Two Brighton detectives, Detective Inspector Fellows (Jack Warner) and Detective Sergeant Wilks (Ronald Lewis) are called to deal with a routine break in at an estate agents' offices. However, it turns into something far more sinister when a body of a murdered and partially dismembered woman is discovered in a trunk at one of the estate agents' rented properties in Saltdean. The identity of the woman is unknown and her killer is a mystery man who used a false name to take out a short term lease on the property, which was stolen during the break in. The case sees the two detectives developing and following leads in Brighton, Lewes and as far afield as Greenwich in London. One clue appears to finally establish the identity of the victim but, the woman in question, Jean Sherman (Yolande Donlan), is actually still alive although she only just escaped being the killer's next victim. A door to door vacuum cleaner salesman called Clyde Burchard (Michael Goodliffe), who turns out to have form for sex offences, is soon arrested on suspicion of murder. However, it isn't long before Fellows and Wilks eliminate him from their inquiries. When the identity of the murdered woman is finally established as that of Joan Simpson (Moira Redmond), Fellows assembles all of the people connected with the inquiry at Brighton police station to see if Jean Sherman is able to identify one of them as the man who dated her once or twice and took her to the beach house in Saltdean. Fellows' "wild idea" pays off and she picks out the man who insists that Miss Simpson's death was an accident. That appears to hold water much to the dismay of Fellows and Wilks who know in their hearts that it was first degree murder. But a small and seemingly minor detail about a certain day being a public holiday and all of the shops being closed is what finally gives their man away...
A front rank British detective thriller that appeared to have been forgotten about for years until it was finally given a DVD release by Renown Pictures in 2015. I first saw it some years before at an art house in Brighton who screened it as part of a season of films set in and filmed in Brighton to commemorate the cinema's centenary. Prior to that I had never seen it advertised on television throughout my childhood and teenage years.
Based on an excellent novel by Hilary Waugh called Sleep Long My Love, apart from switching the setting from Connecticut, New England, USA, to Brighton on the Sussex coast in England, the film sticks commendably close to the book. It features a particularly grisly murder, but the more gruesome aspects about it are implied rubbishing the widely held view nowadays that you need to go all out for gory graphic detail to achieve a horrific impact upon an audience. The opening scenes containing a long tracking shot through an open bedroom window at the beach house are especially effective. We then pan all the way round the room before seeing the murder victim (Moira Redmond) quarrelling with her lover. We do not see his face nor do we hear him speak. Although there is no incidental music here - nor anywhere else, for that matter - the tension is built up admirably by the distant sound of seagulls and the waves crashing against the cliffs, which finally fades into a deadly silence. Then, as the murderer goes to grab her by the throat, we shock cut to a deafening whistle from a steam locomotive, which represents the girl's screams powering away from Brighton station with a suburban train.
At 107 minutes the film is long, but it is never boring and sustains itself really well by focussing extensively on detailed police procedure, which shows just how exhausting the job can be in unmasking a killer who is like the invisible man in that he has covered his tracks remarkably well. Yet it is insightful, absorbing and fun leading to a satisfying denouement in which all of the plot twists and clues have played fair with us to reach a logical conclusion. Writer-producer-director Val Guest opted for a semi-documentary style, which uses the Brighton, Lewes and Sussex locations to maximum effect. Part of the fun is looking at those and seeing how many of them are recognisable today and quite a few of them are, no kidding. Lighting Cameraman Arthur Grant's documentary style b/w Cinemascope heightens the feeling for realism and the atmosphere for place and the mysteriousness.
Jack Warner plays his part as the chief investigating officer with great authority and he works well in his scenes with Ronald Lewis who plays his on screen nephew, which allows for some good chemistry and humour between the two cops. Many familiar faces pop up in the stellar British supporting cast; including Ray Barrett, Michael Goodliffe, John Horsley and John Le Mesurier. Praise must go to the US actress, Yolande Donlan, Val Guest's wife, who is stand out as the shy spinster who only just escapes being the murderer's second victim.
All in all, Jigsaw is probably one of the best British crime thrillers from its era and it is certainly the best film I have ever seen that was filmed in Brighton. It works as a whodunit, the acting, direction and settings all have the right touch. I would urge anybody who is thinking of watching it or already has to read Hilary Waugh's book too: it is well worth the read.
A front rank British detective thriller that appeared to have been forgotten about for years until it was finally given a DVD release by Renown Pictures in 2015. I first saw it some years before at an art house in Brighton who screened it as part of a season of films set in and filmed in Brighton to commemorate the cinema's centenary. Prior to that I had never seen it advertised on television throughout my childhood and teenage years.
Based on an excellent novel by Hilary Waugh called Sleep Long My Love, apart from switching the setting from Connecticut, New England, USA, to Brighton on the Sussex coast in England, the film sticks commendably close to the book. It features a particularly grisly murder, but the more gruesome aspects about it are implied rubbishing the widely held view nowadays that you need to go all out for gory graphic detail to achieve a horrific impact upon an audience. The opening scenes containing a long tracking shot through an open bedroom window at the beach house are especially effective. We then pan all the way round the room before seeing the murder victim (Moira Redmond) quarrelling with her lover. We do not see his face nor do we hear him speak. Although there is no incidental music here - nor anywhere else, for that matter - the tension is built up admirably by the distant sound of seagulls and the waves crashing against the cliffs, which finally fades into a deadly silence. Then, as the murderer goes to grab her by the throat, we shock cut to a deafening whistle from a steam locomotive, which represents the girl's screams powering away from Brighton station with a suburban train.
At 107 minutes the film is long, but it is never boring and sustains itself really well by focussing extensively on detailed police procedure, which shows just how exhausting the job can be in unmasking a killer who is like the invisible man in that he has covered his tracks remarkably well. Yet it is insightful, absorbing and fun leading to a satisfying denouement in which all of the plot twists and clues have played fair with us to reach a logical conclusion. Writer-producer-director Val Guest opted for a semi-documentary style, which uses the Brighton, Lewes and Sussex locations to maximum effect. Part of the fun is looking at those and seeing how many of them are recognisable today and quite a few of them are, no kidding. Lighting Cameraman Arthur Grant's documentary style b/w Cinemascope heightens the feeling for realism and the atmosphere for place and the mysteriousness.
Jack Warner plays his part as the chief investigating officer with great authority and he works well in his scenes with Ronald Lewis who plays his on screen nephew, which allows for some good chemistry and humour between the two cops. Many familiar faces pop up in the stellar British supporting cast; including Ray Barrett, Michael Goodliffe, John Horsley and John Le Mesurier. Praise must go to the US actress, Yolande Donlan, Val Guest's wife, who is stand out as the shy spinster who only just escapes being the murderer's second victim.
All in all, Jigsaw is probably one of the best British crime thrillers from its era and it is certainly the best film I have ever seen that was filmed in Brighton. It works as a whodunit, the acting, direction and settings all have the right touch. I would urge anybody who is thinking of watching it or already has to read Hilary Waugh's book too: it is well worth the read.