A savvy American detective, Paul Mitchell (Dennis O'Keefe of "The Fighting Seebees"), is hired to keep his gimlet eyes on Leonardo da Vinci's priceless masterpiece "Madonna and Child" as it goes on display at the Tate Gallery in London, England. Naturally, thieves scuttle out of the wood work like cockroaches, and Mitchell discovers that one of the best painters at replicating the art of the ancient masters, Henry Mason (John Laurie of "The 39 Steps"), is the genius who knows how to duplicate the masters. Predictably, Henry has a beautiful daughter, Mary (Coleen Gray of "Red River"), who knows nothing about her father's nefarious exploits. As it turns out, Henry is in cahoots with a mysterious gentleman who prefers to appreciate the da Vinci's paintings on his own premises. Chiefly, this prestigious person doesn't want to share da Vinci with anybody but himself. Meantime, Mitchell has a few tricks up his sleeve that he uses to thwart the villain, but he cannot prevent this wicked man from eliminating anybody who has had anything to do with him along the way. Of course, when Mitchell starts snooping around Henry, he incurs the wrath of his daughter who isn't entirely certain that she cares for Mitchell. Mitchell manages to sort everything out by fade-out, but he is too late to prevent the sinister villain from having Mary' poor pop from being hanged in his own secret lodgings so that it appears he committed suicide. Eventually, not only does everything work out for Mitchell, but also it seems that Mary and he will at least part friends after the shadowy fellow who killed her father and poisoned one of his own accomplices is caught.
"So Evil, So Young" director Godfrey Grayson, working from one-time only scribe James Daplyn's original story, adapted by "The Human Monster" scenarist Patrick Kirwan with an uncredited assist from Oscar-nominated writer Bridget Boland of "Anne of the Thousand Days," has fashioned a straightforward but sometimes devious thriller. Mitchell has more tricks up his sleeve than a magician and keeps the villains guessing. Grayson and company don't dawdle for a moment in this 70-minute, black & white, epic that was lensed partially on location at the Tate Gallery. Mind you, "The Fake" is nothing special, but it contains a couple of clever touches. Music department maestros Ilona Kabos and Matyas Seiber draw on Mussorgsky's memorable composition "Pictures At An Exhibition" for the orchestral score. Cinematographer Cedric Williams, who had collaborated with Grayson on other films, provides atmospheric compositions, and the lighting is evocative, especially when our hero purses a thief early in the action near the docks. You see the thief slip into a warehouse with Mitchell at his heels. When the thief realizes that he has been spotted, Mitchell's huge shadow is cast on the façade of the warehouse. The scenes after dark in the Tate Gallery when Mitchell is searching for a thief create suspense, too. The low-budget exposes itself when the chief villain is revealed because the producers didn't have enough money to spend it on red herrings to divert our attention. Grayson's helming is efficient; O'Keefe is charismatic enough, and Gray is distracting, but there is little about "The Fake" that is original. Nevertheless, it bearing viewing at least one.
"So Evil, So Young" director Godfrey Grayson, working from one-time only scribe James Daplyn's original story, adapted by "The Human Monster" scenarist Patrick Kirwan with an uncredited assist from Oscar-nominated writer Bridget Boland of "Anne of the Thousand Days," has fashioned a straightforward but sometimes devious thriller. Mitchell has more tricks up his sleeve than a magician and keeps the villains guessing. Grayson and company don't dawdle for a moment in this 70-minute, black & white, epic that was lensed partially on location at the Tate Gallery. Mind you, "The Fake" is nothing special, but it contains a couple of clever touches. Music department maestros Ilona Kabos and Matyas Seiber draw on Mussorgsky's memorable composition "Pictures At An Exhibition" for the orchestral score. Cinematographer Cedric Williams, who had collaborated with Grayson on other films, provides atmospheric compositions, and the lighting is evocative, especially when our hero purses a thief early in the action near the docks. You see the thief slip into a warehouse with Mitchell at his heels. When the thief realizes that he has been spotted, Mitchell's huge shadow is cast on the façade of the warehouse. The scenes after dark in the Tate Gallery when Mitchell is searching for a thief create suspense, too. The low-budget exposes itself when the chief villain is revealed because the producers didn't have enough money to spend it on red herrings to divert our attention. Grayson's helming is efficient; O'Keefe is charismatic enough, and Gray is distracting, but there is little about "The Fake" that is original. Nevertheless, it bearing viewing at least one.