Customer Reviews

Killer Movie.... - By: George Henderson, 19 Jun 2010
A dark atmospheric thriller chronicling the crimes of John Christie.This really is a treasure of British cinema never given the recognition it deserves.At least this dvd release goes some way to address this.Attenborough is excellentin the lead role
a more restrained performance than his portrayal of Pinkyin Brighton Rock but none less menacing or sinister.It's amazing how he plays Christie as a man who can see no wrongin his actions wallowingin his own self importance evenin the court room
scenes.The murder of his wife seems to bring a realisation of his actions to Christie yet his compulsive personality still tries to supress this.The on location filming adds a realistic touch of gloom & intimidation as we see the scene of Christies horrific acts.The show belongs to Attenborough with a masterful portrayal of at the time a real murderer who would have still been freshin the memory of many.Extras include a commentary & interview with Attenborough.A disc worthy of any collection

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Excellent performances all round - By: Peter J. Chambers, 02 Jun 2010
I agree pretty much with most other reviews here so I won't repeat their opinions. Suffice to say that it would have been easy to senationalise this film into a loud blood thirsty movie, but thankfully this film was madein the days when intelligent scripts, acting & directing was the norm. The excellent Dickie Attenborough plays the role of John Christiein an understated manner, which adds to the sinister atmosphere of the film. Judy Geeson was also very good & it's hard to look at herin the same light as the same actress who playedin the sitcom Bless This House with Sid James, which was filmed cicra the same period. I did not know she could do serious films, great performance.

If you are looking for an intelligent but ultimately disturbing film surrounded by everything good, this could be for you. If you are looking for the modern type of visuals that masquerade as films, forget it, you wouldn't have the patience or understand what makes a truly great film.

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Brilliant atmosphere, passionate advocacy - By: Peter Scott-presland, 18 Mar 2010
10 Rillington Place makes great play with being madein the actual locations where John Christie committed his murders (or most of them - evidence from his collection of pubic hair suggested there were more, unidentified). In fact it was filmedin the vacant 7 Rillington Place, when the inhabitants of No. 10 refused to move out for filming.

Nevertheless it can lay legitimate claim to being one of the finest examples of British fact-based drama of the period. The conviction (pardon the pun) it carries first liesin the ambience which Richard Fleischer created. Fleischer had earlier directed the far flashier "Boston Strangler", an exercisein grand guignol & screen trickery; here he tones it right down for the drab, depressing post-war world of rationing, bomb craters, perpetual rain, peeling wallpaper... As is fitting from the title, the house itself is a major character. Wandering around this gloomy crumbling house with its grubby net curtains & cracked lino, its bare gas rings & its outside lavatoryin the bar yard, you see this as both a psychic extension of Christie's mind & almost a mechanism for triggering madness.

The other major factorin the films success - its realism, its terror, & its emotional pull - are the twin performances of John Hurt (Timothy Evans) & Richard Attenborough (Christie). Attenborough was on a personal acting roll which started with "A Dock Brief" (1962) & continued until "The Human Factor" (1979) when he turned his energies more exclusively to directing. In these years he never put a foot wrong, evenin rubbish movies. Here Attenborough seizes on the fact that Christie was gassedin the Great War & as a result was incapable of speaking above a whisper. The smooth sibilant unemotional voice is perfect for the little mediocrity who passes unnoticed among his fellows. But it also conveys extremely subtlety the psychological pressures & psychotic impulses behind the steel-rimmed glasses. The means of killing - poisoning by domestic gas (coal gasin the 1940s) followed by bludgeoning & raping - is not fudgedin any way, unlike "Boston Strangler", which was geared to the more squeamish US mass market.

Hurt is equally brilliantin this early role, because at no time does he suggest that Evans is remotely likeable. Boasting, bullying, fantasising, stupid to the point of being mentally challenged (as we have to say these days), he is an overgrown child playing at what he thinks a man should be. The way that he walks blithely to his death, putting the noose further round his neck with every action, makes you want to throw things at the screen - butin an entirely good sense. The only weak point is Judy Geeson as the wife, Beryl, a 60s "chick" actress who marred many a contemporary movie with her faux charm & woodenness of delivery.

The posthumous enquiry (1965/6) which looked at Evans' case again & led to his pardon concluded that he had probably murdered his wife but not his daughter. The film insists on his innocence on both counts, although he is an accessoryin disposing of her body. This seems to me a legitimate interpretation.

Capital punishment was abolishedin the UK only two years before this film was released, but the argument was far from won, & even today a majority of the public favours a return to it. This film was a passionate advocate for abolition, & even today its anger, its pain & its horror (especially the execution scene) speak as powerfully as ever. I would recommend it to anyone who has even a scintilla of sympathy for bringing back the death penalty.

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Chillingly Amazing - By: Prince Slaney, 09 Mar 2010
Most of us who are going to purchase this film, already know what the story entails, so I'm not going into plot details. Instead I'd like to mention how brilliant the performances arein this film. Sir Richard's performance as Christie is outstanding. He plays it with such as sinister grace. Just the way he offers his victims "A nice cup of tea", before he kills them. For me, the most chilling scene is the very opening,in which he claims his first victim before the story properly starts. John Hurt is also outstanding. Taking you from hating his character for being the uncaring husband, to feeling so bad for him when what happens, happens! Judy Geeson is so sweetin her roll, you can feel & smell the dark world she, as a pregnant mother, lives in.

It's funny when people say "Why did they let Christie do this to them, why did they trust him"? Well, if the real Christie was anything like Attenborough's performance... why wouldn't you? He's charming, polite & (appears to be) caring.

In all, this film will leave you chilled & amazed.

Watch it.

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creepy but good - By: Mr. S. Macfarlane, 15 Nov 2009
this is my wifes favourite film just shows what can realy happenin life but beware you will allways get caught

been told the book is even better let you know when we get it & read it....

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Related Titles

Other DVDs related to 10 Rillington Place (Special Edition) [1970] [DVD] include:

• Doctor Crippen [DVD] [1962]
• See No Evil - The Moors Murders [DVD] [2006]
• Pierrepoint [DVD] [2006]
• Let Him Have It [DVD] [1991]
• Seance On A Wet Afternoon [1964] [DVD]