Tales That Witness Madness (1973)

Director:

Freddie Francis

Writer:

Jennifer Jayne (writer)

Release Date:

31 October 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

...Is it just your imagination or your Sanity that's in question?

Plot:

Dr Tremayne is an enigmatic Psychiatrist running a Futuristic asylum housing four very special cases...

Plot Keywords:

Tree | Tiger | Asylum | Patient | Imagination

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jack Hawkins	...	Dr. Nicholas
Donald Pleasence	...	Dr. R.C. Tremayne
Georgia Brown	...	Fay Patterson (segment "Mr. Tiger")
Donald Houston	...	Sam Patterson (segment "Mr. Tiger")
Russell Lewis	...	Paul Patterson (segment "Mr. Tiger")
David Wood	...	Phillipe, the tutor (segment "Mr. Tiger")
Suzy Kendall	...	Ann Patrick / Beatrice
Peter McEnery	...	Timothy Patrick / Albert
Neil Kennedy	...	1st Removal Man
Richard Connaught	...	2nd Removal Man
Beth Morris	...	Polly
Frank Forsyth	...	The Evil Watcher / Uncle Albert (photo)
Joan Collins	...	Bella Thompson
Michael Jayston	...	Brian
Kim Novak	...	Auriol Pageant

Also Known As:

Witness Madness

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Amicus Productions

Trivia:

Rita Hayworth was to appear in the film but left after a short time on the set. She was replaced by Kim Novak.

Tales That Provoke Boredom

A Freddie Francis movie with Kim Novak, Donald Pleasence and Jack Hawkins... how bad can it be? Well, pretty lousy actually.

The movie starts with a car entering a psychiatric hospital. Then we hear from Dr. Tremayne that he's going to show us four extraordinary cases, after which we are subjected to them, in true porte-plumeau style. Err, wait a minute, wasn't there a movie called 'Asylum' (1972), a movie where (to finish this sentence, please re-read the paragraph above). So, by the end of the movie, you're pretty much expecting that the film will end in a similar way. Alas, it doesn't. The ending is even more ludicrous than the four stories you saw before. Yes, it's an invisible tiger. Yes, there's the story of Uncle Albert, a man on a painting who makes his next-of-kin ride on a bicycle (which makes them go back in time where they're observed by Albert, in the shape of a moving statue). Yes, it's a the man who falls in love with a tree (though, as he's married to Joan Collins, we cannot blame him). Yes, it's a man who has to devour the flesh of a maiden. And yes, the ending is even more ludicrous. (Although the last minute itself isn't too bad.)

Jennifer Jayne wrote only two movies (as Jay Fairbank). The other is "Son of Dracula" (1974). Avoid the ludicrous Tales and watch "Son of Dracula" and Roy Ward Baker's "Asylum" instead.