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Moment of Indiscretion

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Moment of Indiscretion
British quad poster
Directed byMax Varnel
Written by
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byUnited Artists Corporation (UK)
Release date
  • September 1958 (1958-09)
Running time
71 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Moment of Indiscretion is a low budget 1958 British second feature ('B')[1] crime film directed by Max Varnel and starring Ronald Howard and Lana Morris.[2] It was written by Brian Clemens and Eldon Howard and produced by The Danzigers.

Plot

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Janet Miller is accused of the murder of a woman. Janet's handkerchief and spare house key have been discovered at the crime scene, and she is cagey about her whereabouts on the night in question. It turns out she was a witness to the murder, but has her own reasons for keeping quiet. Her lawyer husband John leaps to her defence and attempts to track down the real killer.

Cast

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Production

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Two discrepancies occur in the film. First, Janet Miller positively identifies the murderer and tells the police she'll never forget his face; yet, when witnessing the murder, she only ever sees his back – just as her character is depicted in the theatrical release poster. Second, the film was made and set in 1958[citation needed]; yet the pawnshop ticket, which provides the final evidence of an event which was supposed to have occurred just a few months before is dated "February 1956".

Critical reception

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This low-budget thriller lacks all conviction and vitality, and the valiant acting of the cast is unable to overcome the handicap of a feeble script. Direction makes no attempt to compensate for the deficiencies of the material, but is otherwise adequate to the demands of unambitious second feature production."[3]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "poor", writing: "Inept thriller, passably acted but weakly written."[4]

References

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  1. ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ^ "Moment of Indiscretion". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Moment of Indiscretion". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 25 (288): 143. 1 January 1958 – via ProQuest.
  4. ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 347. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
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