Unman, Wittering and Zigo *** (1971, David Hemmings, Carolyn Seymour, Douglas Wilmer) – Classic Movie Review 8323

Director John Mackenzie’s engagingly weird 1971 British thriller Unman, Wittering and Zigo stars David Hemmings, Douglas Wilmer, Hamilton Dyce, Carolyn Seymour and Tony Haygarth.

Giles Cooper’s Fifties British radio and TV play about a new teacher under threat after his schoolboys tell him that they have killed his predecessor makes an atmospheric, if only half-chilling thriller.

It is good that there is a pungent sniff of school dinners and that you can smell the chalk on David Hemmings, who gives a solid, believable performance as the teacher, as does polished Douglas Wilmer as the snooty headmaster.

But the old-style material seems stretched and not as exciting as it could be, because there is not really much of a mystery. Still, director Mackenzie keeps it moving along and it is well up to the standards of the average TV movie. Michael Kitchen is the most familiar face among the boys, as Bungabine. Michael Cashman plays Terhew, David Auker plays Aggeridge, Tom Morris plays Ankerton, Nicholas Hoye plays Cloistermouth and Tom Owen plays Cuthbun, with James Wardroper as Lipstrob. Michael Howe is Unman, Colin Barrie is Wittering but who is Zigo?

Also in the cast are Donald Gee, Michael Cashman, Barbara Lott, David Jackson and Hubert Rees.

Unman, Wittering and Zigo is directed by John Mackenzie, runs 101 minutes, is made by Hemmings and Mediarts, is released by Paramount, is written by Simon Raven, based on Giles Cooper’s Fifties British radio and TV play, is shot in Eastmancolor by Geoffrey Unsworth, is produced by David Hemmings (executive producer) and Gareth Wigan (producer) and is scored by Michael J Lewis, with Art Direction by William McCrow.

Oddly, in his autobiography Hemmings describes a different ending to the film.

 © Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8323

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