The Penthouse * (1967, Suzy Kendall, Terence Morgan, Tony Beckley, Norman Rodway, Martine Beswick) – Classic Movie Review 11,674

British film director Peter Collinson (1 April 1936 – 16 December 1980).

Writer-director Peter Collinson’s 1967 British home invasion thriller The Penthouse is based on the 1964 play The Meter Man by Scott Forbes, and stars Suzy Kendall as Barbara Willison, Terence Morgan as Bruce Victor, Tony Beckley, Norman Rodway and Martine Beswick in a cast of five.

Three sadistic thugs invade a penthouse apartment and violate the adulterous couple occupants, in a shaky, rather dodgy début by director Collinson, one of Britain’s lost talents, whose successes included Up the Junction and The Italian Job.

What appears to be purely violent exploitation is at heart actually a rather intelligent drama, and quite cleverly written, but ultimately alienating since none of the characters – three are unimaginatively named ‘Tom’ (Tony Beckley), ‘Dick’ (Norman Rodway) and a female ‘Harry’ (Martine Beswick) – is easy to sympathise with or care for.

With Collinson’s flashy handling, it comes over as Swinging Sixties junk that is very difficult to watch.

The Penthouse runs 96 minutes, the music is by John Hawksworth and the cinematography is by Arthur Lavis, with sets designed by the art director Peter Mullins. It is produced by Harry Fine, Guido Coen (executive producer) and Michael Klinger (executive producer) for Compton Films and Tahiti Films, and distributed by Paramount British Pictures.

It was shot at Centre Point, London, and at Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, England.

Kendall and Collinson reconvened for Up the Junction.

From eight to 14, Collinson attended the Actor’s Orphanage, whose president Noël Coward became his godfather and helped him to work in the entertainment industry. Collinson later directed Coward in his best-known film, The Italian Job.

Collinson started by working in TV and met producer Michael Klinger, who gave him the chance to make his directorial debut with The Penthouse. The low-budget film was released in the US and a surprise hit.

Collinson died of cancer, aged 44, in 1980, after directing 17 movies.

Films directed by Peter Collinson: The Penthouse (1967), Up the Junction (1968), The Long Day’s Dying (1968), The Italian Job (1969), You Can’t Win ‘Em All (1970), Fright (1971), Straight On till Morning (1972), Innocent Bystanders (1972), The Man Called Noon (1973), Open Season (1974), And Then There Were None (1974), The Spiral Staircase (1975), Target of an Assassin (1976), The Sell Out (1976), Tomorrow Never Comes (1978), The House on Garibaldi Street (1979), and The Earthling (1980).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,674

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