“Discovering
a dying priest in an alley
implicates a young biker in his killing
in this adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse, but as he struggles
to clear his name he is led deeper into
a sinister world of dark forces, murder
and black magic...”
SET
IN 1964, THE PALE HORSE has a brilliant sense of period and begins with motorbike-riding
sculptor Mark Easterbrook (Colin Buchanan: Dalziel and Pascoe) stumbling
across a dying priest, Father Gorman (Geoffrey Beevers), outside the theatre
where he has been watching a play with his current squeeze Hermia Redcliffe
(Hermione Norris: Cold Feet; Spooks).
As he dies, Father Gorman pushes a piece of paper with a list of names written
on it into Mark's hand, which later has the elements of a hit list as the people
named on it have begun to fall seriously ill and die in mysterious circumstances
of apparently natural causes.
“A fine murder mystery drama, The Pale Horse
is an intriguing Sixties-set film with a dark side but light-hearted
appeal...”
Investigating
the case, Chief Inspector LeJeune (Trevor Byfield) and Sgt Corrigan (a terrific
character superbly played by Andy Serkis: The Lord Of The Rings; The Hobbit)
find a wrench from Mark's motorbike tool kit that has been used as the murder
weapon.
When they question Dr Osbourne (Tim Potter), with whom Father Gorman had been
moments before his death, they are told that the doctor saw a leather-jacketed
youth loitering in the area who fits the description of Mark.
A market researcher has already died having been diagnosed with Pernicious Anaemia
and a friend of Hermia's, Tilly Tuckerton (Anna Livia Ryan) has become very
ill. Both were on the list. Hermia and Mark visit Tilly, who lives with her
stepmother Florence (Louise Jameson) and her daughter Poppy (Catherine Holman)
to try to find out more about her.
Tilly's closest friend Kate Mercer (Jayne Ashbourne: Casualty; New Street
Law), an art restorer, has come to see Tilly, whose hair is coming out in
handfuls and who is begging Kate to take her to live in London so she can "get
away from The Pale Horse".
When the clearly terrified Tilly dies, supposedly of a virus, Kate and Mark
— who are already attracted to each other — decide to
investigate as Mark is convinced there is a connection with the deaths that
will lead to the real murderer of Father Gorman.
The search for answers takes them to the home of art collector Mr Venables (Michael
Byrne: Quartet; Gangs Of New York), a theatre-lover who is wheelchair-bound
and may not be all he seems to be; a scheming Commission Agent Lincoln Bradley
(Leslie Phillips: Venus; Casanova '73), who takes bets on people's lives;
and the spooky home of three strange women who practice the dark arts: Thyrza
Grey (Jean Marsh: Upstairs, Downstairs), Sybil Stamfordis (Ruth Madoc)
and Bella (Maggie Shevlin).
So why are the people on the list being killed and how? Could it really be a
curse that is placed there by the so-called 'Three Witches'; or is there a more
Earthly reason? Hampered by the bumbling Chief Inspector and helped by his able
Sergeant, Mark's determination to clear his name and expose the mastermind behind
this money-making crime places not only himself but Kate in the most terrible
danger…
A fine murder mystery drama, The Pale Horse is an intriguing Sixties-set
film with a dark side but light-hearted appeal. With a marvellous cast, the
film includes some interesting cars from the period such as the Triumph Vitesse,
original Mini and a Wolseley and is a classic Whodunit?.
Filmed in 1997, The Pale Horse also features: Richard O'Callaghan as
Donald; and Martin Kennedy as Tate.
Original Music is by Colin Towns; Director of Photography is Witold Stok, BSC;
Screenplay is by Alma Cullen from the novel by Agatha Christie; Producer is
Adrian Bale; and Directed by Charles Beeson.
*
From
the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, comes an intriguing tale of murder and
black magic, The Pale Horse, released on 4 March 2013. Catalogue Number:
AV3094 | Running Time: 101 Minutes | RRP: £17.99.
“Discovering
a dying priest in an alley