Movie Title

[Dona]

I have tried very hard to track down a horror/mystery movie I sawa long time ago and precisely in the Autumn of 1973 at the Metropole CinemaLondon SW1 just before the big movies Magnum Force and Live and Let Die.Memories have faded unfortunately I do not have names of actors or any otherlinks in connection. I can just remember when it started there was a mysteryabout deaths of people, then a medieval building with a great sun coming insomeone sitting there hearing of people dying, towards the end of the filmeverything was crushing down and a young couple holding close managed tosurvive because they loved each other. Not a big film but quite unforgettable.I have been able to track down other films with very little information but notthis one. I have been browsing through thousand I also watched many on line butwithout success. I have nothing else to try. Any suggestions would be verywelcome. On the other hand perhaps you
could advise me if I have to give up to this. I look forward to hearing fromyou.
Sincerely
Dona Lay

PS It is not the Fall ofthe House of Usher (1960) or the Mask of the Red Death (1964)

[Gerald Lovell]

It sounds a bit like a ropey Christopher Lee film called End of the World, but that's a 1977 film.

[Dona]

It sounds a bit like a ropey Christopher Lee film called End of the World, but that's a 1977 film.

Thank you for the suggestion, but this film was watched in the Autumn of 1973, so it is not likely to be a 1977 release.

[wadsy]

I watched a 1973 Italian Horror film on TV recently that starred Mickey Hargitay & had a story

very simliar to that. IMDB suggests it could be titled "Rites, Black Magic & Secret Orgies in the 14th Century"!!

[Dona]

Thank you for the suggestions. Any suggestions are welcome whether right or not. The release date is right and the sypnosis could be in line, only I do not recall nudism or satanic rituals, but memories have faded a lot, I have to try to watch the film somewhere and if I see one or two scenes I can recall then it is the one. I will keep you informed. However this is the best answer so far.
Sincerely
Dona Lay

[Dona]

Hi

You supplied me with a good answer but I do not have the chance to watch this movie online, so I cannot say for sure whether it was the one. Any other suggestions with a similar story would be welcome.

Sincerely

Dona

[Rick C]

Dona, i have the schedule for every film at the Metropole for 1973. This is the cinema in Victoria, London?

The nearest match to your description is "The Wicker Man" which played there 6 December 1973 and then into the early part of 1974.

As far as 1972 is concerned the nearest match is "Tales from the Crypt" which premiered first at the Astoria Tottenham Court Road and then multiplied "due to demand" at the Metropole from September 28 to November 8, 1972. I have an advert of the Metropole playing "Tales from the Crypt" in 1972 if only I can get my scanner working.

Apart from that both in 1972 and 1973 a huge amount of recently-released 'Carry On' films made their debut here.


Hope this helps.
Rick C.

[Dona]

Hi Rick

It is great to hear from you saying that you have the schedule for every film at the Metropole London Victoria. I have been through the bowels of Google to trace this but without success. You probably have the answer. As far as the Wicker Man and Tales from the Crypt not likely. Now let me refresh the sypnosis. Memories have faded a lot unfortunately there is not much I can say. I remember the film opens with an investigation of people dying (not just one person). The problem about tracking down this film is that it was not a big film I remember people saying when showing that it was just a small film before the big one was due. I believe it was showing for just few days perhaps a week the most perhaps from mid to late November but I would not know this precisely. Now if you have the schedule for every film at the Metropole London Victoria, please look when Live and Let Die or Magnum Force were showing, just before either of these two films see if you can track down a small horror film. I trust you have the answer. I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards
Sincerely
Dona

[agutterfan]

Could it be Nothing But The Night? Right time period, relatively unknown .... see link to imdb.
Nothing But the Night (1973) - IMDb

Google image search for nothing but the night 1973, see if you recognise anything.

[Dona]

Could it be Nothing But The Night? Right time period, relatively unknown .... see link to imdb.
Nothing But the Night (1973) - IMDb

Google image search for nothing but the night 1973, see if you recognise anything.

Hi there

The film From beyond the Grave is quite a good answer though it is not the one. I watched episode 9 and 10 and I saw the beautiful sun coming through but not quite the same set up. A medieval man was sitting in a medieval room hearing of people dying. In order to recognise the film the first part and last part must coincide. The first part starts with a mystery of people dying no bargain shop with mirror. The last part whilst everything was crushing down a young couple holding close saying "we love each other". However, it was a good answer quite close.

Sincerely

Dona

[Dona]

Hi there

Thank you for assisting me in finding this film. I have been looking for nothing but the night 1973 first I tried to watch episodes on line but You Tube lately has deleted so many videos, the opening and the last episode woul be suffiecient to recognise the film. Nothing but the night has certainly an interesting beginning quite close to the film I am looking for , but the set up seems to be far off. I do not recall children and schools involved but memories have faded a lot. The film in question seemed to move from modern time to medieval time but of course there are many like this. I never had so much difficulty in tracing films even without knowing the release date but I am stuck with one. I am sure that the film is listed in imdb, but as being a low budget film with no famous actors involved, it is most likely that there was never a dvd or even video released and as it is quite a long time ago the search may be indeed very difficult.

Regards
Sincerely

Dona8-02-2012.jpg

[Rick C]

I'm having another shot at this Dona!

'Live and Let Die' played the Metropole Victoria August 9-November 8, 1973.

