Venetian Bird
1952 | 94m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Ralph Thomas |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Victor Canning |
| Staring: |
| Private eye Edward Mercer travels to Venice to locate a man due a reward for his aid in the war. Shortly after arriving, he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his local contact. In his quest to clear his name, Mercer uncovers a conspiracy. Even the local magistrate seems to be working against him, and Mercer begins to suspect the man he came to find is behind it all. | |
| Release Date: | Oct 01, 1952 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Ralph Thomas |
| Writer: | Victor Canning |
| Genres: | Mystery, Thriller |
| Keywords | coup d'etat, british noir, private detective |
| Production Companies | British Film-Makers |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 Entered: Apr 25, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Richard Todd | Edward Mercer |
| Eva Bartok | Adriana Medova |
| John Gregson | Renzo Uccello |
| George Coulouris | Chief of Police Spadoni |
| Margot Grahame | Rosa Melitus |
| Walter Rilla | Count Boria |
| John Bailey | Lieutenant Longo |
| Sid James | Bernardo |
| Martin Boddey | Gufo |
| Michael Balfour | Moretto |
| Sydney Tafler | Boldesca |
| Miles Malleson | Grespi |
| Eric Pohlmann | Gostini |
| David Hurst | Minelli |
| Raymond Young | Luigi |
| Ferdy Mayne | Tio |
| Jill Clifford | Renata |
| Eileen Way | Woman Detective |
| Toni Lucarda | Nerva |
| Janice Kane | Ninetta |
| Meier Tzelniker | Mayor of Mirave |
| Betty E. Box | Woman Next to the Factory Tour Guide (Uncredited) |
| Victor Harrington | Bystander (Uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Ralph Thomas | Director |
| Gerald Thomas | Editor |
| Nino Rota | Original Music Composer |
| John Alcott | Clapper Loader |
| Ernest Gasser | Makeup Artist |
| Stella Rivers | Hairstylist |
| Douglas Peirce | Production Manager |
| Peter Bolton | Assistant Director |
| John Dennis | Sound Recordist |
| Gordon K. McCallum | Sound Mixer |
| Peter Seabourne | Sound Editor |
| H. A. R. Thomson | Camera Operator |
| Cornel Lucas | Still Photographer |
| Yvonne Caffin | Costume Design, Costume Supervisor |
| Muir Mathieson | Conductor |
| Tilly Day | Continuity |
| Arthur Alcott | Production Controller |
| Ernest Steward | Cinematography, Director of Photography |
| Jim Ware | Second Assistant Director |
| Robert Cartwright | Draughtsman |
| Roy Dorman | Draughtsman |
| John Gow | Draughtsman |
| Iris Newell | Assistant Art Director |
| Roy Walker | Draughtsman |
| Victor Canning | Novel, Screenplay |
| George Provis | Art Direction |
| Charles Squires | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Reginald H. Morris | Focus Puller |
| Peter Boita | First Assistant Editor |
| Maurizio Lodi-Fè | Location Manager |
| Fanya Fisher | Production Secretary |
| Jack N. Green | Third Assistant Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Earl St. John | Executive Producer |
| Betty E. Box | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| 2024 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Trending Position
Richard Todd is PI "Mercer" who is sent to Venice by a grateful French insurer to track down a man whom they want to reward for his sterling service during WWII. On arrival, however, things start to go seriously pear shaped, corpses abound and soon he must stay one step ahead of traitors and police ... alike as he tries to fathom out what's going on - and to save his own bacon. Despite a cast including a glamorous but rather static Eva Bartok ("Adriana"); an efficient George Coulouris as the dodgy Police chief "Spadoni" and an oddly cast John Gregson ("Uccello") this film doesn't really catch fire. Maybe it's the fallibility of the underlying premiss, or the really stilted performance of Todd - either way, it doesn't really go anywhere for much of it's 95 minutes and but for quite an exciting rooftop chase near the end, would probably sink without trace. The writing and direction needed much more pace, the story isn't developed nearly so much as it could have been and I was sadly disappointed by the rather meagre end product.