Fragment of Fear *** (1970, David Hemmings, Gayle Hunnicutt, Wilfrid Hyde White, Roland Culver, Daniel Massey, Flora Robson) – Classic Movie Review 8.661

Director Richard C Sarafian’s 1970 British film Fragment of Fear is a stylish and impeccably photographed though impenetrable mystery thriller about an English, ex-drug-taking writer, Tim Brett (David Hemmings), who thinks he is going potty as he tries to make sense of weird events like the murder of his philanthropist aunt Lucy Dawson (Flora Robson), whose body was found by Juliet (Gayle Hunnicutt).

To get to the bottom of the plot he thinks he sees around him, he sets off for Italy, meanwhile starting a relationship with Juliet, leading to their fast engagement and approaching wedding.

Hemmings, Hunnicutt, Robson, Roland Culver, Daniel Massey, Wilfrid Hyde White and Adolfo Celi head a strong cast, who all get their moments to shine, and Sarafian directs teasingly, just as he does in the 1971 Vanishing Point. Paul Dehn writes the screenplay, adapting the novel by John Bingham.

Philip Stone (sergeant) and Glynn Edwards (superintendent) are typecast though good as the CID cops, and so is Derek Newark as the police sergeant, Sgt Matthews.

Also in the cast are Mona Washbourne, Arthur Lowe, Yootha Joyce, Derek Newark, Patricia Hayes, Mary Wimbush, Philip Stone, Glynn Edwards, Massimo Sarchielli, Angelo Infanti, Bernard Archard, Kenneth Cranham, Michael Rothwell, Petra Markham, Georgina Moon, Lois Hyett, Jon Rae, Edward Kemp, Hilda Barry, Kurt Christian, Jessica Dublin, Louise Lambert and Richard Kerr. Columbus plays a London pigeon.

Hemmings and Hunnicutt were married at the time. Hemmings directed his first film in 1972, the thriller Running Scared, starring Hunnicutt, his wife from 1968 to 1975. Hemmings and Hunnicutt also co-starred in Voices (1973). Hunnicutt co-starred with James Garner in the detective film Marlowe (1969) and appeared in The Legend of Hell House (1973).

Johnny Harris’s jazz score was used by Levi’s in the late 1990s for the soundtrack of its European Kung Fu TV advertising campaign.

Director Richard C Sarafian (1930–2013) is known for known for Vanishing Point (1971), The Next Man (1976), The Wachowski siblings’ thriller Bound (1996) (playing Gino Marzzone) and Les Mayfield’s action comedy Blue Streak (1999) (playing Uncle Lou).

American film, TV and stage actress Gayle Hunnicutt (Lady Jenkins, February 6, 1943 – August 31, 2023) appeared in more than 30 films. Hunnicutt married David Hemmings on 16 November 1968 and divorced in 1975, and married journalist Simon Jenkins in 1978 and divorced in 2009.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8,661

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