The Naked Edge
The Naked Edge
NR | 28 June 1961 (USA)
The Naked Edge Trailers

Five years after George Radcliffe was the chief witness in a high profile murder case, his wife receives a blackmailing letter accusing him of the crime.

Reviews
Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
gridoon2018 A visually elegant psychological mystery thriller, with stylish direction by Michael Anderson, an intelligent script by Joseph Stefano, and strong performances by two acting legends, Gary Cooper and Deborah Kerr. Some sequences are Hitchcockian (the one at the edge of a cliff in particular), but in its examination of (mutual) trust, doubt, and love, the film may also remind you of Claude Chabrol at his prime. And a great twist to cap it all off. *** out of 4.
MartinHafer When the film begins, George Radcliffe (Gary Cooper) is in court testifying in a murder case. Another man is subsequently convicted of the murder and the story jumps ahead several years. Now Radcliffe is rich and successful...and his wife receives an anonymous blackmail note. The note would seem to indicate that George was the real murderer! Well, instead of going to the police like any sane woman, she whines and way, way overacts for the entire rest of the film and I don't think I've ever seen Deborah Kerr more shrill and awful. She's not an actress, she's an over-actress!!! She overacts so badly it's embarrassing and I am shocked the director didn't tone down her performance so she only seemed like a totally crazy person (this would have been an improvement!!). But to make matters worse, in some of the subsequent scenes, the music goes nuts...absolutely nuts...with strains that sure sound inspired by the soundtrack from "Psycho". The problem is that NOTHING IS HAPPENING in these scenes and the music is totally inappropriate!!!"The Naked Edge" could have been a very good film. It's obvious that the director was going for a 'Hitchcockian' sort of picture but there are just to many problems with his direction and it comes off as second rate (at best). Now the problem is NOT the script. After all, Joseph Stefano wrote it...and he's the same guy responsible for "Psycho" and many of the best "Outer Limits" episodes. The story, aside from the overacting and bad music, is actually VERY good....even if it is highly reminiscent of "Suspicion". No, the problem is something that I would pin on three things...and sadly, it's Gary Cooper's last film and he deserved better.With different music and a different actress (or different direction) it could have easily earned an 8 or possibly a 9. The film is like a beautiful mansion that has dry rot and extensive termite damage hidden within the walls and foundation.
clanciai In Gary Cooper's last performance you can see that he is almost washed up, acting like an old age Roark (from 'The Fountainhead') stiffer than ever with very little stamina left, while fortunately Deborah Kerr makes up for it completely in her superb rendering of a married lady who just can't make things add up, wavering between an increasing suspicion of her husband's possibly having committed an heinous murder while at the same time refusing to believe it could be true. Another asset is Peter Cushing's brilliant acting as the prosecutor. The film begins with the murder trial with Gary Cooper sweating from the beginning, he himself can't make things quite fit while he is perfectly convinced that he couldn't be wrong, while the triumph of the film is the very clever story. By the accumulating inconsistencies a suspense is mercilessly built up and increased all the way to the bitter end in a virtuoso thriller more like Hitchcock than any Hitchcock. The real turning point though is the marvellous scene with Diane Cilento as the victim's wife, whom Deborah Kerr visits with traumatic consequences, which really triggers her suspicion and conviction that nothing in this story fits. After the climax in the end with all battles fought to the bitter end, everything falls into place however with perfect logic. This is a marvel of a thriller, and not even Hitchcock could have made it more exasperating in its irrevocably constantly increasing unbearable suspense. This is Michael Anderson's best film, and you regret that he didn't make more films like this one.
dglink During after hours in a nearly empty London office, a man is murdered and a sack of cash stolen. George Radcliffe, an American associate, is working late and witnesses the murderer's escape. Later, he is the key witness in a trial that sends the accused man to prison. But was he guilty? Where did the money go? Michael Anderson's 1961 thriller, "The Naked Edge," is a nicely done mystery that echoes Hitchcock's "Suspicion" in many respects. Hitchcock is also linked to the film through screenwriter Joseph Stefano, who earlier wrote "Psycho" and adapted the novel "First Train to Babylon" for this film. At age 60, Gary Cooper was at the end of his career and near the end of his life. Although looking tired as Radcliffe, Cooper manages, like Cary Grant in "Suspicion," to maintain his nice-guy image, while suggesting something darker and enigmatic. Lovely Deborah Kerr matches Joan Fontaine as the loving, but doubting wife. Kerr is at the center of the film as clues surface, her suspicions grow, and she seeks the truth behind both the murder and her husband's inexplicable behavior.A stellar cast of stalwart British actors support the stars; led by Hermione Gingold and the priceless Wilfred Lawson, the list includes Michael Wilding, Peter Cushing, Eric Porter, and Diane Cilento. The black-and-white cinematography by Erwin Hillier captures appropriately gritty images of working class London and shadowy atmospherics that enhance the climactic suspense. Only William Alwyn's music tends to overwhelm early in the film, when the composer telescopes the action and loudly punctuates critical moments. While Anderson is not Hitchcock, and "The Naked Edge" is not "Suspicion," the director manages to maintain a brisk pace, build tension and suspense, and reach an exciting and satisfying climax.Well done throughout, "The Naked Edge" will grip viewers and keep them absorbed to the end and beyond, when a voice-over warns the audience not to divulge the ending. Of interest for more than just a great American star's final role or for another opportunity to admire the always radiant Deborah Kerr, the film is a taut thriller that delivers. Although Hitchcock-like and Hitchcock-lite, "The Naked Edge" is worthwhile, even if dedicated crime buffs will likely outpace Kerr and guess the outcome.