Rogue's Yarn (1957) User Reviews

Early Columbo prototype

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 12 June 2016]

ROGUE'S YARN is an intriguing little murder mystery, shot in Brighton by director Vernon Sewell and featuring his famous yacht that had previously appeared in the likes of GHOST SHIP alongside many other productions. As some other reviewers on here have noted, the structure of the film and the content make it feel very much like a COLUMBO episode, with the murderer introduced to the viewer at the outset.

The dashing Derek Bond plays an adulterous husband who plots to bump off his invalid wife with the help of his mistress. All goes according to plan, until a dogged detective shows up and threatens exposure. What follows is a fun police procedural movie, with a lot of screen time spent on the unravelling of a perfect alibi.

The unknown Elwyn Brook-Jones stars as the detective, with the familiar Hugh Latimer in comic relief support as his sergeant. I wasn't familiar with Brook-Jones before this film, but the Roy Kinnear lookalike does a good job at bringing his working class character to life. He makes Walker both a realistic and likable presence. Although ROGUE'S YARN is undoubtedly a B-movie in terms of budget and narrative, Sewell is one of those directors with the capability to make any film look good and there's a great suspense sequence involving a leaking gas tap.

A kind of British Columbo many years before the American one.

[zippgun · 6/10 · 3 October 2015]

This British B movie, one with important nautical elements in its plot, reminded me of an episode of Columbo. It's a tale of murder and detection where we know "who dunnit", and how the killer fixed himself the "perfect alibi", from the start.

Egged on by his greedy mistress, a middle aged man of what was once called "good breeding", kills his rich, termagant of a wife (who was expected to die, but is in recovery) for her money, and gives himself a seemingly unbreakable alibi. Initially the murder appears to have been the work of a burglar, but enter our hero, Inspector Walker, a short, not handsome or attractive police detective, who cleverly suspects the husband almost from the start, and sets about looking for the evidence to get him. Walker is a much more conventional type than Columbo, but still something of a maverick as an investigator (though he doesn't harass and irritate his suspects to death!) nor is he such an eccentric personality as Peter Falk's character, there are no real moments of Columbo reminiscent comedy in the portrayal. Unlike Columbo, Walker is often seen working with a police underling (the man playing that part resembling comic actor Edward Everett Horton!).

Elwyn Brook-Jones, whose appearance meant he often played villainous parts on screen, here gets a chance to be a good guy (sadly this distinctive actor died in 1962 aged only 50). Derek Bond (once a screen Nicholas Nickleby, whose career was on the slide by the time this movie was made) is the distinguished looking murderer. Nicole Maurey was a very attractive lady, but here she overacts at times as the grasping mistress - a character who is somewhat inconsistently written.

There is one completely risible scene where our detective escapes death in a way that stretches coincidence way beyond the even remotely plausible, but on the whole I quite enjoyed the film. The performance by Mr Brook-Jones interested me enough to find out more about this rather obscure character actor.

Rendezvous at Le Havre

[richardchatten · 6/10 · 19 November 2020]

The opening scene between Derek Bond and Nicole Maurey was so stilted I fully expected it to be revealed to be a scene from a play in front of an audience.

But no, it was the actual plot being hatched; and throughout the film stagy dialogue scenes indoors were punctuated by the occasional breath of fresh air provided by scenes shot outdoors; especially those where director Vernon Sewell was permitted to indulge his evident love of boats. Fortunately the plot is sufficiently interesting to continue holding your attention until the dramatic final shot of Ms Maurey (on board a boat, naturally).

The resemblance of Elwyn Brook-Jones's pipe-smoking detective to Columbo has already been pointed out. But Sewell evidently also had in mind insurance investigator Barton Keyes in 'Double Indemnity'; which is actually name-checked at one point by a character who says of Bond "If this was a movie I'd say he dunnit!" and that "If Edward G. Robinson were here he'd have the murderer!!"

nautical thriller

[malcolmgsw · 6/10 · 5 August 2015]

Vernon Sewell,the director owned a boat and liked to have it featured in a number of his films. In this film it provides the setting for much of the action.Sewell makes a decent attempt to try and convince us that there was a reasonable chance that the police would not be able to get enough evidence to charge him with murder. There is though one unintentionally funny scene where Bond has opened up a gas pipe in an attempt to blow up the detective.The detective keeps on trying to light his pipe with matches and a lighter but nothing works. This is rather an entertaining thriller. Obviously Sewell must have enjoyed himself particularly with all the nautical terms included in the script.

A useful time capsule of a bygone era of British filmmaking and a prototype Columbo.

