Another in series of Butchers B movies, a double bill with a film called Impact both directed by Peter Maxwell. Serena only lasts an hour but I found it quite entertaining. The story revolves around Howard Rogers an artist and his estranged wife played with distinction by the great Honor Blackman it is essentially a story about the disappearance of Serena one of Roger's models. Fine performances by Patrick Holt and Bruce Beeby as the local constabulary and Benedicta Leigh as policewoman Scott in a crucial role. I enjoyed it very much and although you could see something coming I enjoyed the twist in the tail. I have watched a few of these films now and I like most of them, this being my second favourite I think behind Smokescreen. Once again these B films are not everyone's cup of tea but I like them and would recommend them to others.
15 Reviews
"Very good for it's kind".
jamesraeburn200315 September 2003
A low budget b-movie from Britain's poverty row specialists - Butcher's Films. Patrick Holt (a former leading man in British films of the 1940's), plays Inspector Gregory of Scotland Yard who investigates the murder of an artist's wife and the disappearance of his model which coincided with the murder. Serena is very good for the type of picture it is , without a doubt. While the story is your routine murder mystery, director Peter Maxwell directs at a good pace and the b/w photography of Stephen Dade is very newsreel like and invests the proceedings with a nice feel for 1960's London . George Provis's art direction is also noteworthy. For instance, in a nod to film noir, we only ever see Serena throughout Holt's investigation in a painting by the artist. This nice touch reminded me in a sort of way of Otto Preminger's classic film, Laura, and it adds to the mystery and intrigue of the story line. All in all its a cut above the usual quality one normally expects of these things. The cast features Honor Blackman who at that time was a star on television as Cathy Gale in The Avengers espionage series. This film used turn up late at night on ITV back in the 1990's along with other b-movies like this, which vary in quality from above average to absolutely abysmal. It has since enjoyed a DVD release paired with director Maxwell's other Butcher's second feature Impact.
An artist's wife is shot dead at her country cottage and Inspector Gregory (Patrick Holt) is called in to investigate. The artist, Howard Rogers (Emrys Jones), goes to identify the body, but it turns out not to be his wife. So who was she? His wife Anne (Honor Blackman) shows up at his flat and she reveals that her close friend, a struggling actress called Claire Matthews, had been lodging with her at the cottage. In addition, Anne reveals that she was being followed by a woman with long dark hair - a private inquiry agent looking for divorce evidence or somebody more sinister? - and, in order to lose her, she paid Claire to dress in her clothes and walk into town while she quietly slipped away. It looks as though the murderer shot her mistaking her for Anne. Gregory's chief suspect is Rogers' model, Serena Vaughn, who matches the description of Anne's stalker, but she has vanished. Miss Vaughn was in love with Rogers, but despite being separated from Anne for the past few years he was on the verge of making up with his wife. Did Serena kill Claire and when she realises that she shot the wrong woman will she make another attempt on Anne's life in a bid to get the man she loves? Or is Gregory dealing with an elaborate smokescreen designed to divert attention away from another murderer?
An artist's wife is shot dead at her country cottage and Inspector Gregory (Patrick Holt) is called in to investigate. The artist, Howard Rogers (Emrys Jones), goes to identify the body, but it turns out not to be his wife. So who was she? His wife Anne (Honor Blackman) shows up at his flat and she reveals that her close friend, a struggling actress called Claire Matthews, had been lodging with her at the cottage. In addition, Anne reveals that she was being followed by a woman with long dark hair - a private inquiry agent looking for divorce evidence or somebody more sinister? - and, in order to lose her, she paid Claire to dress in her clothes and walk into town while she quietly slipped away. It looks as though the murderer shot her mistaking her for Anne. Gregory's chief suspect is Rogers' model, Serena Vaughn, who matches the description of Anne's stalker, but she has vanished. Miss Vaughn was in love with Rogers, but despite being separated from Anne for the past few years he was on the verge of making up with his wife. Did Serena kill Claire and when she realises that she shot the wrong woman will she make another attempt on Anne's life in a bid to get the man she loves? Or is Gregory dealing with an elaborate smokescreen designed to divert attention away from another murderer?
