Penny Gold

This particular type of Detective mystery, set in the world of the professional and the prosperous, was a most unusual theme for what passed for the British film industry in the 1970s. The genre had gone out of fashion about a decade earlier, a situation that was to remain until the advent of the Morse TV movies in 1986. Nowadays, a format that may have seemed outmoded in 1973 can be seen replicated on channels such as ITV3 on most nights of the year. Too bad then that PENNY GOLD provides such a tame example.

Fittingly, for a Jack Cardiff film, the photography is superb, as is the art direction. But in general, the director and his cast are unable to bring the characters or the uninspired story to life. James Booth is good as the Inspector though, with Nicky Henson as his faithful sidekick and there are all too fleeting appearances from Penelope Keith and Sue Lloyd. A crime story revolving around stamp collectors hardly sounds exciting to begin with, although there had been at least one thriller on the same theme before, BARBADOS QUEST, with Tom Conway in 1955. Then fairly early on we learn that the murdered woman, whose face had been damaged beyond recognition, is one of twins, one good, the other evil. You hardly need to be Hercule Poirot to see where this is going. The film's at its worst when the murder of a typically tedious character is announced, which we're then shown in a slow-moving flashback. I could hardly wait. The location shooting and reminders that the Britain of forty years ago was not the nanny state it is today hardly compensate for moments such as this.

The film is produced in 1973. A police movie that is actually one of the first generation movies of this genre. The story of the movie is not very amazing. Maybe after 50 years since it was made, the story seems a bit simple, but I almost guessed the theme from the middle of the movie. However, I was surprised towards the end of the movie. Therefore, it is one of the films that can surprise the audience to some extent and advance the story in a way that the audience does not expect. The twist of the story is suitable and it keeps the audience almost to the end. Although the movie is old, it can be enjoyed and maybe it will be worth the afternoon of a day off.

This had all the ingredients to be a great film, but sadly it ultimately falls a bit short of the mark.

It follows the investigation into a young woman's murder in the opening scenes, and the pursuit of a priceless stamp which seems to be connected to her death - the Penny Gold.

There's a excellent cast, including the gorgeous Francesca Annis in the lead role, and also James Booth as a rumpled detective who soon gets on the case.

The story does become a bit muddled and unfocused, although things pick up a bit towards the end as the deception is finally uncovered.

Apart from Francesca (who plays a set of identical twins here), the best part of the film for me was all the location filming, unusual for a British film from this era. It's wonderful to see the streets of Windsor and Eton as they were in thr early 70s, as well as Pinewood's Heatherden Hall and grounds.

It certainly helps to give the film so realism and grittiness, and it must have felt quite fresh and moddish at the time.

But, considering the prestige of the director, this is sadly where the film falls a bit flat - the direction just doesn't create much suspense or real tension, and fails to translate quite an intriguing and twisty story to the big screen.

Having said that, it certainly has lots of early 70s charm, and it's fun spotting all the famous faces and locations. The ending, when you get there, is clever and worth waiting for too.

Despite obviousness of many plot elements within this work directed by renowned cinematographer Jack Cardiff, it is quite possible to enjoy the film for its merits that include expected polished camera-work and lighting, but also superlative design, plainly a result of competent research, and atmospheric settings about Windsor Castle, to the benefit of a somewhat unfocused crime melodrama involving murder in the normally staid world of philately. Action opens in a flat close by the Castle with a young woman, fresh from a shower, being bludgeoned to death, over two dozen blows to the face making her corpse essentially unrecognizable, and when Detective Inspector Matthews (James Booth) launches an investigation he learns that the deceased was one of a pair of decorative and identical twins, performed by Francesca Annis, the surviving sister, Delphi, employed by their guardian, a prominent stamp collector, with the titular item, a piece of enormous value, being target of a plot to steal it, this somehow connected with the homicide. Filmed at London's Pinewood Studios complex and on location in the vicinity of Windsor Castle, including the House on the Bridge Restaurant atop Windsor Bridge, the windows of which offer an agreeable view of the Royal edifice (enjoyed here at lunch by Matthews and Delphi), the film suffers from credibility factors and an oddly structured use of flashbacks, but a John Scott score is reasonably effective (there is a seamless inclusion of police sirens!), and Cardiff leads his players well. There is not a weak portrayal from among the cast, with even the monochromatic Annis being largely believable, Booth and Nicky Henson providing strong turns as the case investigators; Joss Ackland gains acting honours as Jones, supervising police official in the matter.

Jack Cardiff is an academy award winning cinematographer (for 1947's "Black Narcissus") but is an uneven director (Though his 1960 film "Sons and Lovers" garnered him an Oscar nomination). In this film, he moves away from the viewfinder of the camera and into the seat of the director's chair.

The DVD Cover provides this synopsis for the film: This dramatic indie thriller, set in the intriguing world of high-stakes stamp collectors, is directed by acclaimed British cinematographer Jack Cardiff. A detective (James Booth) is assigned to investigate the murder of a young woman, whose body is found in the shadow of Windsor castle. In the course of his inquiry, he stumbles onto a plot to steal a rare and valuable stamp called the Penny Gold--and encounters a woman who appears to be the dead girl's lovely but dangerous evil twin (Francesca Annis).

This description paints the film in a better light than it actually is, which is obvious since it comes from those trying to market the picture on DVD.The film's narrative has the quality of something one may see on a made-for-TV program rather than something one would consider "theatrical." While the set up and initially beginnings of the mystery are captivating, the rest of the film is dreadfully dull and uninteresting. The story is totally unfocused as we are presented with scenes, such as random flashbacks, that seem totally out of place and irrelevant.

The mystery itself is not at all that mysterious as the audience can predict its outcome from the very beginning and thus makes the film a big build up to nothing.

There are a few good traits, such as the wonderful location shots of Windsor Castle and the surrounding rural areas (courtesy of Mr. Cardiff), and a well-photographed car chase (which, unfortunately, seems out of place).

The DVD was a blind buy given its cheap price of merely $4 (most online DVD stores carry it between $4-$6), but I certainly wouldn't pay a cent more. The film, admittedly, is attractive at that price but it is suggested you save up your money for more quality films.

Not recommended except those who are fans of Jack Cardiff or those who don't mind squandering $5 to add a title to your collection.