Product Details

• Released on: 2004-06-21
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, NTSC, Import
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Running time: 85 minutes

Review
Time Without Pity is an unusual film noir in that, though it has at its center a murder, it is not a murder mystery. Rather, the film's considerable suspense comes from wondering whether the real killer will be fingered before the accused is put to death. This may seem like a small point, but it actually provides a very high level of tension throughout and also distinguishes Time from many other murder films of the period. Credit goes both to director Joseph Losey and adapter Ben Barzman for the creation and maintenance of the palpable tension, which is crucial to Time's success. Barzman's script is lean and skillful, and peppered with memorable twists. For his part, Losey never lets the viewer forget that time is the real enemy in this picture; few films are as feverishly obsessed with time and its passage. He also gets marvelous performances from Ann Todd and Leo McKern, and a tremendously powerful one from Michael Redgrave. Looking like hell, Redgrave's torment (and deep regret) are painful -- and so is his weakness. Even more than Losey's or Barzman's, Redgrave's contribution is essential to Time's success. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

On the DVD
New digital transfer
Peter Roleum and His Cousins, Losey's directorial debut film short, commissioned for the 1939 New York World's Fair
Director and actor filmographies
Essay by author and critic Wheeler Winston Dixon

Synopsis
Time Without Pity carried the name "Joseph Losey" on the credits -- the first time in three years that the blacklisted director was permitted to use his own name on a film. This British-made suspense film was based on a play by Emlyn Williams. Michael Redgrave stars an anguished father whose son (Alec McCowan) is accused of murder. With time running out, Redgrave struggles to prove his son innocent of the charge. The paranoia prevalent in Time Without Pity can be attributed to Losey's own experience at the hands of the HUAC, though this element never gets out of artistic control. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Customer Reviews

Gripping British Thriller
"Time Without Pity", a tense British film noir, was directed by Joseph Losey, and released theatrically in 1957. An unsuccessful British author (Michael Redgrave) returns to England from Canada in a last-ditch effort to save his son from the gallows. His son's girlfriend was murdered. The son was arrested, tried, found guilty and sentenced to death. He will be hanged within 24 hours, unless new evidence can be found to put the guilty verdict in doubt. Racing against time, Mr. Redgrave confronts various people connected to his son, in a desperate attempt to find the truth before his son is executed. His efforts are complicated by his own battle with alcoholism, and the disdain of the son he is trying to save.

While the whole cast is strong, Michael Redgrave gives a shattering performance that you will not forget. Leo McKern is also powerful as a sleazy auto dealer who--like other characters in this film--knows a lot more than he is willing to divulge. A young Joan Plowright is cast as a showgirl, and you will also see a "pre-Miss Moneypenny" Lois Maxwell as McKern's glamourous secretary. Peter Cushing is appropriately stoic as the lawyer who unsuccessfully defended the son.

The DVD exhibits a decent B & W picture--I found that I had to adjust the sound level a couple of times.

Whether you like old-fashioned thrillers, classic British cinema or the bravura performance of a great actor, "Time Without Pity" deserves your attention. Recommended.