Enjoyable thriller
malcolmgsw4 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
In the early 60s i used to go with my best friend to a film on a Sunday afternoon ,often at the ABC Golders Green.It would be a double bill commencing at 430 with a crime thriller of which this film is typical,as the bottom half of the bill..It only lasts an hour but packs an awful lot of plot and action into that period of time.Given the small number of characters you always have a clear idea as to who is the guilty party.However there are a number of nice twists in the tail to get to the conclusion.There is one hilarious character the landlady.I wonder if the actress turned up with a deaf aid and worked it into the story.Whenever she picks up the phone she puts the receiver to her deaf aid perched on her voluminous chest and then puts the receiver to her ear so she can respond.I have never seen anything like this before and it had me splitting my sides.Anyway well worth a look.
The 36 Year Old Honor Blackman
richardchatten20 September 2020
The late Honor Blackman (billed third), after starting out playing ingenues followed by several years in the doldrums, had by 1962 been reduced to working for Butchers. But she had by now adopted that swept-back mane that by the end of the year would be indelibly associated with Cathy Gale and the lioness she thereafter remained for the rest of her long life.
It may have been intentional that naming the film after the corpse at the centre of the action was a conscious nod to 'Laura'. But making the religion of the victim a central plot point remains an unusual touch.
It may have been intentional that naming the film after the corpse at the centre of the action was a conscious nod to 'Laura'. But making the religion of the victim a central plot point remains an unusual touch.
Serena is a Clever One
daoldiges27 March 2023
Serena is a fun and intriguing little British film that exceeded my rather low expectations. Patrick Holt and Honor Black are amongst this solid cast all of which provide capable performances throughout. The story is interesting and does offer us a surprising plot twist toward the end of the film that I did not seeing coming. The look and sound of the film a good and creates a distinct vibe and feel that is appreciated. The direction is brisk yet steady in propelling the action ever forward. At a running time of just 60 minutes, Serena manages to pack in quite a bit to make this film one worth watching.
"Perhaps that's why she was in such a hurry"
hwg1957-102-2657049 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A woman in a country cottage is brutally murdered by shotgun. The police are baffled as it could be a case of mistaken identity. And where is Serena the painter's model, she of the long distinctive black tresses. A low budget but enjoyable mystery story with a capable cast fitting their roles well. Particularly liked in small parts Vi Stevens as the hard of hearing landlady and bespectacled Peter Glaze as the railway employee. It also is enhanced by the presence of Honor Blackman who brings stylish glamour to the film as was her wont. Patrick Holt is solid as the Scotland Yard policeman. Johnny Gregory provides an apt music score. Perhaps the plot doesn't bear close examination but one is drawn along very nicely to the satisfactory ending.
I wonder what happened to the two paintings of the women used in the film? I liked them.
I wonder what happened to the two paintings of the women used in the film? I liked them.
Intriguing Murder Mystery
JamesHitchcock26 July 2022
The film opens with a woman being shot dead. The victim is assumed to be Ann Rogers, the owner of the cottage in which the body is found, and the prime suspect is her estranged husband, an artist named Howard Rogers. Although Howard claims to have an alibi, he also has an obvious motive to want his wife dead. He has been having an affair with his model, Serena Vaughan, but Ann, a devout Catholic, has refused to grant him the divorce he would need to marry Serena.
And then the situation is turned upside down by a series of coups de cinema. Taken to identify the body, Howard claims it is not that of his wife, and Ann suddenly turns up alive and well, saying that she wants a reconciliation with her husband. Howard produces a witness who can support his alibi, and Ann tells the police that the murdered woman was Claire Matthews, a friend who was staying with her and was presumably killed by mistake for Ann herself. Suspicion now shifts to Serena Vaughan, who is missing. There is, however, to be one more devastating plot twist.
"Serena" was originally made in black-and-white as a B-movie, which explains its brevity, little more than an hour in length. Yet it is an intriguing, well-plotted murder mystery which keeps the audience guessing about who we can trust and which information we can take at face value. Although it was made as long ago as 1962, it still turns up regularly on British television, a testament to its durability. 7/10
A goof. The police officer investigating the crime holds the rank of Detective Chief Inspector, but after he shows his identity badge to a potential witness, the man addresses him as "Superintendent".
