Serious Charge (1959)

Howard Phillips, a vicar who's new in the town of Bellington, wants to reach out to youth. The previous vicar's daughter, Hester Peters, who fears being a spinster, wants to be his wife. He... See full summary »

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

Guy Elmes (screenplay), Mickey Delamar (screenplay),

Stars:

Anthony Quayle, Sarah Churchill, Andrew Ray

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Anthony Quayle	...	Howard Phillips
Sarah Churchill	...	Hester Peters
Andrew Ray	...	Larry Thompson
Irene Browne	...	Mrs. Phillips
Percy Herbert	...	Mr. Thompson
Noel Howlett	...	Mr. Peters
Wensley Pithey	...	Police Sergeant
Leigh Madison	...	Mary Williams
Judith Furse	...	Probation Officer
Jean Cadell	...	Almshouse Matron
Wilfrid Brambell	...	Verger
Olive Sloane	...	Mrs. Browning
George Roderick	...	Fishmonger
Cliff Richard	...	Curley Thompson
Liliane Brousse	...	Michelle

Storyline

Howard Phillips, a vicar who's new in the town of Bellington, wants to reach out to youth. The previous vicar's daughter, Hester Peters, who fears being a spinster, wants to be his wife. He tells her he's not interested. When he confronts a tough kid about something the youth has done, the lad sets out to frame the vicar. Hester, who's walked in on the confrontation, backs the youth's story. The town sides with her and the lad, turning against Phillips. He has a crisis of faith. What options does he have; can no one help him, his reputation, or his calling?

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Plot Keywords:

vicar | spinster | liar | female warden | parson | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1959 (UK)

Also Known As:

A Touch of Hell

Filming Locations:

MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alva Films (Denham)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

First cinema film of Cliff Richard.

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Connections

Referenced in Terence Young: Bond Vivant (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Mad About You"
(as "Mad")
Written by Lionel Bart
Performed by Cliff Richard
Accompanied by The Shadows (as The Drifters)

User Reviews

Surprisingly Frank

An unmarried vicar in a new parish (Quayle) accuses a local 19 year old of being partially responsible for the death of a teenage girl. In defiance, the young man claims the vicar molested him. Out of spite, his story is backed up by a local woman (Churchill) still furious that the vicar rejected her advances. Unfortunately for the vicar, the woman is a highly respected member of the community - her father is the previous clergyman.

Given that this film was released in 1959, its subject matter is pretty ground-breaking, especially for a British film. Yes, the depiction of disaffected youth hanging around coffee bars, breaking into swimming pools and grooving to Cliff Richard's Livin' Doll is a little clumsy (Richard is asked to do little in a secondary role other than sulk or croon), but in an era when folks weren't supposed to know about homosexuality (at least in the movies), this is quite a daring story, and occasionally quite subversive. We the audience are ever so slightly encouraged to wonder about Quayle's sexuality as he spurns the advances of a good churchy woman, seems oblivious to his sexy young French maid (!) and looks up to his strident mother (a wonderfully knowing performance by Irene Browne). Judith Furse's probation officer is also deliciously ambiguous...

So quite a grown up film then - a shame that these days it's probably only known for being Cliff's debut film.