The Silent Playground

The Silent Playground is a 1963 British thriller film written and directed by Stanley Goulder.[2][3]

The Silent Playground
Directed byStanley Goulder
Produced byGeorge Mills
Written byStanley Goulder
StarringRoland Curram
Bernard Archard
Jean Anderson
Ellen McIntosh
Music byTristram Cary
CinematographyMartin Curtis
Edited byPeter Musgrave
Production
company
Focus Film Productions
Distributed byBritish Lion (UK)
Release date
  • 31 December 1963 (1963-12-31) (UK)
Running time
75 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Production

The film was shot on location in 24 days for $75,000 by debut feature director Goulder, who had previously made documentaries.[1][4]

Plot premise

Police hunt for mental hospital out patient Simon Lacey (Roland Curram), who has been unwittingly handing out barbiturates to children as sweets.

Cast
  • Bernard Archard as Insp. Duffy
  • Jean Anderson as Mrs. Lacey
  • Roland Curram as Simon Lacey
  • Ellen McIntosh as Mavis Nugent
  • John Ronane as Alan
  • Desmond Llewelyn as Dr. Green
  • Rowena Gregory as Jane Wilson
  • Basil Beale as Sgt. Clark
  • Cheryl Molineaux as Ruby
  • Michael Byrne as Roger
  • Malya Nappi as Mrs. Rosati
  • Margaret Flint as Mrs. Fairgrove (as Maggie Flint)
  • Mollie Maureen as Mrs. McCarthy
  • Gretchen Franklin as Mrs. Elgin
  • Barbara Miller as Mrs. Heatherley
  • Christine Ozanne as Mrs. Briggs
  • Anna Turner as Mrs. Ward
  • Victor Charrington as Sgt. in sub-station
  • Edward Dentith as Cinema manager
  • Margaret Durnell as Matron
  • Rickford Harris as Johnny
  • Aileen Harte as Mrs. Nesbitt
  • J. Mark Roberts as P.C. in sub-station
  • Donald Tandy as Hospital porter
  • Joe Wadham as Duffy's driver
  • Peter Wells as Ted

Reception

It was a commercial disappointment.[5]

Critical

Variety wrote "this is quality production...[Goulder's] screenplay is taut, economic and natural in dialog and his direction is unfussy and alert."[1] and TV Guide wrote "The story never panders to its more-sensational elements but is, instead, an intelligent and sensitive thriller."[6]

References
  1. "The Silent Playground". Variety. January 1, 1964.
  2. "Watch The Silent Playground". BFI Player.
  3. "The Silent Playground (1964)". BFI.
  4. "Stanley Goulder". BFI.
  5. Petrie, Duncan James (2017). "Bryanston Films : An Experiment in Cooperative Independent Production and Distribution" (PDF). Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: 12. ISSN 1465-3451.
  6. "The Silent Playground | TV Guide". TVGuide.com.


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