Three Cases of Murder is an anthology film that, as the title suggests, sees Eamonn Andrews (best known as the presenter of TV's This Is Your Life) introducing three stories about murder.
First up is a supernatural tale in which Jarvis (Hugh Pryse), a museum guide, is lured into one of the paintings on display by the artist (Alan Badel), who resides within the picture. Inside the painting, Jarvis meets a strange woman (Leueen MacGrath) and a taxidermist, Mr. Snyder (Eddie Byrne). The guide is drugged and prepared for stuffing by Snyder, while the artist goes in search of his next victim. This story is very strange, like a really bizarre episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery.
The second story is more straightforward. Friends since childhood, George and Edgar (Emrys Jones and John Gregson) set up an advertising agency; while Edgar is away on a business trip, George meets and falls in love with Elizabeth (Elizabeth Sellars). But when Edgar returns and is introduced to George's girlfriend, he steals her from his friend. In retaliation, George uses Edgar's frequent drunken blackouts to frame the man for the murder of Elizabeth. This one is quite fun but is undone by a rather weak twist at the very end (would the police reopen a case based on such flimsy circumstantial evidence?).
The final story stars Orson Welles as Lord Mountdrago, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whose superior debating skills ruin the career of political rival Owen (Alan Badel). Mountdrago proceeds to suffer from nightmares in which he is belittled by Owen; unable to get rid of the dreadful dreams, he visits a psychiatrist (André Morell), but to no avail. However, in one of his dreams he attacks Owen, only to find that the man has been hurt in reality-if he should kill Owen in his dreams, would the man actually die as a result? This one delivers very few surprises, but we do get to see Welles as a party animal, playing the maracas, so it's not a total loss.
First up is a supernatural tale in which Jarvis (Hugh Pryse), a museum guide, is lured into one of the paintings on display by the artist (Alan Badel), who resides within the picture. Inside the painting, Jarvis meets a strange woman (Leueen MacGrath) and a taxidermist, Mr. Snyder (Eddie Byrne). The guide is drugged and prepared for stuffing by Snyder, while the artist goes in search of his next victim. This story is very strange, like a really bizarre episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery.
The second story is more straightforward. Friends since childhood, George and Edgar (Emrys Jones and John Gregson) set up an advertising agency; while Edgar is away on a business trip, George meets and falls in love with Elizabeth (Elizabeth Sellars). But when Edgar returns and is introduced to George's girlfriend, he steals her from his friend. In retaliation, George uses Edgar's frequent drunken blackouts to frame the man for the murder of Elizabeth. This one is quite fun but is undone by a rather weak twist at the very end (would the police reopen a case based on such flimsy circumstantial evidence?).
The final story stars Orson Welles as Lord Mountdrago, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whose superior debating skills ruin the career of political rival Owen (Alan Badel). Mountdrago proceeds to suffer from nightmares in which he is belittled by Owen; unable to get rid of the dreadful dreams, he visits a psychiatrist (André Morell), but to no avail. However, in one of his dreams he attacks Owen, only to find that the man has been hurt in reality-if he should kill Owen in his dreams, would the man actually die as a result? This one delivers very few surprises, but we do get to see Welles as a party animal, playing the maracas, so it's not a total loss.