Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971)

A new school teacher learns that the previous teacher was killed by his pupils, and he fears the same will happen to him.

Director:

John Mackenzie

Writers:

Simon Raven (screenplay), Giles Cooper (play)

Stars:

David Hemmings, Douglas Wilmer, Tony Haygarth

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Hemmings	...	John Ebony
Douglas Wilmer	...	Headmaster
Tony Haygarth	...	Cary Farthingale (as Anthony Haygarth)
Carolyn Seymour	...	Silvia Ebony
Hamilton Dyce	...	Mr. Winstanley
Barbara Lott	...	Mrs. Winstanley
Donald Gee	...	Stretton
David Jackson	...	Clackworth
Hubert Rees	...	Blisterine
David Auker	...	Aggeridge
Tom Morris	...	Ankerton
Richard Gill	...	Borby
Michael Kitchen	...	Bungabine
Nicholas Hoye	...	Cloistermouth
Tom Owen	...	Cuthbun

Storyline

A new school teacher learns that the previous teacher was killed by his pupils, and he fears the same will happen to him.

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | pupil | school | coffin | intimidation | 

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Taglines:

if you're curious about terror ...

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1971 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Compañeros del crimen

Filming Locations:

Berkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hemmings, Mediarts

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

In the closing credits, when the names of actors playing the schoolboys appear they are listed in alphabetical order according to the character's surname. This is so as to resemble the class's register. The character of 'Zigo' appears at the very end but as he never appears in the film, instead of an actor being credited, it merely says "Zigo....Absent".

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Connections

Version of Theatre 625: Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1965)

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Soundtracks

"Angel Voices Ever Singing"
(uncredited)
Music by Edwin Monk
Words by Francis Pott

User Reviews

Entertaining, although not very ambitious or distinctive

It's a very peculiar movie, which perhaps could only have been fully explained in semi-supernatural terms, although it never takes that step. The later sequences where murder seems entirely possible (particularly as they terrorize Seymour) are very unsettling. The movie is also a pretty effective exploding of the public school upper-crust ethos, depicting the boys as determined to get good university scholarships (perceived by them as the next thing to a divine right) while doing as little work as possible. That aside, it's not very ambitious or enormously distinctive - the portrayal of the school beyond the class itself is pretty vague and Hemmings' specific strategy - focusing on finding the ringleader - is fairly indistinctly plotted. Leonard Maltin's review refers to the actual killer's identity being revealed after closing credits but that wasn't the case in the print seen here (quite a let down, actually). The movie should surely have reached further into metaphor or broader meaning or SOMETHING. But even so, it kept me watching until 3.15 am one morning.