On the French Riviera, movie producer Max Poulton is on location shooting a film starring his lover, Gina Bertini. But when the rueful Max ends his fling with Gina to return to his loyal wife, Carol, the jilted actress threatens to reveal details of their affair to Carol. Later, at a party at Max's villa, investigator Carliss arrives with news that Gina has been killed and that Max is a murderer suspect.
Stewart Granger Donna Reed George Sanders Gianna Maria Canale Michael Shillo Richard Molinas Peter Dyneley John Van Eyssen Philip Vickers Carlo Giustini Hy Hazell Agnes Lauchlan Jacques Cey Hugo de Vernier Yves Chanteau Jean Driant Joan Benham Mignon O'Doherty Jan Holden Laurie Main Ernest Blyth Jim Brady Jack Sharp
Tutta la verità, Besuch um Mitternacht, Έγκλημα στην Πράσινη Βίλλα, Toda la verdad, Le crime était signé, 桃花劫
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A married film producer, making his latest movie, learns that the leading lady with whom he has been having an affair, has been murdered, making him the prime suspect, once the relationship is uncovered.
But it quickly turns out that she isn't dead at all, and what he has been told is actually the prologue to her murder, as a ruse to directly implicate him.
It's an interesting idea, but after the initial shock of seeing the victim turn up very much alive, it gets rather predictable, in no small part due to the real murderer's insistence on spilling the truth, and the entire murder plot, to the man on whom he is pinning it.
There is something to be said for taking pride in one's work, and wanting to be appreciated for it, but spilling the beans to someone who might use that information against you, seems like a pretty bad idea.
Johnny Dankworth's intrusive score doesn't help.
It's very frustrating that George Sanders' villains never win. They're invariably the best part of a film and you'd have thought that someone would have decided to let him come out on top at least once. His scheme in this film is great but his downfall is pathetic. It's just desperation from the writers to ensure Stewart Granger's nasty hero comes out on top. Thanks to George Sanders I did still find a lot to enjoy here but reversing the ending would have made this so much better.
By the time the late 1950s rolled around, noirs were starting to have a little more bite to them as society started to gnaw away at the restrictions of the Hays Code.
As such, The Whole Truth is a disappointingly tame affair that has only one really good trick up its sleeve. There's an early plot twist that I didn't see coming at all, used in quite a clever way. Thereafter it just becomes a very placid chase thriller as George Sanders torments Stewart Granger and Donna Reed in his usual charming but not threatening enough way.
John Guillermin was a solid hand and this is professionally marshalled with a decent cast and reasonable pacing. The story is mostly uninteresting though and too old-fashioned. It even has the wobble flashback effect. Come on lads, Touch of Evil just came out. You can do better than this.
From Columbia pictures comes a rom-com-dram directed by John Guillermin. It stars 3 big stars Donna Reed Stuart Granger and George Sanders. Good viewing
A film producer accused of murdering the leading lady of his latest project must acquit himself and save his marriage. Stewart Granger was more than apt at the part of the producer and his relationship with Donna Reed (who plays the part of his wife) is full of fairly intelligent dialogue. George Sanders' character as the actual killer of the leading lady, who had totally humiliated him with her numerous affairs, makes convincing sense as the plot unfolds of an older man confronted with a marriage that's only evidence of matrimony was the worthless piece of paper the marriage certificate was written on. The ending is a bit of a stretch, but there are a lot of nice interior shots of the jet set enjoying a swanky party on the French Riviera where the story takes place.
Stewart Granger stars a movie producer framed for the murder of his fiery Italian starlet actress (Gianna Maria Canale) by mysterious, conniving George Sanders. Donna Reed plays Granger’s wife.
The twisting plot is rather silly and disjointed but the film is never boring. Granger and Sanders are fine enough but Reed isn’t given enough to do and just looks understandably baffled most of the time. John Guillermin’s direction adds some nice tracking shots, long takes and effective change-of-scene edits and the black and white cinematography is pretty good (cinematographer Wilkie Cooper also shot Went The Day Well and a number of Ray Harryhausen movies). Good jazz score at the opening. Ultimately though it’s the weak script that stops this from being a great murder mystery.
A not-quite whodunit set in the French Riviera with a nice part for George Sanders, which is enough for me. … Sanders is looking older but oozes his usual “elegant villainy” (his words), while Stewart Granger, new to me, is pretty smooth (though I read he was a pain in the neck) and Donna Reed lovely in support. Also liked Michael Shillo as the French inspector. … The movie looks surprisingly good for so few Letterboxd reviews (cinematographer Wilkie Cooper), smart editing (many blockbusters in director John Guillermin’s future), and there’s some memorable rear projection in a couple of car rides. I’d say all the car action is a highlight.
The Whole Truth is a slickly produced and economically directed murder mystery. It has a great late-1950s cast: Stewart Granger, Donna Reed and George Sanders, who John Guillermin deploys to enliven the rather direct dialogue. I think the film has a superb 1st act anti-twist then twist. The whole first act is really intriguing and the film struggles a little to live up to it, but it has a jumpy jazz soundtrack and some French location shooting. Sanders, of course, effortlessly dominates the film, when he enters. Though, Granger does convince as the lying central figure, Donna Reed doesn't have much to do beyond look confused and then hurt, a role she was much over-qualified for. A very solid murder mystery, with lots to enjoy about it.
Noirvember 2023. While this may not be a pure film noir it's certainly a murder mystery with film noir leanings including infidelity, double crosses, a femme fatale, triple crosses, and of course murder. Director John Guillermin, who would later go on to helm bloated blockbusters like the 1976 King Kong remake and The Towering Inferno, impresses in this lean, taut thriller. Sometimes directors do their best work when under imposed constraints. It forces them to be more creative and think on their feet. I've no idea what the budget was for The Whole Truth but I would imagine it was a fraction of those aforementioned lavish blockbusters. Were Guillermin a less skilled director I don't think this French Riviera set…
An enjoyable thriller with a great cast and some nice twists and turns along the way.
Stewart Granger looks for "The Whole Truth" in this 1958 film also starring Donna Reed, George Sanders, and Gianna Maria Canale.
The exotic Canale plays the star of producer Granger's film. He once had an affair with her when his wife (Reed) briefly left him. It's over, but she wants to start it up again. Then a man (Sanders) visits Granger posing as a Scotland Yard detective and informs him that his star is dead.
Except she's not - she shows up at a party at Sanders' house. He drives her home, leaves the car, and when he returns to it, she is indeed dead. Granger must then prove that he was framed.
This film is a little disjointed. It…
Noir fused with comedy isn’t noir. This could have been a great film if the director had decided on a tone.
