Soho Incident [Spin a Dark Web] *** (1956, Faith Domergue, Lee Patterson, Rona Anderson, Martin Benson) – Classic Movie Review 13,091

American cinema release poster for the UK film Soho Incident.

A Canadian veteran (Lee Patterson) living in London meets femme fatale Bella (Faith Domergue), who draws him into her brother’s gangland activities, in the brisk 1956 British film noir Soho Incident.

Director Vernon Sewell’s brisk and businesslike 1956 British film noir Soho Incident [Spin a Dark Web] stars Faith Domergue, Lee Patterson, Rona Anderson, and Martin Benson. The screenplay by Ian Stuart Black is based on the 1937 novel Wide Boys Never Work by Robert Westerby. A Canadian veteran (Lee Patterson) living in London is trying to succeed as a prize fighter, but meets Bella (Faith Domergue), the sister of a local mob leader, who draws him into the gang’s activities.

Lee Patterson stars as Jim Bankley a Canadian veteran living in London, who is trying to succeed as a prize fighter, but without having much luck. Via an old army buddy, he meets and begins working for local Sicilian mob boss Rico Francesi (Martin Benson). Bankley falls in love with Rico’s sister, the femme fatale Bella Francesi (Faith Domergue), who draws him into the gang’s activities. When he finds himself involved in a murder plot, he realises Bella is just using him and resolves to try to escape the gang.

Yep, good one, a sweet 1956 British film noir. And there is all her glory is Faith Domergue, born to play the femme fatale. And there is all its glory is Soho, in the days before it was gentrified and spoiled. Vernon Sewell keeps a tight, practised hand on the film, and there’s no slack in the screenplay.

It was released in the US as Spin a Dark Web.

Rona Anderson with her husband Gordon Jackson.

The cast are Faith Domergue as Bella Francesi, Lee Patterson as Jim Bankley, Rona Anderson as Betty Walker, Martin Benson as Rico Francesi, Robert Arden as Buddy, Joss Ambler as Tom Walker, Peter Hammond as Bill Walker, Peter Burton as Inspector Collis, Sam Kydd as Sam, Russell Westwood as Mick, Patricia Ryan as Audrey, and Bernard Fox as McLeod.

Soho Incident is directed by Vernon Sewell, runs 77 minutes, is made by Frankovich Productions, is distributed by Columbia Pictures, is written by Ian Stuart Black, based on on the novel Wide Boys Never Work by Robert Westerby, is produced by M J Frankovich and George Maynard, is shot by Basil Emmott, and is scored by Robert Sharples [Bob Sharples].

Release dates: March 1956 (UK) and October 1956 (US).

Bob Sharples wrote the theme tunes for ABC’s TV show Public Eye and the later series of Special Branch under the pseudonym Robert Earley, which was an in-joke, as he often arrived late for sessions. In the early 1960s he became musical director for ABC Television, where he formed The ABC Television Orchestra to supply music for all the ABC shows. He was well-known from the long-running talent show Opportunity Knocks (from 1964 to 1978), whose host Hughie Green would refer to Sharples as ‘Uncle Bob’.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,091

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Faith Domergue with Robert Mitchum in Where Danger Lives (1950).