And then the situation is turned upside down by a series of coups de cinema. Taken to identify the body, Howard claims it is not that of his wife, and Ann suddenly turns up alive and well, saying that she wants a reconciliation with her husband. Howard produces a witness who can support his alibi, and Ann tells the police that the murdered woman was Claire Matthews, a friend who was staying with her and was presumably killed by mistake for Ann herself. Suspicion now shifts to Serena Vaughan, who is missing. There is, however, to be one more devastating plot twist.
"Serena" was originally made in black-and-white as a B-movie, which explains its brevity, little more than an hour in length. Yet it is an intriguing, well-plotted murder mystery which keeps the audience guessing about who we can trust and which information we can take at face value. Although it was made as long ago as 1962, it still turns up regularly on British television, a testament to its durability. 7/10
A goof. The police officer investigating the crime holds the rank of Detective Chief Inspector, but after he shows his identity badge to a potential witness, the man addresses him as "Superintendent".
Only One Actor Addresses The Chief Inspector Correctly
andyrobert14 August 2020
This is a very good and suspenseful murder mystery, with a neat twist at the end. The film was well acted, had good production values, and Honor Blackman, as always, looked lovely.
Not usually being so observant, I too noticed the "goof" that has already been reported on IMDB. Peter Glaze was usually a very funny comedian. I thought the fact that he called Patrick Holt a "superintendent", after presentation of the detectives warrant card, was for comic relief - or deliberate to see if cinema audiences were paying attention.
Apart from Patrick Holt, the only one in the film who seemed to get his rank correct was the policewoman who intervened when the himself and his sergeant nearly arrested the wrong woman. She was played by Pat Shaw in what seems to have been a very rare film appearance.
Throughout the rest of the film, Detective Gregory had been introducing himself as a Chief Inspector.
Not usually being so observant, I too noticed the "goof" that has already been reported on IMDB. Peter Glaze was usually a very funny comedian. I thought the fact that he called Patrick Holt a "superintendent", after presentation of the detectives warrant card, was for comic relief - or deliberate to see if cinema audiences were paying attention.
Apart from Patrick Holt, the only one in the film who seemed to get his rank correct was the policewoman who intervened when the himself and his sergeant nearly arrested the wrong woman. She was played by Pat Shaw in what seems to have been a very rare film appearance.
Throughout the rest of the film, Detective Gregory had been introducing himself as a Chief Inspector.
Butcher studio B offering with literate dialogue, stunning Honor
adrianovasconcelos1 April 2023
I am very respectful of the Butcher Studios. They put out many programmers of sufficient quality to make you forget the main feature. SERENA is no masterpiece, but it is very competently directed by Peter Maxwell, who extracts quality performances from the entire ensemble, the stunningly beautiful Honor Blackman above all.
Director Maxwell very cleverly opens the film with the murder of Mrs Rogers, doing it in such a way that it becomes clear that the spectator will only get the data that he, Maxwell, is willing to release. The murder shows neither the face of the deceased nor that of the killer, and the door into Mrs Rogers' apartment is opened by the murderer's hand. One important clue: the murderer goes right in, without using any key to get in and find its mark, suggesting someone familiar enough with the abode to know its layout.
Holt makes a very classy, clued up and insistent police inspector. He never says more than he needs, cleverly and tirelessly reading all the signs until he plays the decisive identifying card that beats the criminal(s).
Excellent cinematography by Steven Dade, crisp editing by Morrison, and pleasant music by Johnny Gregory only enhance the quality of Maxwell's direction and of the Hearne and Abraham screenplay.
Of course SERENA forces you to suspend your disbelief here and there, and you can spot holes in the plot, but it is intelligently done with a shoestring budget and within a highly economical 59 minutes.
You will not waste your time if you watch it.
Director Maxwell very cleverly opens the film with the murder of Mrs Rogers, doing it in such a way that it becomes clear that the spectator will only get the data that he, Maxwell, is willing to release. The murder shows neither the face of the deceased nor that of the killer, and the door into Mrs Rogers' apartment is opened by the murderer's hand. One important clue: the murderer goes right in, without using any key to get in and find its mark, suggesting someone familiar enough with the abode to know its layout.
