The Shadow Man

Trailer—Street of Shadows

Street of Shadows

Cesar and kay kendall are really good in this movie! Kay was from a small seaside resort near me called withernsea and after all this time she's still their most famous person!

Watched this specifically for Cesar Romero. Odd dialog, even for a British film, almost like like extra lines were added just to make the film run longer. Cute little hint of Spanish accent from Cesar, not overdone. Still, the dialog was weird and stilted. The music was so odd as well, jarring at times. It was perky, when it should have been dark. Accordion? Harmonica ? Dunno. Just all around weird. Can't really decide if I liked it or not, but don't see watching it twice.

"Street of Shadows" is the only movie directed by Robert Vernon, rather producer of "Colonel Blimp" or "Kiss The Blood Off My Hand" (what a title for a film noir, Burt's seventh film noir in two years !!!). The bluesy use of harmonica from the beginning reminds of the main theme in a french film noir classic, "Touchez pas au grisbi" directed by Jacques Becker. The friendship between Cesar Romero and his crippled employee Victor Maddern is touching, the atmosphere in Romero's club is moody and sexy, the jukebox has some important apparitions (and like in "Brighton Rock" for a sequence, but we're far from that unique masterpiece). There are a lot of nice surprises in british film noir like this "Street of shadows".

Quite an atmospheric film from Merton Park.Caesar Romero is the parachuted in American star does a very reasonable job as the owner of a pin ball arcade.Victor Maddern gets quite a large role for a change.The plot has a predictable ending but it is worth the effort to watch.

One of those British thrillers that feels like a cheap imitation of a Hollywood flick, as evinced by the presence of one-time leading man Cesar Romero - a man indelibly linked with his later screen role as the Joker for many of us today. STREET OF SHADOWS is a slow-paced and slightly meandering thriller, in which Romero is a wronged man who has to cover up a murder and discover the true identity of those responsible. The characters are bland but Kay Kendall and Simone Silva are both voluptuous and alluring femme fatales and tragically neither of them would see out the decade. There's a great role for Victor Madddern and fans will enjoy him as the hunchbacked 'Limpy'.

This film from the UK was also released as STREETS OF SHADOWS, based on a Laurence Mynell novel The Creaking Chair. Popular matinée idol Cesar Romero plays Luigi, a successful casino operator under suspension of the murder of a former girlfriend(Simone Silva). Luigi has not always been on the right side of the law, but is willing to help in any way to discover the killer's identity. Staying in suspense is Luigi's current love interest(Kay Kendall)as he asks the aid of Limpy(VictorMaddern), his "mop man" and doer of odd jobs to help trap and reveal the murderer of his old flame. A well paced crime drama that is possibly liked as much in America as it was in its country of origin. Pretty early in the film you think you've solved the case...just wait and see.

A slick little British film noir in the French style with the usual atmospheric photography (both in the studio at Merton Park and on location in Soho) by Phil Grindrod, a moody harmonica score by Eric Spear (who later wrote the theme for 'Coronation Street') and a classy female lead in the form of Kay Kendall. Victor Maddern's pathetic, lovesick sidekick 'Limpy' presumably led to his casting as mad scientist Donald Wolfit's hunchbacked lab assistant five years later in 'Blood of the Vampire'.

Street of Shadows (The Shadow Man in the USA) is a typical British noir starring Cesar Romero and Kay Kendall (just a few months from her sensational "debut" in 1953's Genevieve, although she had in fact made her first film way, way back in 1944). However, it's the support cast led by Victor Maddern (third sailor from the left in countless British movies) of all people, plus the sensational Simone Sylva who merit all out attention in this only movie directed - and written - by occasional producer Richard Vernon. Despite Phil Grindrod's black-as-midnight photography and a great deal of running around by Mr. Romero, the script doesn't hold that much attention, as the identity of the killer is obvious and the dialogue (despite the best efforts of the players) signally lacks both wit and punch. (For those who are still interested, this movie is available on an excellent 10/10 VCI DVD).