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The Very Edge is a 1963 British drama film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Anne Heywood, Richard Todd, Jack Hedley, Jeremy Brett and Maurice Denham. The screenplay concerns a young woman who is assaulted and stalked by a maniac.[1]

The Very Edge
Original British quad poster
Directed by	Cyril Frankel
Written by	Leslie Bricusse Vivian Cox
Produced by	Raymond Stross
Starring	Anne Heywood Richard Todd Jack Hedley Jeremy Brett
Cinematography	Robert Huke
Edited by	Max Benedict
Music by	David Lee
Distributed by	British Lion Film Corporation
Release date	30 April 1963 (UK)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Plot

Happily married couple Tracey (Anne Heywood) and architect Geofrey (Richard Todd) are expecting their first child, when, one fateful day, a maniac, (Jeremy Brett), breaks into their home and assaults Tracey, causing her subsequent miscarriage. Initially unable to cope with life after the attack, Tracey is unresponsive to her husband , and her great trauma does not heal easily. Even after moving home, taking a holiday, and showing his wife every consideration, the strain of waiting for a second attack by the obsessive stalker, and his wife's continuing frigidity, tempts Geoffrey to start an affair with his secretary, who's confessed to falling in love with him whilst supporting him after becoming his secretary, and during his wife's hospitalisation. In the meantime, Scotland Yard detective, McInnes, (Jack Hedley), has been unable to find the psychopath responsible for the assault, and Tracey's safety is still in question as she is constantly stalked by the criminal.

Cast

• Anne Heywood as Tracey Lawrence
• Richard Todd as Geoffrey Lawrence
• Jack Hedley as McInnes
• Nicole Maurey as Helen
• Jeremy Brett as Mullen
• Barbara Mullen as Doctor Crawford
• Maurice Denham as Shaw
• William Lucas as Inspector Davies
• Gwen Watford as Sister Holden
• Patrick Magee as Simmonds

Critical reception

The Radio Times noted, "Another British cheapie that hoped to lure audiences into auditoriums with the sort of sensationalist story they devoured in their Sunday papers";[2] whereas TV Guide called it "An effectively handled psychodrama";[3] and Movie Magazine International wrote, "The intriguing element about "The Very Edge", under Cyril Frankel's assured direction, was that Tracey Lawrence had more of a psychic bond with her attacker than she did with her own husband. ... She had a compassion for his illness and she was, ironically, less of a victim around Mullen than she was around Geoffrey. ... Brett was riveting as the tortured psycho...";[4] and Sky Movies wrote, "Producer Raymond Stross put his wife Anne Heywood through her most strenuous acting test to date when he and Leslie Bricusse thought up this dramatic thriller...The plot bears a strong resemblance to the previous year's Return of a Stranger with John Ireland, although that didn't have the benefit of the distinguished supporting cast here, which includes Nicole Maurey, Jeremy Brett, Barbara Mullen, Maurice Denham, William Lucas, Gwen Watford and Patrick Magee."[5]

References

External links

• The Very Edge at IMDb
• The Very Edge at Rotten Tomatoes

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