Tales That Witness Madness (1973)

A psychiatrist tells stories of four special cases to a colleague.

Director:

Freddie Francis

Writer:

Jennifer Jayne (original screenplay) (as Jay Fairbank)

Stars:

Jack Hawkins, Donald Pleasence, Georgia Brown

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Hawkins	...	Nicholas (segment "Clinic Link Episodes")
Donald Pleasence	...	Tremayne (segment "Clinic Link Episodes")
Georgia Brown	...	Fay (segment "Mr. Tiger")
Donald Houston	...	Sam (segment "Mr. Tiger")
Russell Lewis	...	Paul (segment "Mr. Tiger")
David Wood	...	Tutor (segment "Mr. Tiger")
Suzy Kendall	...	Ann Beatrice (segment "Penny Farthing")
Peter McEnery	...	Timothy (segment "Penny Farthing")
Neil Kennedy	...	1st Removal Man (segment "Penny Farthing")
Richard Connaught	...	2nd Removal Man (segment "Penny Farthing")
Beth Morris	...	Polly (segment "Penny Farthing")
Frank Forsyth	...	Uncle Albert (segment "Penny Farthing")
Joan Collins	...	Bella (segment "Mel")
Michael Jayston	...	Brian (segment "Mel")
Kim Novak	...	Auriol (segment "Luau")

Storyline

In a late night meeting at his modern asylum, Dr. Tremayne (Donald Pleasence) receives visiting colleague Nicholas (Jack Hawkins) and recounts the histories of four unusual patients whose cases he has solved. In "Mr. Tiger", Paul (Russell Lewis), the sensitive young son of wealthy but constantly bickering parents, befriends an imaginary tiger. In "Penny Farthing", antiques dealer Timothy (Peter McEnery) inherits a penny-farthing bicycle which seems to have time travel capabilities, as overseen by the apparently haunted portrait of Uncle Albert (Frank Forsyth). In "Mel", Brian (Michael Jayston) prominently displays a human-shaped dead tree in his home as a piece of found art, angering his jealous wife Bella (Dame Joan Collins). In "Luau", flamboyant literary agent Auriol (Kim Novak) hosts new client Kimo (Michael Petrovitch). Despite Auriol's overtures, he seems more interested in Auriol's beautiful daughter Ginny (Mary Tamm). As Ginny leaves for a mysterious holiday, Kimo's assistant ...

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Plot Keywords:

anthology | tree | murder of a nude woman | murder | supernatural power | 

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Taglines:

In the tradition of Edgar Allan Poe...

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jack Hawkins' voice was dubbed by Charles Gray.

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Quotes

Tremayne (segment "Clinic Link Episodes"): Brian's case was the first one that gave me an inkling into what might be achieved.

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Connections

Featured in Can I Play with Madness? - David Wood & Leon Lissek re-visit Tales That Witness Madness (2020)

User Reviews

Predictable but enjoyable

This is not one of those Amicus anthologies which present unexpected twists: three out of the four stories are utterly predictable from their initial set up. But then it's like one of those fairground rides - you see what you're going to get (eg a 25 foot vertical drop), but if you're into that sort of thing you can still get a thrill out of the ride (the last story in particular is quite unpleasant - watching it is like watching an unavoidable car accident in slow motion). While none of the acting is quite on the level that you get from Peter Cushing in particular in anthologies like 'The House that Dripped Blood' or 'Tales from the Crypt', it is consistently good (Joan Collins actually being more believable than in the silly story she appears in for 'Tales from the Crypt'), and Freddie Francis directs these with a good sense of atmosphere and character. One I wouldn't mind seeing again.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Witness Madness

Filming Locations:

Binfield Manor, Forest Road, Binfield, Bracknell, Berkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

World Film Services

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1