BY DOUG OSWALD
The
DVD cover art for “The Accursed!†states that the story is “from the files of
the world’s most fabulous secret society: 1958’s sensational spy shocker!†The
movie has the look of a low budget thriller from Hammer studios and features
several alumni of that studio.
Eight
members of a German underground resistance group meet annually on the
anniversary of their leader’s death. Colonel Price, played by Donald Wolfit, became
their new leader during the war and years later receives a call from his
contact in Germany informing him that one of their members is a traitor and
responsible for their former leader’s death. The man making the call says he
wants to deliver the name of the traitor in person at Colonel Price’s home in
England where the resistance group is also gathered. The man arrives, but dies
after being stabbed before he reveals the name of the traitor.
“The
Accursed!†features Wolfit, Robert Bray, Jane Griffiths, Anton Diffring and
Christopher Lee in a post-WWII suspense thriller that’s mostly armchair mystery,as
most of the movie takes place in one room of Colonel Price’s mansion. Among the
members of the resistance group are Vicky, played by Griffiths, Joseph, played
by Diffring and Doctor Neumann, played by Lee. Joseph is a pianist working on
his next concerto and was in love with Vicki.
Shortly
after the murder, American intelligence officer Major Shane, played by Robert
Bray, arrives along with his British aid and proceeds to try and unravel the
mystery and uncover a traitor. It turns out he knows the members of the group
and it’s more than a coincidence that his car breaks down near the home of
Colonel Price.
The
movie moves at a brisk 74 minutes and the mystery is solved in a satisfactory
manner. The film, directed by Michael McCarthy, includes a fine score featuring
the piano solo “Prelude Without a Name†composed by Jackie Brown and played by
Dennis Wilson. Wolfit and the rest of the cast are entertaining and the
resolution is very enjoyable.
“The
Accursed!†was completed in June 1956 and originally titled “The Traitor†when
released in the UK in March 1957. It didn’t receive an American release until
July 1958 via Allied Artists along with a title change. The title change is
curious because the original title better connects to the story while “The
Accursed!†reminds one more of a title for a horror movie.
There
are a few scratches and artifacts found throughout the movie and a couple
scenes go almost black, but overall this black and white movie looks pretty
good. “The Accursed!†is a burn to order DVD released as part of the WB Archive
Collection and there are no extras on the disc. The movie is presented in a
widescreen format preserving the original aspect ratio of the movie. This is a
good rainy day movie and a welcome addition for any fan of British murder
mysteries.
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