The Rough and the Smooth [Portrait of a Sinner] * (1959, Tony Britton, Nadja Tiller, William Bendix, Natasha Parry) – Classic Movie Review 13,103

The 1959 British film The Rough and the Smooth is a trashy melodrama about an exotic blonde German woman (Nadja Tiller) leading an English archaeologist Mike Thompson (Tony Britton) astray.

Director Robert Siodmak’s 1959 British melodrama film The Rough and the Smooth [Portrait of a Sinner] is based on Robin Maugham’s 1951 novel The Rough and the Smooth, and stars Tony Britton, Nadja Tiller, William Bendix, Natasha Parry, Norman Wooland, Donald Wolfit, Adrienne Corri, Joyce Carey, Tony Wright, Edward Chapman, and Beatrice Varley. It’s steamy but in the wrong way, lacking oxygen and chokingly claustrophobic.

The Rough and the Smooth is a trashy, oddball, over-the-top melodrama film about exotic, sex-crazy beautiful German woman Ila Hansen (Nadja Tiller) leading affectionate upper-class English archaeologist Mike Thompson (Tony Britton) away from his impending marriage to his fiancée Margaret Goreham (Natasha Parry). So far, so bad, though Ila is obviously also very busy with her employer Reg Barker (William Bendix). Oh, and and Mike’s career is dependent on Margaret’s rich uncle Lord Drewell (Donald Wolfit).

This soapy concoction has no connection with reality at all, and as such it can be enjoyed, but don’t expect something credible, intelligent, heartfelt and involving. The ripe performances from a rather fascinating cast perfectly complement the over-heated script (by Audrey Erskin-Lindop and Dudley Leslie) taken from Robin Maugham’s novel.

Also in the cast are Martin Miller, John Welsh, Michael Ward, Norman Pierce, Myles Eason, Cyril Smith, and Geoffrey Bayldon.

Even with some favourite performers on board, this film is much more rough than smooth. Robert Siodmak is way off his usual beat here, and obviously uncomfortably so.

Nevertheless, it was widely released. In 1961 it was given an American release by American International Pictures and it was distributed in Germany by Gloria Film.

German film director Robert Siodmak (8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973), who also worked in the US, is renowned as a thriller specialist, especially his 1940s film noir series, notably The Killers (1946).

The cast are Nadja Tiller as Ila Hansen, Tony Britton as Mike Thompson, William Bendix as Reg Barker, Natasha Parry as Margaret Goreham, Norman Wooland as David Fraser, Donald Wolfit as Lord Drewell, Tony Wright as Jack, Adrienne Corri as Jane Buller, Joyce Carey as Mrs Thompson, John Welsh as Dr Thompson, Martin Miller as Piggy, Michael Ward as head waiter, Edward Chapman as Willy Catch, Norman Pierce as Barman, Beatrice Varley as hotel manageress, Myles Eason as Bobby Montagu-Jones, Cyril Smith as taxi driver, and Geoffrey Bayldon as Ransom.

You may wonder why they didn’t get Wally Patch to Willy Catch.

(By the way, English actor and comedian Wally Patch (real name Walter Sydney Vinnicombe (26 September 1888 – 27 October 1970) made his first film appearance in 1927, and went on to appear in 213 more films.)

The Rough and the Smooth [Portrait of a Sinner] is directed by Robert Siodmak, runs 96 minutes, is made by George Minter Productions, is released by Renown Pictures, is written by Audrey Erskine Lindop and Dudley Leslie, based on Robin Maugham’s novel The Rough and the Smooth, is shot in black and white by Otto Heller, is produced by George Minter and Robert Siodmak, is scored by Douglas Gamley and Muir Mathieson.

Norman Pierce (5 September 1900 – 22 March 1968) played pub landlords and barmen in a number of films, and here he is again as Barman.

Robin Maugham was trained as a barrister, served with distinction in the Second World War, and wrote the successful novella The Servant, filmed in 1963 as The Servant with Dirk Bogarde and James Fox. This was followed by more than 30 books.

Nadja Tiller was born in Vienna on 16 March 1929.

Nadja Tiller died in Hamburg on 21 February 2023, aged 93.

Austrian actress Nadja Tiller (16 March 1929 – 21 February 2023) was one of the most popular German-speaking actresses in 1950s and 1960s international cinema. She married actor Walter Giller in 1956. In 1949 she won the Miss Austria beauty pageant competition.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,103

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