The House Of Blackmail [DVD]

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A young man asks his sister Carol (Mary Germaine) to go to a blackmailer’s (Alexander Gauge) house and pay him off and reclaim any evidence. THE HOUSE OF BLACKMAIL (1953), starring William Sylvester, a likeable American actor with an elegant and throwaway style that's ideal for this Agatha Christie-like who-dunnit, about a group of people holed up in a country manor, each suspecting the others of murdering a blackmailer. In a remote mansion Army Officer (William Sylvester) and Carol (Mary Germaine) only escape the charge of murder by finding the real killer.

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Very modest version of traditional thriller. The film is quite fast paced and benefits from having humour throughout, although there isn’t really much tension and the actual investigation is a bit laborious. House of Blackmail is a 1953 British drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Mary Germaine, William Sylvester and Alexander Gauge. His artist sister, Carol (Mary Germaine) tries to get him out of it by agreeing to meet Markham in his old country house.

Mary Germaine is great though, and there are some attempts at lightness of touch which raises this above the average B potboiler of the time. Even so, the sound stellar portrayals, coupled with the 'twist' ending, give it the benefit of any doubts.

DISCLAIMER: Note that inclusion of a title within our catalogue does not guarantee rights or print availability for a specific territory.William Sylvester (2001: A Space Odyssey) and Mary Germaine both give good performances in their respective roles as Jimmy and Carol, the army officer and his girlfriend who have to work to try and solve the murder that has occurred, after Jimmy becomes a suspect in the case. Four stars for this one, although I found it cosy rather than scarey, right down to the music - pure 1950s BBC Home Service! It's a tongue-in-cheek affair, which we thought worked well, except for a Bugsy Malone style performance from American Reed DeRouen. The script is clever and witty, and we loved most of the movie, although the suspense lagged a bit towards the end.

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. opens well, but as soon as it moves to Markham’s mansion its action becomes a trifle stilted, Mary Germaine, as Carol, displays good looks and obvious acting ability, and William Sylvester, although a little too sure of himself, registers as Jimmy, but the rest are a very mixed bag. The 'Six Men' are a gang of six criminals that Scotland Yard is unable to pin a charge against even though they are positive of the identities. House of Blackmail is a 1953 British second feature [1] drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Mary Germaine, William Sylvester and Alexander Gauge. The story follows a soldier, Jimmy (Sylvester), and his girlfriend Carol (Mary Germaine) who are implicated in the murder of blackmailer Markham (Alexander Gauge) at his isolated mansion.We are aware that there are films on the site that were added when the criteria for the inclusion of locations was very different from today and, as a result, there may be scenes missing from some productions.