Take My Life

Minor classic ! "Take My life" is one of the better films of its era in British film making. A Rank Film that catched the attention of Hollywood and brought its leading actress Greta Gynt to the film capitol of the world. The merits of "Take My Life" is in its fast paced and skillfully directed hands of Ronald Neame. The feeling of suspense is carefully distributed throughout the film via a dramatic developement that never leavs you unexcited or bored. The actors are controlled and focused. One can tell that the actors enjoyed the challenge of a script that required high acting skills to pull off. And The Rank Studioes gathered their best talents to make the film a minor classic of British film-noire style. "Take my Life" was widly distributed all over the world and is remembered as Greta Gynts best liked film, both by her and her fans. So take a risk with this film if you want to spend an evening (or day) of cinemagic style and suspense. You wont walk off dissapointed if you are lover of vintage films

Especially in the second half, when Philippa the somewhat spoiled and beautiful opera singer goes on the trail of a murderer.

Her husband is on trial for killing a former girlfriend (the magnificent Rosalie Crutchley), and with Francis L Sullivan as the prosecutor, his chances look slim. He (Hugo Williams) tries to keep up his spirits, but underneath a light manner he is desperately worried.

So Philippa sets off to follow a musical clue, wearing the kind of hat the royal family are fond of (in her case, it protects her 40s pompadour hairstyle). It leads her to a sinister gothic school in the far north, where she is shown round by Marius Goring.

There are lots of good scenes in trains and railway stations, filmed on location. When they pull into York, we fleetingly see a traveller who looks uncannily like the murdered girl. But when we recognise one of the fellow-passengers as stalwart actor Ronald Adam, we are prepared for more drama...

I'd love to read the original book by Winston Graham. Writers of historical sagas (Poldark) often do their best work when young and writing about the contemporary scene.

It's a shame that Sullivan fades out of the story early, and Philippa's modern opera seems to consist of one scene. Obviously her singing voice is dubbed, but what about her speaking voice? It is very unlike the sarcastic, seductively nasal tones of her performance in Dear Murderer. Perhaps she just adopted a different voice for this character who, though flawed, is basically a good egg.

It's a great film with great performances.... as so many reviewers here express that same sentiment so much more eloquently than I ever could....! The poorer reviews are critical in areas that only time has given them the benefit of.... 'Even' as a black and white movie there is a wonderful atmosphere that a color version could never hope to meet let alone exceed..!

If you tend to enjoy good entertainment with no pre-conceived expectations then this film will most certainly deliver.....

I sometimes wish that this fantastic app and website would also list a few of the more contemporary reviews so as to provide a sense of the film's context to ordinary film goers.... but even with that option, unfortunately, there would be very few that people might have written let alone shared....!

Staring Hugh Williams and Greats Gynt this British 40's thriller is well worth a look.

Hugh Williams and Greta Gynt are super as the couple trying to prove that he didn't murder an old flame at her London lodgings. He is convicted largely due to a formidable prosecution from a suitably ebullient Francis L. Sullivan but she determines to find out what really happened. The odd thing is that there are no photographs of the victim; it's as if she had no recent past... Then serendipity takes a hand and Gynt happens upon a tune that takes her to Edinburgh and soon she is on the trail to the truth. Ronald Neame's first go from the director's chair and it's a suspenseful, taut film noir well worth catching up with.