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Alias John Preston

  • 19551955
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 11m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
199
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
180,321
41,574
Alias John Preston (1955)
HorrorMysteryRomance
Wealthy John Preston arrives in small town Deanbridge. He invests in local businesses and gets involved in community affairs. Eventually, he meets a local belle, Sally, and wins her from her... Read allWealthy John Preston arrives in small town Deanbridge. He invests in local businesses and gets involved in community affairs. Eventually, he meets a local belle, Sally, and wins her from her current boyfriend. She agrees to marry him. Then, he begins to have strange dreams about ... Read allWealthy John Preston arrives in small town Deanbridge. He invests in local businesses and gets involved in community affairs. Eventually, he meets a local belle, Sally, and wins her from her current boyfriend. She agrees to marry him. Then, he begins to have strange dreams about Sylvia, a beautiful woman from his past, who comes to Deanbridge to blackmail him. In his ... Read all
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
199
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
180,321
41,574
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • David MacDonald
    • Writer
      • Paul Tabori(story)
    • Stars
      • Betta St. John
      • Alexander Knox
      • Christopher Lee
    Top credits
    • Director
      • David MacDonald
    • Writer
      • Paul Tabori(story)
    • Stars
      • Betta St. John
      • Alexander Knox
      • Christopher Lee
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 8User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos54

    Betta St. John and Peter Grant in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Alexander Knox and Betta St. John in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Alexander Knox and Betta St. John in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Betta St. John in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Betta St. John in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Alexander Knox and Betta St. John in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Christopher Lee in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Alexander Knox and Betta St. John in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Christopher Lee in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Christopher Lee and Alexander Knox in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Christopher Lee in Alias John Preston (1955)
    Alexander Knox and Betta St. John in Alias John Preston (1955)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Betta St. John
    Betta St. John
    • Sally Sandford
    Alexander Knox
    Alexander Knox
    • Dr. Peter Walton
    Christopher Lee
    Christopher Lee
    • John Preston
    Sandra Dorne
    Sandra Dorne
    • Sylvia - In Dream…
    Patrick Holt
    Patrick Holt
    • Sylvia's Husband in Dream
    • (as Pat Holt)
    John Stuart
    John Stuart
    • Dr. Underwood
    Bill Fraser
    • Joe Newton
    Gabrielle Gay
    • Seamstress
    Peter Grant
    • Bob Newton
    Betty Ann Davies
    Betty Ann Davies
    • Mrs. Sandford
    John Longden
    John Longden
    • Richard Sandford
    Guido Lorraine
    • Headwaiter
    Dinah Anne Rogers
    Dinah Anne Rogers
    • Phyllis
    Paul Beradi
    • Hospital Board Member
    • (uncredited)
    Ernest Blyth
    • Hospital Board Member
    • (uncredited)
    Nicholas Hill
      Pat Ryan
      • Dancer Cutting In
      • (uncredited)
      Leonard Sharp
      Leonard Sharp
        • Director
          • David MacDonald
        • Writer
          • Paul Tabori(story)
        • All cast & crew
        • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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        Storyline

        Edit

        Did you know

        Edit
        • Trivia
          Final film of Betty Ann Davies. NOTE: She died on May 14, 1955 at age 44. It was released seven months after her death.
        • Quotes

          Joe Newton: Well, I better put the paper to bed. Very exciting this week. Someone stole a couple of ducks.

        User reviews8

        Review
        Top review
        6/10
        ALIAS JOHN PRESTON (David MacDonald, 1955) **1/2
        This obscure psychological thriller, a typical "quota quickie" of British cinema during that period, is notable in hindsight for giving the late Sir Christopher Lee perhaps his first genuine star part; while the film's veritable protagonist, he still receives third (albeit above-the-title) billing after female lead Betta St. John (she would be reunited with the future horror icon on both CORRIDORS OF BLOOD {1958} and THE CITY OF THE DEAD {1960}) and Alexander Knox (who turns up well into the proceedings of this modest 66-minute offering in a role that is basically an extension of his character in Joseph Losey's THE SLEEPING TIGER {1954})! Other respectable names are those of cinematographer Jack Cox (responsible for Alfred Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHES {1938}) and director MacDonald (who, after a promising career, seemed unable to surmount the commercial failure of CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS {1949} – which led to him being reduced to helming the likes of DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS {1954}!).

        Anyway, while the film under review is bracketed within the horror genre in the few reviews I could find, as I said, it really treads suspense territory – as the ambitious (and, unsurprisingly, supercilious) Lee begins to crack under the strain of a hazy past intermittently re-awakened in a series of "realistic" nightmares. While the first half is somewhat ordinary (another suitor for St. John, smitten since childhood, seems to be on hand merely as someone for her to fall back on after Lee – here in atypically romantic mode – finally goes off the deep end!), the couch sessions between doctor Knox and employer-cum-secret patient Lee (and which, more often than not, take the form of confrontations) grab the attention well enough. Similarly, though the dream sequences are necessarily not of the (perhaps expected) ethereal kind, the revelation packs a definite punch…though, in truth, the movie's title does rather give the game away too readily!
        helpful•8
        0
        • Bunuel1976
        • Jul 12, 2015

        Details

        Edit
        • Release date
          • December 14, 1955 (United States)
        • Country of origin
          • United Kingdom
        • Language
          • English
        • Filming locations
          • Brighton Film Studios, St Nicholas Road, Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK
        • Production company
          • Danziger Productions Ltd.
        • See more company credits at IMDbPro

        Technical specs

        Edit
        • Runtime
          1 hour 11 minutes
        • Color
          • Black and White
        • Sound mix
          • Mono
        • Aspect ratio
          • 1.37 : 1

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