The Naked Edge

1961 "ONLY THE MAN WHO WROTE PSYCHO COULD JOLT YOU LIKE THIS!"
6.6| 1h40m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 30 June 1961 Released
Producted By: United Artists
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Info

Five years after George Radcliffe was the chief witness in a high profile murder case, his wife receives a blackmailing letter accusing him of the crime.

Genre

Thriller, Mystery

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Director

Michael Anderson

Production Companies

United Artists

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The Naked Edge Audience Reviews

Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
HotToastyRag This movie might have been called The Cutting Edge for all the boundaries of 1961 it pushed! It utilizes innovative camera and editing techniques that echo Alfred Hitchcock's scary scenes from Psycho, alludes to sex in a way few films had been able to do since the fall of the Hays Code, and put the word "naked" in the title! Even the first shot of the film is unusual, making you wonder, "Why did they show that? What am I missing?" for the first of many times as the mystery continues throughout the film. A bead of sweat is shown running down Gary Cooper's face. He's in court, ready to testify as a key witness to a murder. His accounting condemns a man to life imprisonment, and the guilt rattles him after the trial. Years later, he's a successful businessman, and he and his wife Deborah Kerr are living a life of luxury. He receives a threatening letter, making Deborah doubt his testimony all those years ago. . .The Naked Edge is one scary movie! I'm not his biggest fan, but Gary Cooper gives a more energetic performance than he usually does. Although Deborah's character isn't written to be the smartest tool in the shed, she does a good job exuding her fear and doubt without turning it into a melodrama. Usually, Gary plays likable, earnest roles. This is the only movie I've seen where Gary Cooper plays a bad guy! This one's pretty scary and very suspenseful, so rent it on Halloween and cuddle up to your honey—or don't. . .DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, there's one part of the movie that might that will make you sick. There's a scene where Deborah Kerr gets lost and when she runs up and down the streets, the camera is hand-held. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
bnwfilmbuff A sales manager (Gary Cooper) fingers coworker (Ray McAnally) for the murder of his boss and theft of a large sum of money. After the trial, Cooper tells wife Deborah Kerr that he is purchasing a business with a large sum of money he made from a killing in the market. With the prodding of blackmailer Eric Portman, Kerr grows increasingly suspicious that her husband was guilty of the murder and theft. Cooper was horribly miscast: He was too old for this role - he looked ridiculous next to Kerr discussing how they were struggling to make it. Coop at the time was around 60 years old and looked much older; by contrast Kerr was about 40 and looked younger (and was lovely to boot). Thus he's never believable in the role. The direction of this movie left much to be desired. The scenes become tedious replaying themselves over several times. Music blares at points when high suspense is supposed to build. The courtroom scenes were stagy and failed to build any drama. The ending was less than satisfactory feeling rushed and not tying in the loose ends. Nevertheless, the cast is good and turned in fine performances with the exception of Cooper, who struggled with the dialog, and Michael Wilding who is mostly wasted. And the plot is interesting enough but the script and execution are lacking. Some of the cinematography of London is very good and in general the film has an appropriate dark noirish atmosphere. However, there's a good reason why this is a forgotten thriller.
Maddyclassicfilms The Naked Edge is directed by Michael Anderson, has a screenplay by Joseph Stefano which is based on the novel by Max Ehrlich. The film stars Gary Cooper, Deborah Kerr, Diane Cilento, Ray McAnally, Peter Cushing and Eric Portman.This is a cracking thriller, filled with plenty of tension and good performances. The film struck me as being very similar to Hitchcock's Suspicion, focusing on the wife beginning to doubt her husband and fear for own safety a little.George Radcliffe(Gary Cooper)witnesses a murder and robbery. Donald Heath(Ray McAnally)is arrested for the crime, he strongly insists that he is innocent but at the end of the trial he is found guilty and sent to prison.Some time later Radcliffe's wife Martha(Deborah Kerr)receives a blackmail letter which claims George was the killer. Martha slowly finds herself beginning to doubt her husbands innocence and becomes frightened of him.George says he is innocent and is hurt that she could doubt him. Martha tries to get to truth and even meets the blackmailer(a sinister performance by Eric Portman)to try and get to the truth. Up until the final scene we're not sure just how innocent or guilty George is and that adds to the suspense and tension the film builds up. Cooper plays the character in a way that you can see guilt if you look for it, you can also see innocence too and you're never entirely sure what to make of him.Cooper and Kerr are excellent, I think it's a real shame that they never made other films together. Diane Cilento is very good as the wife of Heath, she knows her man is innocent and will stand by him no matter what, she believes George is the real killer. Eric Portman is creepy as the mysterious blackmailer.I think the music spoils the film, it is much too loud and intrusive in scenes where music wasn't needed. Apart from that this is a very good thriller.
perfectbond The suspense of this film evokes the work of Alfred Hitchcock. It doesn't quite live up to such a comparison but nonetheless the plot and character interactions should rivet most viewers to the film. Creative shot selection (especially the preparation of the wife's death), fine performances (especially from Deborah Kerr), and a compelling plot create an entertaining movie experience, 7/10. I think this was Gary Cooper's last screen performance.