Immediately prior to that July 12-August 8 was showing an undersea diving submarine thriller "The Neptune Factor".No bodies in that missing or otherwise and was a "U" Certificate anyway.

Before that time-wise was Anthony Quinn in the Harlem crime drama "Across 110th Street" (May 17-July 18) which had moved over from the London Pavilion Piccadilly Circus previously.

Before that however, but we are going back to April 1973, was a b-movie Italian(?) detective double-bill entitled "The Law Enforcers" with "A Man to Respect". The latter starred Kirk Douglas and the the former has Cyril Cusack (of all people) in a supporting role. The synopsis for this one describes "the crime wave which mounts up in volume". Are we getting any warmer before we move off to the New Victoria just down the road?

[Dona]

Hi Rick

One again thank you for your assistance, if you have the full schedule of the films showing at the Metropole Victoria London SW1 for 1973 then we will get there eventually but it is going to be a bit slow as memories as faded a lot. The dates to look for are between September and December 1973 anything before or after these dates is not applicable, then it must be Magnum Force forget about Live and Let Die. Magnum Force was showing there between these dates this is for certain. Anything showing just before Magnum Force could be the answer. I look forward to hearing from you with god news.

Regards
Sincerely

Dona

[Rick C]

Hello again Dona

The first release of Magnum Force was not until December 13 1973 at the Warner Rendezvous, Leicester Square. Any Metropole showing would not have been until some time during 1974 therefore. Also Magnum Force was a Warner Bros film destined for the ABC Circuit and the Metropole was contracted to take Rank Organisation (Odeon and Gaumont) productions as a priority.There is also the Classic Cinema, Victoria only a few doors away from the Metropole however, and that did play Warner Bros action movies like 'Enter the Dragon'.

Unfortunately my records after 1973 are somewhat intermittent but I will keep on trying every time I get a brainwave. Might take a few weeks though!

[Dona]

Hi Rick

Thank you for your assistance. There is absolutely no concern about the length of time you take to look into this. I very much appreciate for whatever you can do even if it cannot reach a conclusion. No need to look for 1974 it is not applicable. Magnum Force was definitely showing at the London Cinemas in Victoria in late Autumn of 1973 (I was working there when I was at school to earn some pocket money from September to approximately mid December 1973 excluding Christmas). However I do have a refreshment if it can be of any help. The Metropole in Victoria was also used as a theatre. The Black and White Minstrel Show was showing for some time and it was probably after this when this film came in, I remember someone saying to me that it is just a small film before the next big one. See if you can make anything out of this. Also the Metropole Cinema was connected with the Victoria Palace Theatre and there the film Live and Let Die was showing. I had to move from the Metropole to the Victoria Palace.

Regards
Sincerely

Dona

Regards
Sincerely

[michaelmace]

I have tried very hard to track down a horror/mystery movie I sawa long time ago and precisely in the Autumn of 1973 at the Metropole CinemaLondon SW1 just before the big movies Magnum Force and Live and Let Die.Memories have faded unfortunately I do not have names of actors or any otherlinks in connection. I can just remember when it started there was a mysteryabout deaths of people, then a medieval building with a great sun coming insomeone sitting there hearing of people dying, towards the end of the filmeverything was crushing down and a young couple holding close managed tosurvive because they loved each other. Not a big film but quite unforgettable.I have been able to track down other films with very little information but notthis one. I have been browsing through thousand I also watched many on line butwithout success. I have nothing else to try. Any suggestions would be verywelcome. On the other hand perhaps you
could advise me if I have to give up to this. I look forward to hearing fromyou.
Sincerely
Dona Lay

PS It is not the Fall ofthe House of Usher (1960) or the Mask of the Red Death (1964)

The first thing that sprung to mind when I read the description was The Legend Of Hell House from 1973?

[Dona]

Hi there

Many thanks for your suggestion, any suggestions are very welcome. The Legend of Hell House was my first search but unfortunately it is not the film.

Sincerely

Dona

[Rick C]

There is one supernatural appearance of a support film shown immediately prior to 'Live and Let Die' at the Metropole called "Baffled" which had a para-psychology theme and concluded with a spooky goings-on in an English castle. The title is detailed on the imdb website under that name but had a few big names like Leonard 'Star Trek' Nimoy and Susan Hampshire.

I shall explain my 'unexplained' theory if the film turns out to be the correct one. Anyone out there....? LOL

[agutterfan]

Thinking about the sun inside a building, old setting, building collapse and couple survive ... could Dona be mixing up the stories within the anthology film From Beyond the Grave (1974). That could be story 4 "The Door", the couple being Ian Ogilvy and Leslie Anne-Down, with unexplained deaths being story 1 "The Gate Crasher", about a possessed mirror that makes david Warner murder young women until he swaps places with the trapped man ?

[Dona]

Hi Rick

The film From beyond the Grave is quite a good answer though it is not the one. I watched episode 9 and 10 and I saw the beautiful sun coming through but not quite the same set up. A medieval man was sitting in a medieval room hearing of people dying. In order to recognise the film the first part and last part must coincide. The first part starts with a mystery of people dying no bargain shop with mirror. The last part whilst everything was crushing down a young couple holding close saying "we love each other". However, it was a good answer quite close. Many thanks.

Sincerely

Dona