Tiger Bay (1959)

A 12 year old tomboy witnesses the murder of a woman by her Polish merchant marine boyfriend but bonds with him and thwarts the police in their investigation.

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Noël Calef (short story "Rodolphe et le Revolver") (as Noel Calef), John Hawkesworth (screenplay)

Stars:

Hayley Mills, Horst Buchholz, John Mills

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Mills	...	Superintendent Graham
Horst Buchholz	...	Korchinsky
Hayley Mills	...	Gillie
Yvonne Mitchell	...	Anya
Megs Jenkins	...	Mrs. Phillips
Anthony Dawson	...	Barclay
George Selway	...	Det. Sgt. Harvey
Shari	...	Christine
George Pastell	...	'POLOMA' Captain
Paul Stassino	...	'POLOMA' 1st. Officer
Marne Maitland	...	Dr. Das
Meredith Edwards	...	P.C. Williams
Marianne Stone	...	Mrs. Williams
Rachel Thomas	...	Mrs. Parry
Brian Hammond	...	Dal Parry

Storyline

Gille Jenkins, a 12 year old tomboy and compulsive liar living in a sordid tenement with her single parent mother, witnesses the murder of an immigrant Polish woman living in an nearby apartment by her former boyfriend, Bronislaus Korchinski. The young merchant marine becomes distraught when he discovers that she has become the mistress of a married British sports announcer and shoots her with her own gun. Gillie lies about the circumstances in order to keep the gun which she discovers where Korchinsky hid it. She ultimately bonds with him and misleads the police in their investigation.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | tomboy | liar | british noir | foreign language adaptation | 

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Taglines:

MURDER...enacted before the eyes of a little girl. She alone has the proof the police are searching for.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Polish Spanish

Release Date:

14 December 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mystery at Tiger Bay

Filming Locations:

Beaconsfield Studios, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Rank Organisation,Independent Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut (at age 12) of Hayley Mills.

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Goofs

When Superintendent Graham has to spell out the Polish sailor's surname, he spells it "Korchinsky", but when the sailor (Horst Buchholz) signs his name, he spells it "Korczynski".

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Quotes

Gillie: Shalln't I ever see you again?
Korchinsky: Maybe... someday. It doesn't matter though. Whereever I am, you're still my friend.

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Connections

Featured in Timeshift: Sailors, Ships and Stevedores: The Story of British Docks (2016)

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Soundtracks

Ugly Woman
(uncredited)
Trinidadian calypso
Lyrics and Music by Roaring Lion
Sung and danced at a street wedding reception

User Reviews

Cops and Robbers Fare that Goes against the Grain

There were plenty of British crime thrillers about at that time. They were pretty black and white not only in photography. Here we have one that strikes out on its own. Here the differences between good and bad are blurred. Indeed towards the end, we find ourselves hoping that the Polish sailor gets clean away.

Unusually for a crime thriller, we have some pretty good acting from the two central characters, one of them a child, played by the daughter of John Mills (who plays a detective). German actor Horst Bucholz plays the part of the Pole.

The setting is Cardiff, and some of the street types are pretty good, and very atmospheric.

At a time when Britain was turning out some pretty rotten stuff, this is a film that is very watchable, quite well written and well acted.