Black Orchid

1953
6| 0h58m| en
Details

Caught in a loveless marriage, Dr. John Winnington (Ronald Howard) can't stop himself from falling for his wife's (Mary Laura Wood) younger sister, Christine (Olga Edwardes). But when he suddenly becomes the prime suspect in his wife's tragic murder, John relies on his friend Eric (John Bentley) to clear his name. This classic murder mystery encourages viewers to evaluate all of the clues and guess the killer's identity.

Director

Producted By

Mid Century Film Productions Ltd.

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Trailers & Clips

Also starring Olga Edwardes

Reviews

Lancoor A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action
Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
howardmorley Yes they were Russell Napier as Capt. Stanley Lord and Tucker McGuire as The Unsinkable Molly Brown the latter credited in "Black Orchid"(1953) as "American Woman" in the travel agency - (blink and you will miss her).And to clear up an above user who commented that at one point a woman apologized she "had only one gardener", well it was the wife of the publisher of "Eric Blair" literary joke ha ha, played by Patrick Barr.The latter being miscast as he normally played professional honest roles like "Mutt" Summers in "The Dam Busters" (1955).Whenever a character has his car tampered with by the murderer sawing through brake pipes in a downhill ride, I find myself screaming at the screen "Turn off the ignition and change down gears and use the side of the road to brake your speed".I accept compulsory safety belts were some time off into the future.Another annoying trait occurred when a complete stranger (nice Christine) knocks at the door and a maid lets her in unmonitored even saying she will be going off duty leaving the house apparently unoccupied.Another stupid mistake in films occurs when the murderer insists on acknowledging his crime and explaining his motive unbidden to a stranger.I suspected the maid Annette had lesbian leanings for Sophie her boss, the estranged wife of Dr.John Winnington (Ronald Howard) but of course film producers could not deal with same sex love on screen in 1953.Anyway it kept my attention for an hour so I awarded it 6/10.
Paularoc John Wittington is a dedicated physician married to a beautiful but unhappy woman, Sophie. She endlessly complains and snipes at him - for not showing up to a dinner party, for ignoring her and so forth. Clearly all of our sympathy is meant to be for the good doctor but the disgruntled, self- centered Sophie does have a point. He tells her that she knew from the beginning of their marriage that his work was the most important thing in his life. Here are two people who never should have married. Then enters Sophie's sister, Christine. She takes a great interest in his work and clearly admires him. In about two minutes they fall in love. Sophie agrees to a divorce. As she's leaving their house she, with a wicked grin, tells her now ex- husband that he will never be able to marry Christine because it is illegal for a man to marry his ex- wife's sister. Which he finds out to be true (was this really so back then?). Of course, if the ex- wife is dead, this problem goes away. Well, she does end up dead and the doctor is arrested and convicted of her murder. Fortunately, Christine and the doctor's good friend Eric don't believe he did it and investigate on their own. The movie is well paced and entertaining. It was nice seeing Ronald Howard as the doctor; I had only previously seen him in the Sherlock Homes television series. The entire cast was very good but special kudos go to the actress playing Sophie. Recommended as an enjoyable way to spend an hour.
JohnHowardReid Marvelous isn't it how some bad old movies simply refuse to lie down and die? "Black Orchid" is a British quota quickie that will not surrender. Maybe because it has such a short running time, plus an intriguing title, plus Ronald Howard (whose Sherlock Holmes has a following), it has been a favorite on my local TV station. Hardly a year went by without two or three airings. And it was still running strong in 2006. By some miracle, the rights presumably then expired because it hasn't surfaced since. It's a thoroughly boring movie with absolutely nothing to offer. With the exceptions of Sheila Burrell's fawningly vicious Annette and Mary Laura Wood's preening socialite, the players are a lackluster lot. John Bentley is especially glum and even ever-reliable Russell Napier seems to be playing at half-steam.
calvertfan John and Sophie Winnington are trapped in a loveless marriage. He is a doctor and she feels he neglects her for his patients, yet won't give him a divorce. In comes Sophie's younger sister, Chris, who immediately clicks with John and, all in the space of a few minutes of screen time, Sophie has found out about their affair, given John a divorce, and left with the revelation that he may be free of her now, but the law prevents him from marrying Chris as she is his ex-wife's sister. He checks this out and finds it is so, and the only way he could marry Chris legally is if Sophie were dead...

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