10 Rillington Place (1971)

London, 1949. John Christie is an unassuming, middle aged man who, along with his wife Ethel, manages the apartment building at 10 Rillington Place. His unassuming demeanor masks the fact ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Ludovic Kennedy (book), Clive Exton

Stars:

Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, John Hurt

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Attenborough	...	John Reginald Christie
Judy Geeson	...	Beryl Evans
John Hurt	...	Timothy John Evans
Pat Heywood	...	Mrs. Ethel Christie
Isobel Black	...	Alice
Miss Riley	...	Baby Geraldine
Phyllis MacMahon	...	Muriel Eady
Ray Barron	...	Workman Willis
Douglas Blackwell	...	Workman Jones
Gabrielle Daye	...	Mrs. Lynch
Jimmy Gardner	...	Mr. Lynch
Edward Evans	...	Det. Inspector
Tenniel Evans	...	Detective Sergeant
David Jackson	...	Constable
Richard Coleman	...	Constable

Storyline

London, 1949. John Christie is an unassuming, middle aged man who, along with his wife Ethel, manages the apartment building at 10 Rillington Place. His unassuming demeanor masks the fact of being a serial killer. His modus operandi is to act as a person with a medical background, lure unsuspecting women to his apartment on the pretense of curing them of some ailment, knock them unconscious with carbon monoxide gas, gain his sexual release through contact with the unconscious body, then strangle the victim dead before disposing of the body usually by burying it in his back yard. His next intended target is Beryl Evans, a young woman who has just moved into a flat in his building. Beryl's husband, Tim Evans, is an illiterate man who likes to put on airs. Already with an infant daughter named Geraldine, the Evanses learn they are going to have another baby, which they cannot afford to have, nor can they afford to abort the pregnancy. This problem, on top of the constant issue of lack of...

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Plot Keywords:

abortion | pregnancy | murder | serial killer | gas | 

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Taglines:

The true story of John Christie - the serial killer.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 March 1971 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

10 Rillington place

Filming Locations:

10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmways Pictures, Genesis Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the commentary by John Hurt on the DVD, real-life retired executioner Albert Pierrepoint was a technical advisor for the execution scene. This scene was the first British people had seen in a cinema of a British hanging, and as it was still covered under the government's Official Secrets Act, no details regarding the scene were available. This is where Albert Pierrepoint came in, under an assumed name, and was able to re-create the harrowing scene to maximize the true terror of what it must have been like.

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Goofs

Timothy and Beryl Evans are shown as already having their baby daughter Geraldine when they first take the flat, whereas in reality she was not born until after they had lived there for six months.

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Quotes

John Reginald Christie: Tim, I dislke this business as much as you do. Just I happen to have picked up this knowledge while I was in training as a doctor before the war.
Timothy John Evans: I didn't know you did all this medical stuff.

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Connections

Referenced in Psychoville: Joy (2009)

User Reviews

Studying this film

I have studied this film, just, for my a level film studies, and i have to say it is one of the most quietly gruesome films i have ever encountered. The direction is fantastic, with an eerie darkness, that some might say is the house itself, and some might say is every house in London. Richard Attenborough plays Christie with a quiet presence, and gets over the apathetic sorrow, of a man that knows what he's doing, but is unable to stop it. john Hurt, in turn, i feel did not play Evans with enough zeal- i feel Evans would have been more adamant of his own innocence, but who am I to comment? I wasn't around at the time. In finish, 10 Rillington Place left myself and my class churning at the stomach; an amazing movie, but not for those easily offended!