The Black Rider (film)
| The Black Rider | |
|---|---|
 Australian daybill poster | |
| Directed by | Wolf Rilla |
| Written by | A.R. Rawlinson |
| Story by | Peter Jones (play Marion) |
| Produced by | A.R. Rawlinson |
| Starring | Jimmy Hanley Rona Anderson |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Faithfull |
| Edited by | John Trumper |
| Music by | Wilfred Burns |
Production company | Balblair Productions (presents) |
| Distributed by | Butcher's Film Service (UK) |
Release date | December 1954 (UK) |
Running time | 65 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Black Rider is a 1954 British low budget thriller film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Jimmy Hanley, Rona Anderson, and Leslie Dwyer.[1]
Premise[]
Young reporter and amateur biker Jerry Marsh investigates sightings of a hooded black figure on a motorbike. It turns out a gang of smugglers use a haunted castle as their base, deterring curious locals by pretending to be ghosts.[2]
Cast[]
- Jimmy Hanley ... Jerry Marsh
- Rona Anderson ... Mary Plack
- Leslie Dwyer ... Robert Plack
- Lionel Jeffries ... Martin Bremner
- Beatrice Varley ... Mrs. Marsh
- Michael Golden ... Rakoff
- Valerie Hanson ... Karen
- Vincent Ball ... Ted Lintott
- Edwin Richfield ... Geoff Morgan
- Kenneth Connor ... George Amble
- Robert Rietti ... Mario
- James Raglan ... Rackton
- Frank Atkinson ... Landlord
- Edie Martin ... Elderly Lady
- Peter Swanwick ... Holiday-maker
Critical reception[]
Britmovie wrote, "(the) plot is seemingly lifted almost intact from the pages of a Boys' Own adventure or the writings of children’s author Enid Blyton...Of particular note here is Lionel Jeffries (The Revenge of Frankenstein 1958) as the villain of the piece. Although only in his late 20s, Jeffries already looks much older than his years and effortlessly brings to the role the gravitas it requires...Jeffries also succeeds in making A.R. Rawlinson’s mediocre dialogue sound far better than it actually is...This is a surprisingly stylish piece of filmmaking overall. Most importantly, (Wolf) Rilla succeeds in keeping the narrative moving at a brisk pace. At a time when low-budget British productions remained resolutely studio-bound, The Black Rider features a refreshing amount of exterior footage. Among the lengthiest sequences occurring outdoors is an obstacle course at a fete that takes on an almost newsreel-like quality";[3] while TV Guide wrote, "the only thing discomfiting about this film is the poor direction and inept acting."[4]
References[]
- ^ "The Black Rider". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
- ^ "The Black Rider (1954) directed by Wolf Rilla • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd". letterboxd.com.
- ^ "The Black Rider". britmovie.co.uk.
- ^ "The Black Rider". TVGuide.com.
External links[]
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- English-language films
- 1954 films
- British films
- 1950s crime thriller films
- Films directed by Wolf Rilla
- British crime thriller films
- British black-and-white films
- 1950s British film stubs
- Crime thriller film stubs