Burnt Evidence (1954) User Reviews

The Perils of Self-Employment

[trimmerb1234 · 5/10 · 28 December 2015]

This was one of many B feature films produced between 1951 and 1962 (see IMDb for details) by the ACT - the cinema technicians trade union. The films seem to have in common, a good all British cast, reasonably resourced production values and themes rather off the mainstream, generally centred on the domestic but with an underlying serious work/economic theme. This although ostensibly a (lurid) crime who-dunnit, could well have been titled "The Perils of Self-Employment" - the conclusion makes this abundantly clear. The central character is a modest carpenter with a small but failing business, "too soft" to press for money owing and consequently on the edge of bankruptcy and losing his (improbably rather glamorous and stylish wife, Jane Hilton) to a suave and moneyed rival. The weakness seems to be in the writing/direction - perhaps the emphasis on a serious theme compromised the other elements but it left room for some wit, by no means flat-footed, with the humane detective (Meridith Edwards) and his dim assistant. Surprisingly the screenplay was by Ted Willis who was to become a respected name in TV. Overall it was of a quality that could have been an evening's highlight on the ITV of the day, watched from the sofa whilst eating a "TV dinner". The theme - everyday working life and the domestic economy - would rarely if ever be on the screen again. A 5.5

Corpus Delecti

[boblipton · 5/10 · 2 January 2019]

Jane Hylton has been carrying on an affair with Donald Gray, the best friend of husband, Duncan Lamont. Lamont has been trying to make a go of his own business, but is near the point where he must throw it in. When he sees evidence of the affair, he heads off, trying to raise money. Miss Hylton is worried about him, so she sends Gray looking. He finds Lamont in his work space, angry words are exchanged, a fight begins, and soon the fire brigade is on the scene, where they find a corpse which Police Inspector Meredith Edwards can't identify. Who is it? And is it murder?

It's a very interesting set-up, but the script, and especially the direction by Daniel Birt, makes a dull affair of it. The camera set-ups are uninteresting, and it's all talk, talk and more talk to neatly disentangle the snarls of the situation through ordinary procedure. Everyone is polite, kind and the only interesting variation is when Edwards is being dressed down by Assistant Commissioner Hugh Moxey for not following ordinary procedure and wasting resources. Much the same can be said of this movie.

Out of work out of luck and Otta here

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 12 July 2017]

***SPOILERS*** Little British mystery in not only who killed who but who of the two involved was the one who was killed. It's the down on his luck and the balls of his a** interior designer Jack Taylor, Duncan Lamont,who ends up both with the sh*t end of the stick as well as dead when he has it out at his workshop with his best friend Jimmy Thompson,Donald Gray, accusing Jimmy of having an affair with his wife Diana ,Jane Hylton, then getting himself shot with his own gun. The fact that Jimmy was only trying to help Jack out of his financial troubles came out later that made it all that much worse.

It was during the fight that the place caught fire from a lighted cigarette that made the task of identifying the body or what was thought to be Taylor's almost impossible. That's until a tooth was found that in fact revealed who the dead man really was. It's Diana who's given the 3rd degree by Police Inspector Bob Edwards,Meredith Edwards,in where her husbands killer Jimmy Thompson is whom he feels she's covering up for.This goes on and out until the truth or tooth pops up out of the rubble revealing just who the victim of all this confusion really is!

****SPOILERS**** Not much to see here in who the one who was found burnt to a crisp is but the reasons for all this to happen. It was "Sad Sack" Taylor a failure in everything that he did in life who in fact failed in his final attempt to end it all in his fatal fight with Jimmy Thompson who tried to help him out of his troubles. It was poor and confused Diana who ended up facing jail time in attempting to help her by them mentally deranged husband Jack's murder victim Jimmy Thompson escape justice. It was only by Jack coming back from the dead and telling the truth to what really happened that saved both her and well as Jack from both ending up in the cooler.

Slow, creaky, but interesting nevertheless

[moviestore-1 · 18 November 2010]

One of a few films made by ACT in the early 1950s to give employment to British actors and technicians. Its slow and a bit tedious, playing out like an early TV play, possibly not surprising in that Ted Willis(Dixon Of Dock Green,etc.,) is credited with the screenplay. Ted Willis would go on to greater things and so would the Peter Hunt credited as assistant editor,assuming its the Peter Hunt who went on to direct On Her Majesties Secret Service. The cast, including the usual range of good British players, handle the talkative script as best they can, but there is an underlying feeling of doom about the whole thing. I still found it interesting...not especially entertaining, but worth a look if you're interested in the lower reaches of British 50s cinema .

"Perhaps you'd like to tell me about these ups and downs"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 6/10 · 25 March 2023]

A carpenter Jack Taylor can't make a go of his business so in a fit of depression plans to kill himself in his workshop but his wife's lover Jimmy Thompson (another reason for his unhappiness) goes to dissuade him. They get into a fight, an accident happens and the place goes up in smoke. Later on one body is found in the gutted building but who is it? The answer is sought by Bob Edwards and Alf Quinney of Scotland Yard. At only 61 minutes long the film doesn't outstay its welcome. The policeman played by Meredith Edwards and Cyril Smith are the best part of the film. Would have liked to see them in further films as their characters but that was not to be. Also good was Jane Hylton as Diana Taylor, torn between her husband and her gentleman friend though as another reviewer has mentioned she seems too glamorous to be a suburban housewife. And Irene Handl of course steals all the scenes she is in. It's not awful but not great either.

