10
Rillington Place
Director
- Richard Fleischer
Writer - Ludovic Kennedy
Book-
Clive Exton
Starring - Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, John Hurt, Pat
Heywood, Isobel Black, Miss Riley, Phyllis MacMahon, Ray Barron,
Douglas Blackwell, Gabrielle Daye, Jimmy Gardner, Edward Evans,
Tenneil Evans, David Jackson, George Lee
10 Rillington Place
Review by Noel Bailey
Not sure if anyone has ever made a better film than this?
The
zenith of British film making, 10 RILLINGTON PLACE (the location
since re-named) is a true story. John Christie (who last time
I was there was still a star exhibit at Madame Tussaud's waxworks
museum in London) was the mega-ordinary, almost mousy south
east Londoner who besides liking a good cuppa tea...killed
people in his dingy little residence. Somewhat of a sexual
predator (though this is hinted at, rather than depicted)
Christie used his very basic scientific knowledge to offer
"comfort" to such as pregnant young girls by way
of his own in-house abortion that none actually survived.
The case of young and fully dim-witted Timothy Evans (so brilliantly
played by John Hurt) who comes to lodge and whose pretty young
wife (Geeson) becomes another victim of the serial killer
Christie represented the height of British injustice when
Christie himself was able to manipulate the facts to point
the finger of guilt at Evans himself and who was actually
hanged for the murder of his wife and child. (The later-bestowed
pardon would have been of little consequence I feel....the
ultimate "too liitle too late")
The
film's bleak depiction of immediate post-war Britain is just
stunning, Attenborough deserved the Oscar for his amazing
characterisation of Christie...a monster with a facade no-one
thought to question. No clear-thinking and perceptive person
could possibly watch this movie and not be affected in some
way. The horror Is that there IS no horror, just a veneer
of respectability and decency. I cannot offhand, nominate
a more powerful or credible piece of film-making. We have
this film in our library and watch it on average ever two
years - it has never aged or been less impactful!
10 Rillington Place - One for your collection
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