Holt makes a very classy, clued up and insistent police inspector. He never says more than he needs, cleverly and tirelessly reading all the signs until he plays the decisive identifying card that beats the criminal(s).
Excellent cinematography by Steven Dade, crisp editing by Morrison, and pleasant music by Johnny Gregory only enhance the quality of Maxwell's direction and of the Hearne and Abraham screenplay.
Of course SERENA forces you to suspend your disbelief here and there, and you can spot holes in the plot, but it is intelligently done with a shoestring budget and within a highly economical 59 minutes.
You will not waste your time if you watch it.
Incredibly cheap but not without merit
Leofwine_draca1 July 2015
SERENA is another erstwhile mystery yarn from low budget outfit Butcher's Films. The story is a simple one which follows the investigations of a detective investigating the shotgun murder of a man's wife. At first he has no leads, but problems with the identification of the woman's body and the search for a missing model soon puts him on an unexpected track as regards to the culprit...
SERENA is a cheapie mystery with a not-bad script and some efficient direction from Peter Maxwell, who also handled a couple of other low rent thrillers from the era like BLIND SPOT and IMPACT. At 60 minutes it doesn't really have the chance to drag and I'll admit that the twist is a clever one that ties the preceding plotting together nicely.
Cast-wise, we get a leading performance from the stolid Patrick Holt (WHEN DINOSAURS RULE THE EARTH) as the detective and a mannered turn from Emrys Jones as the bereaved husband. The most famous face here is none other than Honor Blackman's, who's playing the role of the wife. Blackman is as glamorous as ever and her assured acting helps to lift the film's spirits a little.
SERENA is a cheapie mystery with a not-bad script and some efficient direction from Peter Maxwell, who also handled a couple of other low rent thrillers from the era like BLIND SPOT and IMPACT. At 60 minutes it doesn't really have the chance to drag and I'll admit that the twist is a clever one that ties the preceding plotting together nicely.
Cast-wise, we get a leading performance from the stolid Patrick Holt (WHEN DINOSAURS RULE THE EARTH) as the detective and a mannered turn from Emrys Jones as the bereaved husband. The most famous face here is none other than Honor Blackman's, who's playing the role of the wife. Blackman is as glamorous as ever and her assured acting helps to lift the film's spirits a little.
Acceptable low-budget film
Marlburian24 March 2023
"Serena" is one of those films that, after I've watched it, I reflect back on the plot, wonder how convincing it all was, and debate whether to watch the film again to check! Certainly I had to think back about some of the scenes, but my eventual judgement was that it was all reasonably coherent.
Unusually (as a fan of postwar B films shot in and around London), I failed to recognise many of the supporting cast, with the exception of Peter Glaze as the station clerk at Victoria. (He went on to co-host "Crackerjack", a popular TV programme of my childhood.)
Honor Blackman's star potential was very evident, and Patrick Holt made a reasonable police inspector. The acting of several others was poor - in particular I was surprised to see that John Horsley, as the family solicitor, was an established actor, so amateurish were his reactions when he was being questioned. The trailing of Ann Rogers after she'd left the church looked very clumsy.
I was a little surprised to see that the film lasted only an hour - it seemed longer. Overall, it was very acceptable.
Unusually (as a fan of postwar B films shot in and around London), I failed to recognise many of the supporting cast, with the exception of Peter Glaze as the station clerk at Victoria. (He went on to co-host "Crackerjack", a popular TV programme of my childhood.)
Honor Blackman's star potential was very evident, and Patrick Holt made a reasonable police inspector. The acting of several others was poor - in particular I was surprised to see that John Horsley, as the family solicitor, was an established actor, so amateurish were his reactions when he was being questioned. The trailing of Ann Rogers after she'd left the church looked very clumsy.
I was a little surprised to see that the film lasted only an hour - it seemed longer. Overall, it was very acceptable.
Nice Little Mystery
boblipton9 February 2023
A jacketed figure carrying a shotgun opens a door at 3PM and shoots a woman. Some time later, there's a knock at the door of painter Emrys Jones' flat. He the black-haired woman embracing him to leave. She goes out the back door. At the front door is Chief Inspector Patrick Holt. Jones' estranged wife has been shot and killed. He explains he spent the entire day shooting pigeons with his model, Serena Vaughn. She'll confirm this. However, the corpse turns out not to be Jones' wife, who turns up later in fine fettle as Honor Blackman. But there's a dead woman, and where the dickens is Serena?
