1948·Drama·1h 36m
7.1
★
Phillipe, the son of an ambassador in London, hero-worships his father's butler Baines. His perception of the man changes when he accidentally discovers the secret that Baines keeps and witnesses the consequences that adults' lies can cause.
Directed by Carol Reed
butler
zoo
embassy
suspicion
witness
kids
adult child friendship
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Cast
Ralph Richardson
Baines
Michèle Morgan
Julie
Sonia Dresdel
Mrs. Baines
Bobby Henrey
Phillipe
Denis O'Dea
Inspector Crowe
Jack Hawkins
Detective Ames
Walter Fitzgerald
Dr. Fenton
Dandy Nichols
Mrs. Patterson
Joan Young
Mrs. Barrow
Karl Stepanek
First Secretary
Gerard Heinz
Ambassador
Torin Thatcher
Policeman
Crew
Carol Reed
Director
Graham Greene
Screenplay
Georges Périnal
Director of Photography
Carol Reed
Producer
Alexander Korda
Executive Producer
Graham Greene
Short Story
Guy Hamilton
Assistant Director
Popular Reviews
15 reviews
JK
Reminded me of all the elliptical speech in the childhood-centered Dubliners stories and how children can sometimes intuit the secrets of the adult world and get a sense of the shame under the surface without being 100% aware of it.
Reminded me of all the elliptical speech in the childhood-centered Dubliners stories and how children can sometimes intuit the secrets of the adult world and get a sense of the shame under the surface without being 100% aware of it.
Conor Larkin
8.0★ · 06/20/25
I really thought bro was going to kill himself ngl, is it bad that I would've enjoyed it more if he had? He was kinda racist after all...
I really thought bro was going to kill himself ngl, is it bad that I would've enjoyed it more if he had? He was kinda racist after all...
mimi
7.0★ · 05/03/24
me lying for fun
me lying for fun
Timothy Kandra
Not a murder mystery I'd watch again but I liked the production design, the cinematography, and a fair share of the supporting players. Didn't really like the kid's performance though.
Not a murder mystery I'd watch again but I liked the production design, the cinematography, and a fair share of the supporting players. Didn't really like the kid's performance though.
Tony Hightower
6.0★ · 05/10/19
A well-written little murder-or-is-it thriller that takes a while to get started, and then moves along nicely once it gets up to speed.
Ralph Richardson is the best part of this movie, by far, and he carries the fairly straightforward plot along as the central figure in the life of of Phile, the guileless seven-year-old diplomat's son, from whose viewpoint the whole story is told.
I'm glad I stuck through the first half hour -- for a relatively short feature, the pieces take a while to gel, and yes, the child actor who plays Phile isn't exactly long on charisma -- as Richardson and Michèle Morgan (whose talents aren't well used here) eventually lift this story out of the stilted (and occasionally kindasorta classist/racist -- it is 1948 England) muck.
(The set, a mansion in London, with huge sweeping staircases that figure strongly into the plot, is lovely to look at.)
A good movie for a Sunday afternoon.
Ralph Richardson is the best part of this movie, by far, and he carries the fairly straightforward plot along as the central figure in the life of of Phile, the guileless seven-year-old diplomat's son, from whose viewpoint the whole story is told.
I'm glad I stuck through the first half hour -- for a relatively short feature, the pieces take a while to gel, and yes, the child actor who plays Phile isn't exactly long on charisma -- as Richardson and Michèle Morgan (whose talents aren't well used here) eventually lift this story out of the stilted (and occasionally kindasorta classist/racist -- it is 1948 England) muck.
(The set, a mansion in London, with huge sweeping staircases that figure strongly into the plot, is lovely to look at.)
A good movie for a Sunday afternoon.
A well-written little murder-or-is-it thriller that takes a while to get started, and then moves along nicely once it gets up to speed.
Ralph Richardson is the best part of this movie, by far, and he carries the fairly straightforward plot along as the central figure in the life of of Phile, the guileless seven-year-old diplomat's son, from whose viewpoint the whole story is told.
I'm glad I stuck through the first half hour -- for a relatively short feature, the pieces take a while to gel, and yes, the child actor who plays Phile isn't exactly long on charisma -- as Richardson and Michèle Morgan (whose talents aren't well used here) eventually lift this story out of the stilted (and occasionally kindasorta classist/racist -- it is 1948 England) muck.
(The set, a mansion in London, with huge sweeping staircases that figure strongly into the plot, is lovely to look at.)
A good movie for a Sunday afternoon.
Ralph Richardson is the best part of this movie, by far, and he carries the fairly straightforward plot along as the central figure in the life of of Phile, the guileless seven-year-old diplomat's son, from whose viewpoint the whole story is told.
I'm glad I stuck through the first half hour -- for a relatively short feature, the pieces take a while to gel, and yes, the child actor who plays Phile isn't exactly long on charisma -- as Richardson and Michèle Morgan (whose talents aren't well used here) eventually lift this story out of the stilted (and occasionally kindasorta classist/racist -- it is 1948 England) muck.
(The set, a mansion in London, with huge sweeping staircases that figure strongly into the plot, is lovely to look at.)
A good movie for a Sunday afternoon.