Venetian Bird [The Assassin] * (1952, Richard Todd, Eva Bartok, George Coulouris, John Gregson, Sidney James, Margot Grahame, Walter Rilla) – Classic Movie Review 13,545  

The 1952 British thriller film Venetian Bird [The Assassin] is based on Victor Canning’s 1950 novel, and stars Richard Todd, Eva Bartok and John Gregson.

Director Ralph Thomas’s 1952 British thriller film Venetian Bird [The Assassin] is adapted by Victor Canning from his 1950 novel, and stars Richard Todd, Eva Bartok, and John Gregson, along with George Coulouris, Sidney James, Margot Grahame, and Walter Rilla.

Private eye or British private detective, or spy or wartime hero, or the assassin, or whatever he is, Edward Mercer (Richard Todd) heads a manhunt in touristy Venice, leading to murder, mayhem, intrigue and love with enigmatic foreigner and femme fatale Arianna (Eva Bartok). Mercer arrives in Venice to try to find an ex-partisan on behalf of a French insurance company, and gets mixed-up in a political assassination conspiracy.

Venice exerts its eternal appeal (it’s fascinating to see how it was back in 1952), and so does Nino Rota’s music, but some of the acting and Victor Canning’s Third Man-style story and screenplay from his novel Venetian Bird do not so much. And director Thomas does not really manage enough suspense and tension. Plus cinematographer Ernest Steward shoots (admittedly imaginatively) in black and white. Where is the colour this film needs? Apparently Box and Thomas decided not to use colour as they felt that it would not suit the thriller genre, well possibly, though it would certainly have suited Venice.

Nevertheless, despite variously dull, weak or unengaged performances from the leads (Todd is very uptight and starchy, Bartok is none too convincing), there are the two Sidneys to look forward to (Sidney James as Bernardo!, Sydney Tafleras Boldesca!), plus Michael Balfour, Miles Malleson, and Eric Pohlmann, so all is well on the character acting front.

Filming started in March 1952 and it was released on 3 November 1952. It was shot at Pinewood Studios for three weeks and on location in Venice for five weeks.

After all the hard work, it flopped at the box office, taking only £80,000.

Richard Todd recalled: ‘I had working on it, particularly with the exuberant Ralph Thomas as director. He was always ready to see the funny side of things.’

The cast are Richard Todd as Edward Mercer, Eva Bartok as Adriana Medova, John Gregson as Renzo Uccello, George Coulouris as Chief of Police Spadoni, Sidney James as Bernardo, Margot Grahame as Rosa Melitus, David Hurst as Minelli, Walter Rilla as Count Boria, John Bailey as Lieutenant Longo, Michael Balfour as Moretto, Martin Boddey as Gufo, Sydney Tafler as Boldesca, Miles Malleson as Grespi, Eric Pohlmann as Gostini, Raymond Young as Luigi, Ferdy Mayne as Tio, Jill Clifford as Renata, Eileen Way as detective, Toni Lucarda as Nerva, Janice Kane as Ninetta, and Meier Tzelniker as Mayor of Mirave.

The Assassin is the US title.

Talking of Victor Canning and birds, Alfred Hitchcock filmed Victor Canning’s 1972 novel The Rainbird Pattern as Family Plot (1976). Venetian Bird was also adapted into a 1975 two-part episode of the CBS detective TV series Mannix, with Mike Connors.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,545

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