Venetian Bird is a 1952 British thriller film starring Richard Todd, Eva Bartok and John Gregson, and directed by Ralph Thomas.[2] The screenplay was adapted by Victor Canning from his own 1950 novel of the same title. It was shot at Pinewood Studios and on location in Venice. The film's sets were designed by the art director George Provis. It was released in America by United Artists where it was titled The Assassin.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2013) |
| Venetian Bird | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ralph Thomas |
| Written by | Victor Canning |
| Based on | Venetian Bird by Victor Canning |
| Produced by | Betty Box Earl St. John |
| Starring | Richard Todd Eva Bartok John Gregson |
| Cinematography | Ernest Steward |
| Edited by | Gerald Thomas |
| Music by | Nino Rota |
Production company | British Film-Makers |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £80,000[1] |
Box and Thomas decided not to use colour shooting the film as they felt that it would not suit the genre.[3]
Plot
 |
British private detective Edward Mercer (Richard Todd) is employed to travel to Venice and locate an Italian who is to be rewarded for his assistance to an Allied airman during the Second World War. Once he arrives in Italy, however, he becomes mixed up in an assassination plot enveloped in a great deal of mystery. Central to it is whether Renzo Uccello (John Gregson) actually died a few years earlier in World War II or not.
Cast
- Richard Todd as Edward Mercer
- Eva Bartok as Adriana Medova
- John Gregson as Renzo Uccello
- George Coulouris as Chief of Police Spadoni
- Margot Grahame as Rosa Melitus
- David Hurst as Minelli
- Walter Rilla as Count Boria
- John Bailey as Lieutenant Longo
- Sid James as Bernardo
- Martin Boddey as Gufo
- Michael Balfour as Moretto
- Sydney Tafler as Boldesca
- Miles Malleson as Grespi
- Eric Pohlmann as Gostini
- Raymond Young as Luigi
- Ferdy Mayne as Tio
- Jill Clifford as Renata
- Eileen Way as Woman Detective
- Toni Lucarda as Nerva
- Janice Kane as Ninetta
- Meier Tzelniker as Mayor of Mirave
Production
Michael Balcon initially rejected the idea of a film based on Canning's novel because it was set in Italy and dealt with Italians, not Britons. Betty Box appealed to Earl St John, who overruled Balcon. Italian censors required that the script clarify the political struggles in post-war Venice that were portrayed in the novel.[4]
References
External links
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