The Boy Cried Murder

This is a classic example of what 1960's Saturday late show movies were all about! Very well done with an impressive performance by young Fraser (Fiz) MacIntosh. (He is only credited with one other movie, Vojnik, which is too bad because he is tremendously talented and has incredible stage presence!) The movie was filmed in 1965 off the beautiful Adriatic Coast of Montenegro at an exotic vacation resort (with some of the local people used as "extras"). This movie wasn't produced by a major U.S. studio, and wasn't a major release. Its fame came from being distributed to local television stations in "film package" deals. Out of print and never released on VHS, makes it very hard to come by. It does tends to be a little "slow" at times and the musical score leaves something to be desired. But the superb acting talents of MacIntosh along with the excellent interplay between his mother (Veronica Hurst) and stepfather (Phil Brown from "Star Wars") make it worth your while to locate a copy. This a must see movie!

Jonno (Fraser MacIntosh) is a mischievous 12 year old who is having trouble accepting his new stepfather (Phil Brown) and is prone to tell a "tall tale" from time to time. On vacation with his mother and stepfather in Budvah, Jonno secretly witnesses the disposal of a dead woman's bloody corpse. Because he has "cried wolf" so many times in the past, nobody believes his story. Nobody except the killer himself, who vows to track young Jonno down and silence the only person who can put him behind bars. Very tense and dramatic ending. (Basically a remake of the 1949 motion picture "The Window".)

This foreign remake (although it retains the novel's original title) is not as suspenseful or as well made as "The Window" but still moves moderately well and keeps your interest.

Basic plot: A boy noted for lying sees a murder and nobody believes him except, of course, the killer.

Jonno is not bad considering his age, but the villain is not too believable. The rest of the cast is mediocre to downright blah!

The chase scene over the clay tile rooftops to the ruined fort is probably the best scene of the film.

My copy of this movie is on 16mm film and has faded to red. Also my projector is mono sound only. In view of these restrictions, I may be missing some of the character of this film.

I've never seen this movie on video but it claims to have been aired in the U.S.(Probably some TV station has an old print they use for filler). It may be difficult to find a copy.

The Window is an excellent film from RKO with an excellent Bobby Driscoll in the child's role.

This film on the other hand is its total antithesis. Poor acting all round,lurid colour and a cacophonous musical score which renders concentration all but impossible.

The Boy Cried Murder is far from a great film, but it's well made and very nicely photographed on the Adriatic coast. The color and locale make the film pleasant to look at, unusual for this type of picture. Basically an adaptation of a Cornell Woolrich story that was also the basis for the 1949 American film, The Window, this later version is far more pleasing visually if not so well acted. The plot centers around a boy known for telling tales tales who, when he witnesses an actual murder, can't get anyone to believe him. If one doesn't have a fondness for cat and mouse stories this one won't work at all. There are many ancillary pleasures in the movie, not the least of which is Veronica Hurst as the boy's mother, and quite a hottie in her day. Interestingly, the movie was directed by George Breakston, who was himself once a child actor, and so it's no surprise that he manages to get a reasonable performance from Fraser McIntosh as the eponymous boy.