Lady of Vengeance

1956's "Lady of Vengeance" was an obscure British 'B' rarely seen in its day, issued by United Artists in the US in August 1957, first popping up on Turner Classic Movies in November 2008. Dennis O'Keefe is the imported Hollywood star, 12 years before his death, as powerful newspaper mogul William T. Marshall, whose pretty young ward (Eileen Elton) inexplicably commits suicide by jumping in front of a passing train. Marshall soon receives a message from the dead girl, explaining the circumstances surrounding her decision, which leads him to bribe a shady stamp collector named Emile Karnak (Anton Diffring) into helping him 'commit a murder,' on the condition that the intended victim suffers a slow and painful demise. Bogged down by a romantic sideline involving Marshall's lovely secretary (Ann Sears), plus occasional flashbacks featuring his ward, the film provides an excellent example of villainous Anton Diffring's scene stealing artistry. "Lady of Vengeance" appeared twice on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater - May 9 1964 (paired with 1958's "Terror in the Haunted House") and Aug 28 1965 (paired with 1953's "The Neanderthal Man").

A very obscure US British production for sure, not widely known, but rather good to watch. I will prefer Anton Diffring here than a very predictable Dennis O'Keefe in a Alfred Hitchcock style like plot. Forgettable film, obviously but acceptable and fun to watch. Good period atmosphere, noir atmosphere but unfortunately a bit bland and flat. Burt Balaban gives here his first picture and the following ones will be far better: MURDER INC and MAD DOG COLL, two gangsters stories. So, this one is worth seeing if you can reach it and have nothing else to do, and also if you are a die hard movie collector or gem seeker. Excellent ending, far above average.

The plot description at IMDb is wrong: it's not about a man who gets caught up in a string of killings. There's only one attempt at killing by DENNIS O'KEEFE--and that's all.

The ingredients are here for much more suspense than is actually generated. Trouble is the script is too long-winded before it gets to the point. The result is a flat effect, too much exposition before the plot gets down to serious business.

In the meantime, ANTON DIFFRING does a commendable job of playing a very polished, very assured contract killer who hopes, as a reward, to get ownership of one of the most valuable stamps in the world. It's an offer he can't resist. Seems that DENNIS O'KEEFE is intent on finding someone to kill his niece in an act of revenge after her sudden suicide death which can be traced to the "Mr. X" who must be destroyed.

The plot twist is a good one, but it takes too long to get to that point and by that time a viewer is apt to lose interest in the slow-paced story.

Summing up: Could have been scripted a lot tighter for more suspense.

"Lady of Vengeance" from 1957 could have been better, yes, but it is what it is -- one of those "B" British films that can be kind of fun.

This one stars Dennis O'Keefe, who made several of these types of films.

Dennis O'Keefe plays a newspaper mogul, William Marshall, whose ward (Eileen Elton) committed suicide. He receives a letter from her after her death that tells the story of what led her to such a drastic act.

Marshall approaches a stamp collector named Karnak (Anton Diffring) in order to get his help in committing a murder, on one condition: the victim must suffer a slow, painful death.

In other hands, this might have been terrific; here it comes off as average, due to a distracting subplot and the fact that the script could have been tighter.

Most notable about this film is the performance of Anton Diffring, a striking actor both in looks and persona, who worked in character roles in films in Britain, Germany, and in international films such as Fahrenheit 451. He died in 1989, possibly from AIDS. He gives a marvelous performance here and it's easily the best thing about the film.

The film opens with a girl either jumping in front of a train, or was she pushed?? Getting to the bottom of the cause seems to be the plot of the story, from the British office of United Artists. And now we're in flashback! Dennis O'Keefe, Ann Sears, and Eileen Elton star in this story, as we follow their sad tale. SO much talking! did this start out as a play? Plays usually have lots of talking. Story kind of drags along. not exciting or suspense-full. The best scene in this shindig is the last 10 minutes. If you can sit through the rest of it. Story by Irve Tunick. He had worked together with director Burt Balaban many times. Balaban had many ties to hollywood! We all know his cousin, actor Bob Balaban, from Close Encounters, Best in Show and Mighty Wind. And Burt's own father had been president of Paramount, and owned movie theaters. Burt Balaban died quite young at age 43, but i haven't been able to find out the cause... doesn't seem to be listed anywhere. most odd.