The Rough and the Smooth
The Rough and the Smooth (US-title: Portrait of a Sinner) is a 1959 British drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Nadja Tiller, Tony Britton, William Bendix and Natasha Parry. The screenplay concerns an archaeologist who has an affair with a German woman, putting his engagement to another woman in jeopardy.[1]
| The Rough and the Smooth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Robert Siodmak |
| Written by | Robin Maugham (novel) Audrey Erskine Lindop Dudley Leslie |
| Produced by | George Minter Robert Siodmak |
| Starring | Nadja Tiller Tony Britton William Bendix Natasha Parry |
| Cinematography | Otto Heller |
| Edited by | Gordon Pilkington |
| Music by | Douglas Gamley |
Production company | George Minter Productions |
| Distributed by | Renown Pictures |
Release date | October 1959 |
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The film was shot at the MGM-British Studios and on location around London.[2]
It was based on the 1951 novel by Robin Maugham. It was distributed in Germany by Gloria Film. In 1961 it was given an American release by American International Pictures.
Plot
In late 1950s London an upper-class archeologist Mike Thompson (Tony Britton) by chance meets a mysterious German woman Ila Hansen (Nadja Tiller) in a bar; later they share a taxi and he takes her back to the house where he lives with his parents. They embark on a torrid love affair during which she constantly lies and deceives him and threatens to ruin his long-term relationship with his fiancee, Margaret Goreham (Natasha Parry).
Cast
- Nadja Tiller as Ila Hansen
- Tony Britton as Mike Thompson
- William Bendix as Reg Barker
- Natasha Parry as Margaret Goreham
- Norman Wooland as David Fraser
- Donald Wolfit as Lord Drewell
- Tony Wright as Jack
- Adrienne Corri as Jane Buller
- Joyce Carey as Mrs. Thompson
- John Welsh as Dr. Thompson
- Martin Miller as Piggy
- Michael Ward as Headwaiter
- Edward Chapman as Willy Catch
- Norman Pierce as Barman
- Beatrice Varley as Hotel Manageress
- Myles Eason as Bobby Montagu-Jones
- Cyril Smith as Taxi Driver
- Geoffrey Bayldon as Ransom
Reception
According to Kinematograph Weekly the film performed "better than average" at the British box office in 1959.[3]
References
- "The Rough and the Smooth (1959)". BFI | Film & TV Database. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
- Encounter with Siodmak Taylor, Russell. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 28, Iss. 3, (Summer 1959): 180.
- Billings, Josh (17 December 1959). "Other better-than-average offerings". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 7.