It's a nifty little mystery that I didn't unravel until after they revealed it, and the telling clue, although obscure to me, is fair enough. There's also the pleasure of looking at Miss Blackman and the story is told quickly and efficiently. My only problem with it is the random nature of Johnny Gregory's score; surely there's nothing amusing about a carload of copper going off to look for clues.
It's a nifty little mystery that I didn't unravel until after they revealed it, and the telling clue, although obscure to me, is fair enough. There's also the pleasure of looking at Miss Blackman and the story is told quickly and efficiently. My only problem with it is the random nature of Johnny Gregory's score; surely there's nothing amusing about a carload of copper going off to look for clues.
On the portrait of his murdered wife, the artist states: 'I think anyone could recognise her from it, or could have done.'
scorfield-5171116 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This low-budget British thriller has more of a TV potboiler feel to it than a true cinematic experience, and would in effect be one of only two relatively successful forays into cinema for its director. His family having fled Vienna in the 1930s, Austrian-born director Peter Maxwell, whose given name was Peter Magitai, would change his name so that he could be recruited into the British army. Professionally, after first garnering experience working as an assistant to Alexander Korda, he would later emigrate to Australia to ply his trade mostly on Australian TV police series.
The plot surrounding the apparent, seemingly motiveless, murder of an artist's estranged wife and the sudden disappearance of his model and mistress has sufficient intrigue, even if, ultimately, its resolution is a little telegraphed. At the outset, we are witness to an intruder entering the wife's rural Surrey cottage and shooting her at point blank range. The victim is shot in the face making identification impossible. When the audience are immediately drawn to the London studio flat of her estranged, bohemian artist husband to witness a passionate embrace with his mistress, and her sudden departure across the rooftop at the arrival of the police, they are instinctively led to view him as the main suspect. It is only when he is asked to identify the body and finding no missing characteristic birthmark, concludes that the victim is not is wife, that the audience countenance the prospect of another murderer. This is even more the case soon after with his wife's sudden appearance in the film verifying his evidence that they were intending to heal their rift which has seen them live apart for three years
Playing this central couple and thereby heading a decent cast, are former Powell and Pressburger cast member, Emrys Jones, and Honor Blackman, on the verge of becoming a household name for playing Cathy Gale in the second series of 'The Avengers. Here she makes the grand entrance as the very much alive supposed victim, revealing that a close friend who had been struggling financially had come to live with her at her cottage and had started wearing her clothes so that she could elude a mysterious female stalker with long black hair. The third central character is that of the chief investigating officer agreeably but stiffly portrayed by former leading man, Patrick Holt, once dubbed 'the Dennis Price of B-movies', whose main objective becomes one of a search for the missing model, and now chief suspect, the eponymous Serena Vaughan, for whom, in a nod to Otto Preminger's noir thriller, 'Laura', there is only a painted portrait to go on. The police's interest in Jones' character's mistress intensifies when they learn that on the day of the murder, Miss Vaughan had been on a shooting party with the artist and had separated from him long enough to have committed the crime.
This satisfactory suspenseful thriller of just over an hour's length was typical of the output of the low-budget production company behind it, the unglamorously named Butcher's Film Service. The team of writers, which included actor Reginald Hearne, who also makes a cameo appearance as the doctor, created a plot, which despite its merits, too obviously relied on the influence of the aforementioned Preminger classic, without attaining its foreboding mood or polished style. The fact remains, as mentioned earlier, that this feels more akin to a TV drama, which is hardly surprising as, just like with the female lead, cinematographer, Stephen Dade, would ply his trade on 'The Avengers'. Moreover, given the screenplay largely being confined to the artist's flat, and the static camerawork throughout, it is surprising to learn that the original material has not been sourced from a theatrical play. One incongruous element is the sultry jazzy soundtrack which plays throughout and at times clashes with the storyline unfolding.
