10 Rillington Place (1971)

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Ludovic Kennedy (book)
Clive Exton

Release Date:

5 March 1971 (West Germany)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

What happened to the women at 10 Rillington Place?

Plot:

London, 1949. John Christie is an unassuming, middle aged man who, along with his wife Ethel, manages the apartment building at 10 Rillington Place...

Plot Keywords:

Abortion | Pregnancy | Murder | Serial Killer | Gas

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

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
André Morell	...	Judge Lewis
Robert Hardy	...	Malcolm Morris
Geoffrey Chater	...	Christmas Humphreys
Basil Dignam	...	Member of the medical board
Norman Henry	...	Member of the Medical Board
Edward Burnham	...	Member of the medical board
Edwin Brown	...	Hangman
Norma Shebbeare	...	Woman in cafe
Sam Kydd	...	Furniture Dealer
Rudolph Walker	...	West Indian
Tommy Ansah	...	West Indian
Reg Lye	...	Tramp
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Carr	...	Constable
Margaret Boyd	...	Old Lady (uncredited)
Edward Cast	...	Plainclothes Sergeant (uncredited)
Uel Deane	...	Irish Tenor (uncredited)
Arthur Gross	...	Man in Pub (uncredited)
Fred Hugh	...	Man in Pub (uncredited)
Robin Keston	...	Boy (uncredited)
Samantha Keston	...	Urchin (uncredited)
Howard Lang	...	Man in Pub (uncredited)
Tony Thawnton	...	Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Edward Woodward	...	Witnessing officer at hanging (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Fleischer

Writing credits
Ludovic Kennedy		(book "Ten Rillington Place")
Clive Exton

Produced by
Basil Appleby	....	associate producer
Leslie Linder	....	producer
Martin Ransohoff	....	producer

Original Music by
John Dankworth

Cinematography by
Denys N. Coop		(as Denys Coop)

Film Editing by
Ernest Walter

Art Direction by
Maurice Carter

Set Decoration by
Andrew Campbell

Makeup Department
Stuart Freeborn	....	makeup artist
Joan White	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Jilda Smith	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Terry Marcel	....	assistant director
Nick Farnes	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Vic Simpson	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Bob Allen	....	sound mixer
Colin Miller	....	sound editor
Ken Scrivener	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
John Harris	....	camera operator
Lou Bogue	....	best boy (uncredited)
Laurie Shane	....	gaffer (uncredited)
David Wynn-Jones	....	focus puller (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tiny Nicholls	....	wardrobe

Music Department
John Dankworth	....	conductor
David Lindup	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Valerie Booth	....	continuity
Ludovic Kennedy	....	technical advisor
Paul Thayre	....	police liaison
Albert Pierrepoint	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Filmways Pictures
• Genesis Productions Ltd.

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1971) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1973) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• RCA Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Video Ltd. (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Video Collection International (1993) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | Canada:18+ (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (1988) | Finland:K-18 (1971) | West Germany:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Trivia:

Bernard Lee originally appeared as "Inspector J" (based on the real-life Chief Inspector Jennings) though his scenes were cut from the finished movie.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When Christie is explaining the procedure he's about to perform on Beryl, he says that natural gas contains carbon monoxide, then quotes its formula as CO2 (which is actually carbon dioxide). The correct formula for carbon monoxide is CO. However, the point appears to be to show him for the half-educated conman he is. It's just Christie's character creating an air of "expertise".

Quotes:

John Reginald Christie:It's the moral question that concerns me, the taking of life - no matter how rudimentary.
Beryl Evans:It's not really... I'd be ever so grateful, Mr Christie.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nekromantik (1987)

Fascinating serial killer portrait

This British 1970's drama tells the life of the real London strangler John Reginald Christie, a doctor and landlord who killed several of his female patients in the 1940's and 1950's. Richard Attenborough plays Christie in a rather silent, but very menacing and psychological way. Director Richard Fleischer is not portraying a serial killer monster like Hannibal Lector, but rather a boring and nice guy who turning to a mentally disturbed and brutal serial killer.

The atmosphere in the dirty London suburbs is photographed in a very dark and intense way, as most of the scenes take place in Christie's old back street house. The calm music adds much atmosphere to the movie, and young John Hurt plays the husband of one of the victims. A forgotten genre jewel that is worth being discovered again, as it cannot be compared to many of those stylish current serial killer TV and movie productions.