Dr. Crippen (1964)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Hawley Harvey Crippen has gone down in history as one of the most notorious murderers in British history, although he was neither a serial killer like Jack the Ripper or the Moors Murderers nor a powerful crime lord like the Kray brothers. He was hanged for the murder of his wife whom he poisoned so that he could be with his attractive, much younger, mistress Ethel Le Neve. There were probably many similar domestic murders in Victorian and Edwardian Britain; what made Crippen so famous was probably his dramatic attempt to escape to his native America with Ethel and the part modern technology (or what was then modern technology) played in their arrest aboard a ship in Canadian waters. (Crippen had been recognised from newspaper photographs by the ship's captain, who telegraphed his suspicions by wireless to Scotland Yard).Mrs Crippen's real name was Kunigunde Mackamotski, but she later changed this to Corrine or Cora Henrietta Turner and also used the stage name Belle Elmore. (She was a music hall artiste). In the film she is always referred to as "Belle", although in private life she seems to have preferred "Cora". Her husband has gone down in history as "Dr Crippen", although this is not strictly correct, as his qualifications from the Cleveland Homeopathic Medical College did not allow him to practise medicine in Britain, where he worked, among other things, as a distributor of patent medicines. In the film, however, it is implied that he is a GP.The film follows the facts of the case fairly closely, although there are occasional divergences; Crippen and Ethel are shown as being tried together but in reality they were tried separately, Ethel's trial taking place after Crippen's had been concluded. (She was charged with being an "accessory after the facts" to murder, so it made sense to hold two separate trials. Had Crippen been acquitted, there would have been no charge for Ethel to answer). Crippen and his wife were both American by birth, but they are played here with British accents; unlike many British film-makers from this period the producers were clearly not interested in bringing in Hollywood stars to increase the film's appeal at the American box-office. Or perhaps they could not find Hollywood stars who were interested in playing a notorious murderer and his shrewish wife.There are two excellent performances from Donald Pleasence as Crippen and Coral Browne as Belle, who combine to provide a striking portrait of a disastrously unsuccessful marriage. Browne plays Belle as a crude, vulgar and sexually promiscuous middle-aged woman, no longer attractive although she may have been so in the past. We get some idea of her character when she sings one of her music hall songs in which she declares that, although she is not a "one-man woman", anyone who loves her must be a "one-woman man", and it is quite obvious that this applies as much to the real Belle as it does to her stage persona. She delights in insulting and humiliating her husband, often in front of friends and acquaintances, and cuckolds him with their lodgers and with her music-hall colleagues. Despite her own infidelities she is offended by her husband's affair with Ethel and by the fact that he no longer wishes to sleep with her- not because she is sexually attracted to him but because she cannot bear the idea of any man not being sexually attracted to the great Belle Elmore. (For some reason, Belle always calls her husband "Peter", but Ethel calls him by his real name, Hawley).Pleasence's Crippen is outwardly a quiet little worm of a man who will meekly accept all the humiliations which his overbearing wife loads upon him, but, as they say, even a worm will turn, and Crippen gradually begins to stand up to Belle's bluster. The one acting contribution I felt was weak came from Samantha Eggar as Ethel, as she did little to suggest just why such a beautiful young woman should have fallen so deeply in love with such an unprepossessing and physically unattractive older man. Although Ethel Le Neve was found not guilty of being an accessory to Belle's murder, I suspect that in real life she was not as sweet and innocent as Eggar makes her seem here.At the end of the film Crippen claims that he did not intend to kill Belle but accidentally gave her an overdose of a sedative he was using (without her knowledge or consent) to calm her aggressive nature. Similar claims have been made on his behalf by commentators on the case, but he never raised this claim at the trial. Perhaps preferred to gamble on the possibility of being acquitted altogether than to raise what would effectively have been a defence of "not guilty to murder, guilty to manslaughter". Although manslaughter did not carry the death penalty, it carried the possibility of a long prison sentence which would have separated Crippen from his beloved Ethel.Unlike most crime movies, films like this one which recreate real-life crimes from the past are not really "thrillers"; most of the audience will be well aware of Crippen's story so his eventual conviction and execution will come as no surprise. Such films can, however, shed light on the underlying pressures and psychological factors which lead to crime. 7/10