Overall, the film has no moody edge to it, and is too neat in its completion for its own good. Ironically, the true identity of the murder victim comes to light as a result of the strictly adhered to religious beliefs of the artist's wife, whose staunch Roman Catholicism had acted as a barrier to granting her husband a divorce. The fortunate discovery by a plainclothes female police officer of Honor Blackman's character's choice of Sunday worship finally unravels the mystery and as a final confirmation, Holt's superintendent tests whether she recognises the family solicitor and when she fails to do so is able to unveil the murderous pair just in time to prevent them absconding abroad.
The plot surrounding the apparent, seemingly motiveless, murder of an artist's estranged wife and the sudden disappearance of his model and mistress has sufficient intrigue, even if, ultimately, its resolution is a little telegraphed. At the outset, we are witness to an intruder entering the wife's rural Surrey cottage and shooting her at point blank range. The victim is shot in the face making identification impossible. When the audience are immediately drawn to the London studio flat of her estranged, bohemian artist husband to witness a passionate embrace with his mistress, and her sudden departure across the rooftop at the arrival of the police, they are instinctively led to view him as the main suspect. It is only when he is asked to identify the body and finding no missing characteristic birthmark, concludes that the victim is not is wife, that the audience countenance the prospect of another murderer. This is even more the case soon after with his wife's sudden appearance in the film verifying his evidence that they were intending to heal their rift which has seen them live apart for three years
Playing this central couple and thereby heading a decent cast, are former Powell and Pressburger cast member, Emrys Jones, and Honor Blackman, on the verge of becoming a household name for playing Cathy Gale in the second series of 'The Avengers. Here she makes the grand entrance as the very much alive supposed victim, revealing that a close friend who had been struggling financially had come to live with her at her cottage and had started wearing her clothes so that she could elude a mysterious female stalker with long black hair. The third central character is that of the chief investigating officer agreeably but stiffly portrayed by former leading man, Patrick Holt, once dubbed 'the Dennis Price of B-movies', whose main objective becomes one of a search for the missing model, and now chief suspect, the eponymous Serena Vaughan, for whom, in a nod to Otto Preminger's noir thriller, 'Laura', there is only a painted portrait to go on. The police's interest in Jones' character's mistress intensifies when they learn that on the day of the murder, Miss Vaughan had been on a shooting party with the artist and had separated from him long enough to have committed the crime.
This satisfactory suspenseful thriller of just over an hour's length was typical of the output of the low-budget production company behind it, the unglamorously named Butcher's Film Service. The team of writers, which included actor Reginald Hearne, who also makes a cameo appearance as the doctor, created a plot, which despite its merits, too obviously relied on the influence of the aforementioned Preminger classic, without attaining its foreboding mood or polished style. The fact remains, as mentioned earlier, that this feels more akin to a TV drama, which is hardly surprising as, just like with the female lead, cinematographer, Stephen Dade, would ply his trade on 'The Avengers'. Moreover, given the screenplay largely being confined to the artist's flat, and the static camerawork throughout, it is surprising to learn that the original material has not been sourced from a theatrical play. One incongruous element is the sultry jazzy soundtrack which plays throughout and at times clashes with the storyline unfolding.
Overall, the film has no moody edge to it, and is too neat in its completion for its own good. Ironically, the true identity of the murder victim comes to light as a result of the strictly adhered to religious beliefs of the artist's wife, whose staunch Roman Catholicism had acted as a barrier to granting her husband a divorce. The fortunate discovery by a plainclothes female police officer of Honor Blackman's character's choice of Sunday worship finally unravels the mystery and as a final confirmation, Holt's superintendent tests whether she recognises the family solicitor and when she fails to do so is able to unveil the murderous pair just in time to prevent them absconding abroad.
Twist gets the plot in a knot
johnshephard-8368222 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Serena is one of those films that, once all is revealed at the end, it is quite difficult to reconstruct coherently. True, there is a twist in the tail, but I think it creates contradictions in the plot. Let's tell the story with the benefit of hindsight.
