Daybreak main backdrop
Daybreak main poster

6.0/10 • 12

1948-05-181h 15m

CrimeDramaThriller

A mysterious barber hides a secret identity that eventually leads to tragedy.

Directors
Compton Bennett
Writters
Muriel Box, Sydney Box
Editors
Muriel Box, Sydney Box, Peter Price

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Ann Todd

    Ann Todd

    Frances "Frankie" Tribe

  2. Eric Portman

    Eric Portman

    Eddie Tribe

  3. Bill Owen

    Bill Owen

    Ron

  4. Maxwell Reed

    Maxwell Reed

    Olaf Tyson

  5. Edward Rigby

    Edward Rigby

    Bill Shackle

  6. Eliot Makeham

    Eliot Makeham

    Mr. Walter Bigley

  7. Jane Hylton

    Jane Hylton

    Doris

  8. Margaret Withers

    Margaret Withers

    Mrs.Bigley

  9. John Turnbull

    John Turnbull

    Superintendent

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 9, 2022

7/10

I reckon this has to be the best outing for Ann Todd ("Frankie") that I've seen. Here she plays the girlfriend of Eric Portman ("Eddie") who is really a hangman, but who doesn't want her to know so pretends to be a salesman to explain his frequent, and often overnight, absences from their home on a barge he has inherited. It's during one of those absences that she finds herself the focus of the unwarranted attentions of the rather uncouth "Olaf" (Maxwell Reed) and... Compton Bennett has created a clever piece of cinema here; we are given much of the bones of the story but have to come to a few of our own conclusions as tragedy ensues. According to the BBFC, the film wasn't cut at the time but it doesn't look like it - there are gaps that sort of make sense, but there are quite a few that clearly don't and that disjoints the narrative and occasionally spoils what is otherwise a complex tale. Well worth a gander.

Media

  • Daybreak poster
  • Daybreak poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
river thameshangmanfilm noirbritish noir