A beautiful redhead becomes involved with a group of small-time hoodlums who plan and perform a daring diamond robbery.A beautiful redhead becomes involved with a group of small-time hoodlums who plan and perform a daring diamond robbery.A beautiful redhead becomes involved with a group of small-time hoodlums who plan and perform a daring diamond robbery.
John Adams
- Police Constable
- (uncredited)
Anne Blake
- Mrs. Wilson
- (uncredited)
Donald Bradley
- Youth in Turntable
- (uncredited)
Fanny Carby
- Woman with Pram
- (uncredited)
Peggy Ann Clifford
- Mrs. Wilson's Neighbour
- (uncredited)
Alan Coleshill
- Undetermined Role
- (uncredited)
Wendy Craig
- Receptionist
- (uncredited)
David de Keyser
- Ticket Clerk
- (uncredited)
Jill Dixon
- Joan
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFeature directorial debut of Clive Donner.
- GoofsMolly folds the newspaper with the robbery headlines up and puts it inside her handbag, but when Freddie enters the kitchen the folded newspaper is on top of her handbag.
- Quotes
Harry: You're late.
Mike Wilson: Yes, I missed the bus this morning.
Harry: You missed the bus years ago.
- SoundtracksBut You
By Ray Martin (as Lester Powell) and Jack Fishman (as Danny Maule)
Sung by Jimmy Parkinson
Accompaniment directed by Eric Jupp (uncredited)
on a Columbia Record
Featured review
Diamonds are not forever.
The Secret Place is directed by Clive Donner and written by Linette Perry. It stars Belinda Lee, Ronald Lewis, Michael Brooke, Michael Gwynn, Geoffrey Keen and David McCallum. Music is by Clifton Parker and cinematography by Ernest Steward,
Little seen and heard of piece of British noir, The Secret Place sits somewhere in between good and frustrating. Plot involves London crooks enacting a gems robbery and finding themselves at the mercy of an adolescent boy and his secret place.
First and foremost the pluses here far outweigh the negatives. The cast list is a veritable roll call of British actors who need no introduction to fans of British film and TV. The cinematography on show is perpetually film noir in look, where cinematographer Steward (The 39 Steps/Payroll) fills 90% of the pic with monochrome menace and dark cloaked actions. The robbery at the center of the tale is suspenseful and has a cheeky glint in its eye, and with the cast on form - bolstered by an excellent child acting turn from Brooke, production value from London locales is bang on the money.
However, the pacing of the pic is an issue, where as much as you want some depth to characterisations, the back and forward expansion of the key players takes up the bulk of the running time. It's also sad to report that the finale just fizzles out as a damp squib, almost as if the Hays Code was still in force and thriving in Britain! Is there still enough to keep this above average? Yes, definitely, but it's not a hidden gem by any stretch of the imagination. 6/10
Little seen and heard of piece of British noir, The Secret Place sits somewhere in between good and frustrating. Plot involves London crooks enacting a gems robbery and finding themselves at the mercy of an adolescent boy and his secret place.
First and foremost the pluses here far outweigh the negatives. The cast list is a veritable roll call of British actors who need no introduction to fans of British film and TV. The cinematography on show is perpetually film noir in look, where cinematographer Steward (The 39 Steps/Payroll) fills 90% of the pic with monochrome menace and dark cloaked actions. The robbery at the center of the tale is suspenseful and has a cheeky glint in its eye, and with the cast on form - bolstered by an excellent child acting turn from Brooke, production value from London locales is bang on the money.
However, the pacing of the pic is an issue, where as much as you want some depth to characterisations, the back and forward expansion of the key players takes up the bulk of the running time. It's also sad to report that the finale just fizzles out as a damp squib, almost as if the Hays Code was still in force and thriving in Britain! Is there still enough to keep this above average? Yes, definitely, but it's not a hidden gem by any stretch of the imagination. 6/10
helpful•30
- hitchcockthelegend
- Nov 18, 2018
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Am Rande der Unterwelt
- Filming locations
- Tom Thumb's Arch underline railway bridge, Mostyn Grove, Bow East, London, England, UK(The place where Molly meets Gerry to tell him she has failed to recover the stolen diamonds from Freddie Haywood. Ordell Road, filmed on a summer evening, can be seen during their conversation as well as electric trains on the Shenfield line.)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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