My Death Is a Mockery is a 1952 British second feature ('B')[1] crime film directed by Tony Young and starring Donald Houston, Kathleen Byron and Bill Kerr.[2] It was written by Douglas Baber from his novel of the same name.

My Death Is a Mockery
Directed byTony Young
Written byDouglas Baber (novel)
Produced byDavid Dent
Starring
CinematographyPhil Grindrod
Edited byLito Carruthers
Production
company
Park Lane Films
Distributed byAdelphi Films
Release date
  • 1 August 1952 (1952-08-01)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The following year it attracted notoriety as the last film watched by Christopher Craig before he shot dead a policeman during a failed burglary.[1]

Synopsis

edit

After being condemned to death, a man recounts the events that have brought him there. A struggling Brixham fisherman, he was persuaded by an Australian chancer to switch to smuggling brandy from the French coast. However the murder of a policeman rapidly leads to things falling apart.

Cast

edit

Production

edit

It was shot at the Brighton Studios.

Critical reception

edit

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Unfortunately the script, particularly at first, is rather pompous and artificial. Otherwise, the film is technically adequate and acting and direction have a certain freshness."[3]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Drama is resolutely dark and glum, minimally entertaining."[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ^ "My Death Is a Mockery". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  3. ^ "My Death Is a Mockery". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 19 (216): 129. 1 January 1952 – via ProQuest.
  4. ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 350. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
edit