Three Cases of Murder
- 1954
- 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
A trilogy of fantastic stories involving murder and the supernatural.A trilogy of fantastic stories involving murder and the supernatural.A trilogy of fantastic stories involving murder and the supernatural.
André Morell
- Dr. Audlin (segment "Lord Mountdrago")
- (as Andre Morell)
Leueen MacGrath
- Woman in the House (segment "In the Picture")
- (as Leueen Mac Grath)
Frances Baker
- Woman in Club Dream
- (uncredited)
Robin Burns
- Member of Parliament
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to cast member Patrick Macnee, the "Lord Mountdrago" segment was mostly directed by star Orson Welles. This claim is supported by the abundance of high-angle, wide-angle and deep focus shots Welles was known for.
- Quotes
George Wheeler ("You Killed Elizabeth" segment): How was Manchester?
Edgar Curtain ("You Killed Elizabeth" segment): Wet, in every sense of the word. Those boys can really throw a party.
- Alternate versionsThere is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA srl, "GHOST STORY (Four Men on a Raft, 1941 + Return to Glennascaul, 1951) + TRE CASI DI ASSASSINIO (3 casi di omicidio, 1954)" (2 Films on a single DVD), re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Visions: Two Directors: Wendy Toye and Sally Potter (1984)
Featured review
The first, "The Picture", stars Alan Badel as a wonderfully devilish character who breaks the glass on a painting in a museum and then sits and waits for the guide (Hugh Pryse) to notice. Milquetoast Pryse is fascinated by this eerie painting of a stark dark house on a hill. Little does he know Badel is the artist (deceased) who's going to take him 'inside' the painting and into the bizarre house where the structure and it's inhabitants are a little 'off'. There's very dark comedy in the house without lights, and the conclusion is spooky enough to stay with the viewer.
Tale two, "You Killed Elizabeth", is a more typical plot: two men are in love with the same woman. She's murdered, but which one did it? And how? There's a nice little twist at the end, but this is reminiscent of several 40's films about being 'set up'.
The third segment, "Lord Mountdrago" gets a lot of attention because of it features Orson Welles. Welles plays a powerful pompous politician who gleefully belittles younger lawmaker Alan Badel (yes..him again). He then begins having recurrent dreams, in which Badel has the upper hand. The dreams are so disturbing, he seeks help to no avail, and feels his life unraveling in his waking hours. The end is interesting, but the dream sequences are a bit overboard, with Welles' hamming it up, and too many choruses of "Daisy Bell". Evidently, Welles pretty much took over the directing of the scenes from George O'Ferrall.
Overall, it's an interesting watch and the wonderfully disturbing performances of Badel in two stories are noteworthy.
Tale two, "You Killed Elizabeth", is a more typical plot: two men are in love with the same woman. She's murdered, but which one did it? And how? There's a nice little twist at the end, but this is reminiscent of several 40's films about being 'set up'.
The third segment, "Lord Mountdrago" gets a lot of attention because of it features Orson Welles. Welles plays a powerful pompous politician who gleefully belittles younger lawmaker Alan Badel (yes..him again). He then begins having recurrent dreams, in which Badel has the upper hand. The dreams are so disturbing, he seeks help to no avail, and feels his life unraveling in his waking hours. The end is interesting, but the dream sequences are a bit overboard, with Welles' hamming it up, and too many choruses of "Daisy Bell". Evidently, Welles pretty much took over the directing of the scenes from George O'Ferrall.
Overall, it's an interesting watch and the wonderfully disturbing performances of Badel in two stories are noteworthy.
- How long is Three Cases of Murder?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Mord ohne Mörder
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- £250,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Color
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