The Naked Edge (1961)

Five years after George Radcliffe was the chief witness in a high profile murder case, his wife receives a blackmailing letter accusing him of the crime.

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

Joseph Stefano (screenplay), Max Ehrlich (novel)

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Deborah Kerr, Eric Portman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Cooper	...	George Radcliffe
Deborah Kerr	...	Martha Radcliffe
Eric Portman	...	Jeremy Clay
Diane Cilento	...	Mrs. Heath
Hermione Gingold	...	Lilly Harris
Peter Cushing	...	Mr. Evan Wrack
Michael Wilding	...	Morris Brooke
Ronald Howard	...	Mr. Claridge
Ray McAnally	...	Donald Heath
Sandor Elès	...	Manfridi St John
Wilfrid Lawson	...	Mr. Pom
Helen Cherry	...	Miss Osborne
Joyce Carey	...	Victoria Hicks
Diane Clare	...	Betty
Frederick Leister	...	Judge

Storyline

George Radcliffe's testimony sends Donald Heath to prison for murder and the theft of over 60,000 pounds. Soon after, Radcliffe invests a large sum of money in an ultimately profitable business venture. Martha Radcliffe begins to suspect her husband of the crime.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | testimony | suspicion | blackmail | eye witness | 

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Taglines:

NO ONE - ABSOLUTELY NO ONE - SEATED DURING THE LAST 13 MINUTES (all original posters and print ads - all caps)

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1961 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ein Mann geht seinen Weg

Filming Locations:

Old Bailey, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baroda, Pennebaker-Baroda Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After "The End" is flashed on the screen and fades out, a disembodied voice is heard under the black screen asking the audience not to reveal the identity of the killer.

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Quotes

Jeremy Clay: Oh, Lord, I wonder if women get naked when they kill themselves this way.

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Crazy Credits

"Ladies and gentlemen, you now know who killed Jason Roote. Please do not reveal the secret to anyone."

User Reviews

Unbelievable, but enjoyable

The last film of Gary Cooper is an enjoyable thriller-drama. It's not great cinema, but I was surprised by the pace of it. With most of those "old" films, I have trouble to sit them through. But this one kept my attention from beginning to end.

The story is about a man(Cooper) who's a witness to a murder and thanks to whose testimony the killer is locked away. But did this guy really commit the murder? Years later, Cooper's wife(Kerr) starts to suspect her husband. Slowly, everything begins to point in HIS direction. Is she still safe with the man she loves? Will he kill her(too)?

As I said, this film is very entertaining. The story however has some major holes in it and the ending is a bit of a let-down. You'll have to see what you make of this film with the ending in mind. This could have been done much better. Cooper is very good in his last role as the husband, but Kerr was less convincing as his wife. There are also some rather colourful, but sometimes annoying supporting roles. I can recommend it, as long as you don't expect to much of it. But if you don't like old films, this is a good movie to help you with that. The filming is very up-to-date. 6/10