Some of cinema's most fascinating & involving court dramas are inspired by notorious historical cases, and Robert Lynn's masterful Indie-production "Dr. Crippen" is definitely no exception. The factual case of Hawley Harvey Crippen was one of the most talked-about events back in 1910, because he was the first person the police ever arrested with the aid of wireless communication techniques (cleverly processed into the film as well) and - moreover - he was executed despite the fact that it was never fully clarified whether he intentionally murdered his wife or that he accidentally gave her an overdose of medicine. Especially since the true circumstances of Belle Crippen's death remain unknown to this date, the film also remains quite vague about it and only suggests a hypothetical situation of what could have happened. Writer Leigh Vance opted for an ingenious and rather unusual narrative structure in which extended scenes at the courthouse are interfered with extended flashbacks about how the accused got there. The first chapter largely focuses on portraying what type of woman Belle Crippen was. She was an arrogant and selfish woman, openly committing adultery and humiliating her docile husband in public ("you're unattractive, but you're my husband so I guess I have to sleep with you"). The second chapter subsequently depicts Dr. Crippen's sincere affection for the young Ethel Le Neve, who works as an employee in his medical cabinet. Despite Belle having many lovers, she threatens to ruin Crippen's career and reputation if he would choose to leave her for Ethel. The second segment ends on the night of Belle's death. The film's first hour is compelling enough and the case's background is of course essential need-to-know information, but the pacing is rather slow and several sequences appear to be a bit tedious. The last half hour, however, is close to brilliant and literally had me on the edge of my chair. Terrified of the possible consequences, Dr. Crippen convinces his sweet but extremely naive mistress to flee to the United States, disguised as father and son. The alert captain recognizes them and uses the newly invented wireless communication system to inform Scotland Yard about Crippen's whereabouts. The finale is absolutely powerful and unforgettable, handling about the verdict in court and the prison days prior to Dr. Crippen's execution. For as far as I read about the Crippen case in reference books and various websites, this film is very accurate and complete. Even the characterizations are truthful, which actually makes you sympathize with the Dr.'s side of the story, as he and Ethel experience true love whereas Belle is an insufferable battle-axe. On the other hand, if it was just an "accident", how could he bring himself to dismembering his wife's corpse and hide it from the police? As you can tell, this film is extraordinary involving and thought-provoking. Donald Pleasance gives away a tour-de-force performance as the titular character, once again reassuring us he was one of the most talented, but sadly underrated, actors who ever lived. The cinematography is very tight and wondrous, which shouldn't come as a big surprise considering the man responsible was Nicolas Roeg. Very much recommended!

Despite the overwhelming evidence supporting the murder of Mrs. Crippen there has to be a question of intent. Whilst the film gives what seemingly is an accurate portrayal of the crime it seems to be biased towards the like of Filson Young who perceived Mrs Crippen as a wanton woman. The portrayal of the state of the house is accurate according to the reports in the papers though the over acting by the captain of the montrose and the failure of pleasance to grow a beard whilst evading the long arm of the law indicates poetic licence. Anyone who hasn't studied the background to the case will find it an OK watch but there are too many inaccuracies to the academics!

Brits complain about Americans stealing our inventions, yet we've been quite happy to claim two Americans, a quack doctor and a failed burlesque singer for our own. Casting 'Donald Pleasence'(qv) as the Doctor and Anglicised Aussie 'Coral Browne' (qv) as his insufferable wife not only seemed right but produced wonderfully atmospheric performances. I've only seen a TV version so it may be TV editing rather than the low budget that missed out, for example, Ethel wearing Mrs Crippens furs & jewellery to events. It would have helped see why the Doctor fell under suspicion. Made at a time when abolishing capital punishment and miscarriages of justices were under discussion in the UK it is not surprising the film suggests that the murder wasn't premeditated. In the light of his subsequent actions, you can decide yourself.The real `other woman' Ethel Le Neve, changed her name and died in Dulwich, SE London, in 1967 aged 89. If she saw this movie what did she think?