Dear Murderer (1947)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- American businessman Lee Warren (Eric Portman) returns to London to discover that his wife, Vivien (Greta Gynt), has been unfaithful. Warren carefully plots his revenge, murdering Vivien's lover, Richard Fenton (Dennis Price). He then discovers that Vivien has another paramour, Jimmy Martin (Maxwell Reed), and so cunningly attempts to implicate Jimmy in Fenton's murder.
- Actors:
- Eric Portman, Greta Gynt, Dennis Price, Maxwell Reed, Jack Warner, Hazel Court, Andrew Crawford, Jane Hylton, Charles Rolfe, Hélène Burls, Ernest Butcher, Judith Carol, Valerie Ward, Howard Douglas, John Blythe, Gerald Case, Vic Hagan, Jack Lambert
- Directors:
- Arthur Crabtree
- Producers:
- Betty E. Box
- Writers:
- Muriel Box, Sydney Box, Peter Rogers, St. John Legh Clowes
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
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Reviews (1) of Dear Murderer
British Thriller. - Dear Murderer review by Steve
Elaborate old school murder mystery with a fine cast of British stalwarts, obviously at ease in such conventional material. It is based on an obscure stage play and while the labyrinthine plot is most unlikely, it's still great entertainment.
Eric Portman is the psychopathic/jealous husband whose beautiful/unfaithful wife (Greta Gynt) happily plays the field whenever he is out of town. So the devious maniac designs a plan to dispose of his rivals so watertight that he can breezily discuss it with her the next day at breakfast... Jack Warner investigates.
The clipped accents and terse dialogue are so upper class that it could almost be a spoof. Especially the morning after when the married couple are calmly discussing their options over coffee, with Dennis Price in the mortuary and Maxwell Reed in the cells for his murder.
Nothing ruffles these people! A dark aura of sinister dread permeates the later scenes as the wife plans her revenge. Yes, she is a femme fatale, and this is quite noir. It doesn't stand up to scrutiny, but it's a treat for fans of the genre.