The Penthouse (1967)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1967
Running Times: 96 mins
Length: 2624.63 metres/8611 ft
Format: 35mm
Colour Format: Eastmancolor
Ratio:
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Compton Films / Tahiti Films / Twickenham Film Studios
Executive Producers: Michael Klinger, Guido Coen
Producer: Harry Fine

SCRIPT
Script: Peter Collinson
Play: The Meter Man by C. Scott Forbes

DIRECTION
Director: Peter Collinson
Assistant Director: Barry Langley

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Arthur Lavis
Camera Operator: Ron Robson
Stills: Aubrey Dewar

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: John Trumper

MUSIC
Music: John Hawksworth
Song: John Hawksworth, Harold Shaper (World Full of Lonely Men (uncredited))
Song Performed By: Lisa Shane (World Full of Lonely Men (uncredited))

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Stephen Dalby
Sound Mixer: Laurie Clarkson
Re-Recording Mixer: Gerry Humphreys

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: George Partleton
Hair: Barbara Barnard
Costume Designer: Mary Gibson

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Peter Mullins (uncredited)

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Betty Harley
Production Associates: Sam Waynberg, Barry Krost

CAST
Suzy Kendall (Barbara Willason)
Terence Morgan (Bruce Victor)
Tony Beckley (Tom)
Norman Rodway (Dick)
Martine Beswick (Harry)

PLOT SUMMARY

Married estate agent Bruce Victor and his lover Barbara are terrorised by a trio of sadistic visitors to the penthouse apartment that they use for their illicit meetings.

CAPSULE REVIEW

An excellent but sadly rather obscure thriller from the hit-and-miss Collinson that now looks to have been some years ahead of its time. The script may not make a whole lot of sense, but the atmosphere is suitably menacing and creepy and Collinson keeps things moving at a cracking pace. An altogether impressive film, with something to offend just about everyone, the virtual loss of which (it's available only on bootleg tapes) is highly regrettable.

AVAILABILITY

UK
Theatrical Distributors: Paramount Pictures

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Paramount Pictures

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Finland
Rating: K-18

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: X

TIMELINE

1967
June
27: West Germany - shown at the Berlin Film Festival

October
3: USA - theatrical release

1968
March
15: Finland - theatrical release

April
3: Sweden - theatrical release

POSTER TAGS

If what happens in "The Penthouse" happened to you... you wouldn't want to talk about it either!

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Un attico sopra l'inferno - Italian title
Mittarinlukija - Finnish title
Takvåningen - Swedish title

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Cahiers du Cinéma no.195 (November 1967) p.77 (France)
review

Daily Cinema no.9424 (22 September 1967) p.6 (UK)
review (by Margaret Hinxman)

Kine Weekly no.3128 (23 September 1967) p.11 (UK)
credits, review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.34 no.406 (November 1967) p.169 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review (by J.A.D.)

Music From the Movies no.43 (2004) pp.61-62 (UK)
soundtrack review

Variety 5 July 1967 (USA)
credits, review (by Hawk)

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

play into film, rape, torture

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009