Howard and his lover, Serena, want to murder his wealthy estranged wife, Ann. On the day of the murder they drive a long way from Ann's home to shoot pigeons, and there is witness to this.At some point, Serena sneaks off in Howard's car, drives to Ann's house and shoots her in the face, and drives back. Later, Howard tells the police that the dead body is not Ann, because there is a birth mark missing - her face is damaged beyond recognition. Then, Serena changes her appearance, and re-emerges as Ann, inventing (for the police) an old friend, Claire, who was staying at the cottage with her on the day of the shooting, who looked a bit like Ann, and was wearing Ann's clothes (don't ask). 'Ann' also invents a mysterious woman in a green coat who has been following her recently, and this woman matches the description of the now missing Serena. So, the police theory now is that Serena tried to murder Ann, killed Claire by mistake, and may make another attempt on Ann's life. They stay on the wrong scent until a wig fragment provides the clue that foils the plot.
So, the plan seems to be that Serena will continue to impersonate Ann until she gets access to Ann's fortune. This would rely on 'Ann' meeting no-one who knew the real Ann, and this is surely a bit of a long shot? And surely there are photos of the real Ann at her home, which the police would find? Why not just kill Ann, without defacing her - wouldn't Howard just inherit the money as her next of kin? Also, when Howard and Serena/Ann are alone together, they continue to talk and behave as potential murder victim and concerned husband - they don't need to do this when no-one else is around, and would have quite different conversations. And, at the end, 'Ann' goes to a Catholic church (Ann was Catholic) - why does she do this, she doesn't know she's being followed? One other little thing - when the police want 'Ann's' alibi for the time of the shooting, she shows them receipts from London shops, which seem to satisfy them that she was elsewhere: how's that explained?
It's a short and sweet way to spend an hour, just a bit too tricksy for my liking.
Howard and his lover, Serena, want to murder his wealthy estranged wife, Ann. On the day of the murder they drive a long way from Ann's home to shoot pigeons, and there is witness to this.At some point, Serena sneaks off in Howard's car, drives to Ann's house and shoots her in the face, and drives back. Later, Howard tells the police that the dead body is not Ann, because there is a birth mark missing - her face is damaged beyond recognition. Then, Serena changes her appearance, and re-emerges as Ann, inventing (for the police) an old friend, Claire, who was staying at the cottage with her on the day of the shooting, who looked a bit like Ann, and was wearing Ann's clothes (don't ask). 'Ann' also invents a mysterious woman in a green coat who has been following her recently, and this woman matches the description of the now missing Serena. So, the police theory now is that Serena tried to murder Ann, killed Claire by mistake, and may make another attempt on Ann's life. They stay on the wrong scent until a wig fragment provides the clue that foils the plot.
So, the plan seems to be that Serena will continue to impersonate Ann until she gets access to Ann's fortune. This would rely on 'Ann' meeting no-one who knew the real Ann, and this is surely a bit of a long shot? And surely there are photos of the real Ann at her home, which the police would find? Why not just kill Ann, without defacing her - wouldn't Howard just inherit the money as her next of kin? Also, when Howard and Serena/Ann are alone together, they continue to talk and behave as potential murder victim and concerned husband - they don't need to do this when no-one else is around, and would have quite different conversations. And, at the end, 'Ann' goes to a Catholic church (Ann was Catholic) - why does she do this, she doesn't know she's being followed? One other little thing - when the police want 'Ann's' alibi for the time of the shooting, she shows them receipts from London shops, which seem to satisfy them that she was elsewhere: how's that explained?
It's a short and sweet way to spend an hour, just a bit too tricksy for my liking.
Serena
CinemaSerf25 November 2023
We open with a woman walking up the stairs, turning to find a person standing in the doorway and - boom! The police arrive at the rural cottage and we discover that she was the wealthy wife of struggling painter "Howard" (Emyr Jones). Was everything in their marriage happy? Well it falls to "Insp. Gregory" (Patrick Holt) to get to the bottom fo things - a task made more complicated when one of the artist's models goes missing and that's before we get quite a twist to throw the plates in the air and leave us with a rather jumbled and overly contrived mystery. The remainder of the hour seems designed to showcase the acting talents of Honor Blackman rather than deliver a plausible mystery and by the end I'd rather lost interest. It's a low budget affair which doesn't help, but Peter Maxwell's rather staccato and lacklustre direction makes heavy weather of this, sorry.
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