Chase a Crooked Shadow (1958)

Directed by Michael Anderson; produced by Douglas Fairbanks Jr and Thomas Clyde

Kimberley Prescott (Anne Baxter), daughter of a South African diamond millionaire, arrives at her villa in Spain following the suicide of her father. That event had come while Kimberley was still mourning the death of her brother, Ward, in a car accident. She is shocked when a man (Richard Todd) arrives claiming to be that brother. Though she says that he isn’t Ward - doesn’t even look like him - his identity papers, his pictures and even her uncle (Alexander Knox) counter her belief. Is she going crazy, or is there a plot against her? Or is there something even more sinister at work?

I enjoy stories such as that which Chase a Crooked Shadow presented. They, like tales in which the protagonist suffers amnesia, or there is otherwise some confusion about someone’s identity, can be very entertaining. But there is a large portion of these in which the writers create too much of a mystery - or, rather, dig too deep a hole for themselves. This film unfortunately falls into that category.

The performances are good. By this time, Baxter had already shown in numerous movies that she was a fine actress, and could handle lead roles. Todd is a capable and engaging actor. Though the film mostly comprises the interaction between these two, there is satisfactory support from Herbert Lom as an intelligent local police officer, and Faith Brook as a possible criminal.

Neither is there a complaint about the direction or production, except, perhaps, given the beautiful setting – on Spain’s Mediterranean coast - assistance would have been lent by filming the movie in colour.

The story, as I mentioned, is promising, but the execution is at fault. If there is a conspiracy afoot, then it is so detailed, and the conspirators so knowledgeable, as to be incredible. For instance, Todd’s character is as superb a car-driver as was Ward - the latter won several racing competitions - and drives a particular course in record time to prove his identity to Kimberley. If he is Ward, how could he still be alive. If, on the other hand, Kimberley is correct, there are no clues given as to how and why an imposter could have acquired his skills. The viewer keeps waiting for the explanation which when it comes is, I think, inadequate.

As well, the conclusion depends upon the breakdown of a character and, though the psychological effects of pressure are subjective, I didn’t feel that in this case, the result was justified by what went before. Indeed, the dialogue that was evidently expected and required for the plot’s resolution was rather specific, and did not, I think, follow as a natural progression of events.

As I was watching Chase a Crooked Shadow, I was reminded of a superior television film called Vanishing Act (1986), which follows a similar premise. This movie, from Richard Levinson and William Link (the pair responsible for Columbo) has a character commit an incriminating act that is more plausible than Chase a Crooked Shadow’s. There can be much variation in what a character does in drama, but in a mystery, the standards are tougher, because viewers generally demand a more logical progression in behaviour than in other genres.

While it is well-acted and directed, Chase a Crooked Shadow over-plays its hand for much of the script, and then under-plays it at the end.