Starts Slowly But Grows on You

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 7 October 2019]

Once again a sum that today seems tiny - £300 - is enormous in the context of an old movie, and the constant daily grind of life in early fifties Britain (rationing finally ended the year this film was released) is the starting point for this police procedural in which we are gradually fed information that keeps the audience informed at the same rate as the various interested parties until a rather abrupt but satisfying conclusion.

Mediocre British Thriller

[malcolmgsw · 4/10 · 22 November 2010]

This bottom of the bill British thriller was recently given an airing on satellite TV.Duncan Lamont plays an electrician whose business is failing.His wife,Jane Hylton,is getting rather too close to his friend played by Donald Gray.She goes to try and persuade Gray to lend her £300 that Lamont needs for materials for a big contract.Lamont catches them together and jumps to the wrong conclusion.Eventually there is a confrontation between Lamont and Gray at Lamonts shed and a gum goes off and a fire ensues.We don't know who has been burnt to death but we have a shrewd guess.Enter the police in the guise of Meredith Edwards and Cyril Smith.It appears that most of the time they spend smoking ,pipes in particular and drinking endless cups of tea.What then follows is an investigation totally devoid of mystery ,suspense,action and thrills.It is poorly plotted and totally lacks any element of entertainment.The only bright spot is the appearance of Irene Handel.In an early scene she is shown wearing a long wig with a fringe.She is then given a perm by Jane Hylton and emerges with short hair and a perm.This is probably the most entertaining scene in the film.Also it is worth mentioning that Donald Gray lost an arm in the war.So you will see that most of his scenes are shot with his right arm facing the camera.In a couple of scenes you do see his left arm with a prosthetic left hand.It makes you feel that if this is what film makers believed cinema goers wanted little wonder that they were deserting the cinemas in droves for TV.

Short, to the point, no frills love affair noir

[adrianovasconcelos · 7/10 · 25 April 2023]

I know nothing about Director Daniel Birt, but he does an impressive job on the usual shoestring of Monarch Studio and with a very limited 59'.

He definitely makes the most of a compelling screenplay by Percy Hoskins, off Ted Willis' original.

The cast of unknowns does not compromise. I have never found Jane Hylton more than a mediocre actress, but the script also allows her an easy copout in that she does not convey any emotions that might explain why she loves Jimmy if she still also loves her hubby Jack. In the end, she just gets back on with the hubby, as if nothing but an innocuous little affair had happened - in most cases, that is fatal to a marriage, especially back in the 1950s. In fact, it was so frowned upon even in an open-minded society like the UK's, that Diana (Hylton) never admits to Inspector Edwards that she was having an affair with Jimmy.

Duncan Lamont, as Jack, comes across as the sympathetic killer, honest and considerate to a fault. His character development is logical: he does not demand payment for his jobs and he accepts the status of cuckolded hubby without too much fuss.

Meredith, as Inspector Edwards, gets his knuckles rapped for pursuing the wrong man, and he leaves at least one stone unturned in his investigation: why was Jimmy's face so damaged if he believes Jack's account that his former army pal's face was untouched when he left the homicide/fire scene?

In the end, the 59' go by quickly and I was engrossed throughout.

It is really more of a love story than your classical noir: Hylton as femme fatale does not quite make the grade, and neither hubby nor lover are morally blemished by her deception.

I liked the police and fire department cooperation, sounded like the real item!

A love triangle leads to murder, but who was killed? And who cares?

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 21 July 2016]

One of the stodgier of the British crime films of the 1950s that I've watched. The story in this low budget tale is a love triangle between a glamorous housewife, her hard-working, self-employed, and down on his luck husband, and her suave lover. The backdrop of industry hangs over the proceedings, but when a quarrel leads to a violent argument and death, BURNT EVIDENCE turns into a police procedural drama.

Sadly it's a slow moving affair rather lacking in intrigue or indeed interest. The nature of the plot means that the principal characters have to disappear from the screen about a third of the way in at which point it all becomes rather aimless and unfocused, only to clear things up for the lacklustre ending. Jane Hylton is an arresting presence but would be better suited as a gangster's moll than the housewife she portrays here, although Duncan Lamont successfully portrays his character's world weariness. Watch out for old-timer Kynaston Reeves as a pathologist, Irene Handl in an improbable wig, and co-star Donald Gray's false left arm.

Direct and to the point.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 30 September 2023]

This is certainly so much better than I expected it to be. I half expected something to rival those quota quickie Edgar Wallace crime dramas of the next decade, but while not a classic, I found it a perfect way to pass an hour, nicely paced and decently acted. Jane Hylton is under suspicion for the murder of her husband Duncan Lamont to be with supposed lover Donald Gray when a body is found in the burnt factory of Lamont's struggling company. But Lamont can't be found either so there's speculation over who the body really is.

An intriguing premise with well drawn out characters, perhaps not the most challenging parts for the unknown cast, but providing some good moments, especially for Irene Handl, the dotty relative staying with Hylton and Lamont. The audience comes to believe that she's much smarter than she lets on. At only an hour, this is easy viewing and as a mystery succeeded in keeping me guessing.