed to be detectives? Would the police be able to bring a case, based on what appear to be circumstantial and very flimsy evidence? The eyewitnesses' stories were easily discounted and how likely would it be that the real guilty party might actually be one of the witnesses? (If you'll forgive a reference to another film, "Yes, my marrow" [Maurice Denham] - if you watch the film and know the actor, you'll know what I'm on about). Newly weds Tom ( Richard Attenborough - The Magic Box) and Jill Manning ( Cathy O'Donnell - Detective Story) are still in their honeymoon phase which is why when a young girl asked Tom to help her find her missing dog he was unaware that it was April Fool's day and he was being pranked. But later on Tom finds himself being arrested when the young girl is found murdered and witnesses saw him with the girl. With no money his wife Jill manages to find inexperienced lawyer Peter Tanner (Derek Farr) to defend him which brings Peter up against his father Geoffrey (Ian Hunter) who is the prosecutions lawyer. The trial begins at London's Old Bailey, where Tanner is opposed by his father, prosecuting counsel Geoffrey Tanner. It soon becomes evident that things are going badly for Manning. Jurors are seen expressing their belief in Manning’s guilt even before the trial is over. Irene's mother offers hearsay evidence that Manning had given the victim sweets, and accusing Manning of murder. Following the testimony of prosecution witness Horace Clifford, all the evidence seems to point to Manning's guilt.

Child's Play (1954) A group of kids, led by brainbox Horatio Flynn (Christopher Beeny - later of Upstairs Downstairs fame - in an… It was interesting to see how the police concocted their case, based upon purely circumstantial evidence and the evidence of some not necessarily reliable witnesses. Their attempt at forensic science would be laughable with today's technology, but it is interesting to see how the concept was thought of and how things such as soil samples were examined and used to make the case. Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press, p. 358Fans of the "Willy Wonka" stories will be fascinated to hear a reference to "Gobstoppers", obviously a real type of British treat. The kids involved in the prank obviously went out of their way to harass complete strangers, and in the case of cab driver Attenborough, nobody saw him leave after the young victim managed to get away from him. The shadow of a man wearing a hat is seen ominously at the listings of the day's cases, giving a hint to the possibility that he was the perpetrator. Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p.305. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.

I probably enjoyed this movie for all the wrong reasons. I love a courtroom drama, and this one gives unusual glimpses of the court's "cast" waiting in the wings. The jury waiting to be selected (or not). Court officers dishing round papers. Cleaning ladies polishing the marble floor. The judge and his supporters gathering in the corridor. The clerk handing His Lordship the traditional nosegay (Sweet Williams). During a recess Peter Tanner sees Clifford outside the courthouse, giving a sweet to a young girl. He identifies the sweet as the same as found on Irene. Tanner recalls Clifford for cross-examination, confronting him with the sweets, and instructing a street musician to play "Oranges and Lemons". Clifford breaks down, and Manning is cleared.By the numbers murder mystery drama starring Richard Attenborough as a London cab driver who is on trial on a murder charge accused of murdering a young girl. Kinematograph Weekly said: "Human, thoughtful and down-to-earth crime melodrama, pivoting on the Old Bailey.... Finely acted, shrewdly directed and flawlessly staged, it should intrigue and grip all classes." [6] Just because you see a grown man chasing a little girl doesn't mean that he killed her, even though he was the victim of an April Fool's Day prank, and she was discovered later a victim of murder. Academy Award Winning director to be Richard Attenborough plays the wrongly accused here, and wife Cathy O'Donnell is frantic. So frantic that she goes off on his defense attorney Derek Farr, immediately regretting it. But in a weird twist, the prosecuting attorney is Farr's own father, veteran actor Ian Hunter. It's surprising that this type of personal relationship would be permitted in court with the type of conflicts it could create. Attenborough is good in his part as the innocent man facing a guilty verdict under a tonne of prosecution circumstantial evidence. Variety said: "Suspense thriller good for local consumption but under-dramatized for U.S. taste.... The youngsters are all natural, and at times amusing. Lance Comfort keeps to his usual high standard of direction." [8]