Tread Softly Stranger

I consider that this title is the late Diana Dors best film and I have quite a few in my DVD collection.Produced in 1958 when she was at her peak she has a memorable scene when she recounts her lowly slum- like upbringing to George Baker of how she made her way "out of the gutter up onto the pavement".It reminded me of an Oscar Wilde quote by Lord Darlington from "Lady Windermere's Fan" "...some of us may be in the gutter but we are looking up at the stars".1958 was the year that the wonderful "A Night to Remember" was made and I spotted three actors from that film in "Tread Softly Stranger", namely Joseph Tomelty" (Joe Ryan) as Dr. O'Loughlin, Russell Napier (Potter) as Capt. Stanley Lord and Thomas Heathcote (Sgt. Lamb) as a 1st class smoking room steward.Diana was well supported by Terence Morgan and George Baker and I disagree with a previous reviewer, it did not have an Anglicized/American script - I checked the nationality of the two scriptwriters James George Minter/Denis O'Dell before writing this review.The film also had an authentic bleak northern industrial landscape.Remember also we have many Irish people working in our country.

When George Baker burnt the stolen money and flushed the embers down the sewer and disposed of the revolver I thought the brothers may have succeeded in their robbery, but of course the censor stepped in like they did in the 1950s to ensure we citizens kept on the straight and narrow.Overall I rated it excellent and it kept my interest all through and I rated it 8/10

... she's not only so sexy (enjoy her first shot), but she plays well a sensitive young woman, Calico, lost between two brothers : she first was close to Dave (a fragile employee losing his temper to conquer the sweet sexy Calico) but eveything changes when tough Johnny arrives (kind of adventurer, handsome man never losing his temper, he makes me think of Ray Danton). The problem of this movie is Dave's character, always yelling when he panics, neighbours must have heard eveything about stealing and murder, and this is a major fault of the script and direction. But Diana Dors is the main attraction of the movie and the ending is especially gripping. Patrick Allen is also great as a determined parent's victim. With more work in the script and direction, it could have been a better movie, but is still entertaining.

I confess that I know nothing about Director Gordon Parry. As far as I can tell, the rather good FRONT PAGE STORY, starring Jack Hawkins, is the only other film he has directed that I have watched.

Both films have strong, structured stories, but TREAD SOFTLY, STRANGER has the advantage of Diana Dors in the greatest form ever, even managing to deliver a credible performance. That said, plaudits must go to George Baker and Terence Morgan for playing two brothers understandably smitten with Dors - a temptress who wants money and gets them to steal for her, even if one (Baker) only does it to help his brother out of a tough situation and can clearly see Dors for the gold digger she is. Morgan is more impressionable and becomes a puppet in her horny hands, despite knowing that she does not love him but loves his brother instead.

Baker leaves London because of a bad debt and seeks refuge in his backwater birthplace, Rawborough, a small railway stop town with a factory that keeps spewing fumes, like a smouldering hell consuming its residents, some of whom question Baker's return from "lovely London" to dingy Rawborough. The brighter of the two brothers, Baker sensibly destroys the money that his brother stole from the factory where he works... too little too late. From the moment the brothers broke the law, and in particular when an old factory security guard is accidentally shot dead, the gods of Greek tragedy (and the British production code which wanted no bad examples to encourage the already rising crime rate) predetermine punishment for them.

Baker has the smarts to know that police need proof in order to charge them, but panicking Morgan cannot resist blind justice.

Dors' final declaration that she will wait for Baker floats off with the breeze swirling around the rooftops of the bedroom she rents.

Solid chiaroscuro cinematography from the excellent Douglas Slocombe, arresting script from Minter and O'Dell.

Definitely worth watching. 8/10.

TREAD SOFTLY STRANGER is a tense and immersive British film noir featuring a headlining performance from Diana Dors at her most sultry and alluring. The story is a basic love triangle compounded by money worries, which lead to robbery and murder, all set within a grim and run-down northern industrial town. The opening scenes, which show off a fabulous and elaborate rooftop location complimented by Dors and her morning exercise routines, are great and racy stuff indeed.

I always feel that when a British B-movie thriller gets everything right then it's head and shoulders above rival American fare and that's the case here. This tale was originally adapted from a play but the cinematic version gets everything right and in particular the cast is a fine one.

Dors obviously holds the attention with her bombshell performance, but the real star of the thing is the underrated Terence Morgan (CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB) who propped up many a B-movie with his villainous turns. He has more depth to his character than usual and does very well with it. George Baker - TV's Inspector Wexford - plays the straight role and is very nearly as good, and a young Patrick Allen rounds off the cast.

The stunningly beautiful Diana Dors gets involved with two brothers in "Tread Softly Stranger," a 1958 British 'B' movie. It's on a set of six films called "British Cinema," and it's by far the best of the lot.

Dors is Calico, a real slut, albeit a gorgeous one, who is hanging out with a nerdy office worker, Dave Mansell (Terence Mansell), an accountant in a nearby factory. Then his brother Johnny (George Baker), a handsome con man running away from a bad debt, comes to town. Calico quickly switches allegiance, but keeps her options open. When Johnny finds out that Dave is 300 pounds short in the accounts because of embezzling to buy Calico gifts, he decides to hock the watch Dave gave Calico, add his own money to it, and gamble on a sure thing. With an impending audit coming up, there isn't much time to replace the money.

Unfortunately, Calico has another idea. While Johnny is at the race track and winning, Calico convinces Dave that Johnny isn't coming back and insists that he just rob the factory of all its money - that way, the shortfall won't show up. She promises Dave that if he does it, she will go away with him. Turns into a real mess.

This is a very suspenseful story, very dark and loaded with atmosphere. One gets the feeling of a small, crummy factory town. The acting is good; Dors is a knockout. Definitely work seeing.