[jamesraeburn2003 · 5 January 2016]

John Marsden (Derek Bond) is persuaded by his glamorous mistress, Michele (Nicole Maurey), to murder his invalid wife for her money. He devises what seems to be the perfect murder plot by having himself appear to be in charge of his yacht when the deed is done. This he achieves by fitting an autopilot to his vessel and, as soon as he has cleared Shoreham harbour, he dives off the yacht and swims ashore where his mistress has a car waiting. He commits the murder, stealing some jewelery to make it look like a burglary and then takes a boat from Southampton to the French coast where he has a speed boat waiting. He rejoins the yacht, sinks the speed boat and arrives in La Havre as if nothing had happened. However, Inspector Walker (Elwyn Brook-Jones) has his doubts and sets out to prove Marsden did it.

Very watchable as a time capsule of an era of British filmmaking that has long since died. This b-pic will seem like a prototype Columbo to viewers (That was what I thought and I was delighted when another reviewer here said exactly the same) with Brook-Jones's detective - complete with a shabby overcoat - getting his man by irritating him. There is a great little scene on board the yacht where Derek Bond has filled the saloon with butane gas in order to try and kill the inspector - hoping he'll light his pipe thus causing an explosion. However, every match he attempts to strike is dead - good suspense here.

Its directed by Vernon Sewell who directed many second features throughout the fifties and sixties - some well above average and won critical plaudits that these sort of films rarely got. Check out Strongroom and two others that I have yet to see though my film guides love them, The Man In The Back Seat and House Of Mystery. Sewell was also a keen yachtsman and his own steam vessel, The Gelert, appeared in several of his movies as a very useful prop; although the producers reportedly got tired of it and told him: "Vernon, your yacht, no more."

Debt to Freeman Wills Crofts

[bobannamay · 6/10 · 6 November 2019]

Vernon must have been a fan of Freeman Wills Crofts. The detective here could easily have been Inspector French - a portly pipe-smoker determinedly dismantling an alibi involving a devilish bit of engineering on a means of transport. He gets stuck but finally makes the breakthrough. He needs to travel to France, three times I think. He responds with stoicism to the doubts of his superior. A little more affability would have made the match perfect. There is surely a debt here to Crofts.

Interesting detective

[daver6 · 7/10 · 15 April 2021]

Some comments have stated that the diesel launch featured in this film is the director's steam yacht used in his film Ghost boat. It is not. However, his steam yacht does appear a couple of times. In some cabin scenes there is a wall mounted picture outline of a steam yacht. That is his steam yacht used in Ghost Ship.

Back to the film; a man murders his wife in an interesting way and concocts an inventive, if slightly risky and far-fetched, alibi. The initial scene with his mistress more than adequately revealed why murder was necessary, at least to this viewer.

The affable, rotund, pipe-smoking, investigating inspector, is determined to break the husband's alibi, and like a terrier with a bone, never lets up in his investigations. He will get his man! I feel he and his soon-to-be-married sergeant (1st date Double Indemnity) would have made an excellent TV detective series, not unlike Morse and Lewis.

I thought in an inventive tale, that holds the attention, with good supporting characters (particularly the French ones), and some nice locations thrown in. All it was missing was a shower scene. Recommended.

Murder is not plain sailing

[johnshephard-83682 · 5/10 · 6 November 2019]

The film begins with a husband hearing the devastating news that, contrary to what the doctors have promised, his abominable wife is not going to die after all. This rather scuppers the plans of dreary John Marsden (Derek Bond) and his unlikely French mistress (Nicole Maurey) who spends her life in a permanent state of impending hysteria. From here, the film starts at a galloping pace: within minutes, they have decided that the wife must die, minutes later they have hatched the plot, and in no time John is sailing off to France on his yacht to establish his alibi. After the deed is done (via a rather implausible plan), cue Elwyn Brook-Jones, as the Columbo-style detective, who is suspicious from the outset and quietly beavers away with disarming comments, and the dropping of hints, until a piece of nautical rope nails the villains.

You always know where you are with Rogue's Yarn. Marsden is a middle-aged Englishman in the 1950s, so he always wears a suit no matter what activity he is undertaking: the sight of him sailing into Le Havre harbour fully suited is one such reminder of what it means to be British. His mistress is French, so is obviously a bad'un. The action switches between England and France, but we always know where we are because the French scenes have a helpful soundtrack of accordion music in case we haven't noticed the change of accents. You also know it's a B movie, because of some hammy acting, clunky dialogue, and the obligatory, somewhat drippy junior detective (Hugh Latimer), whose only purpose seems to be to have a conversation with the maid about going to see Double Indemnity at the cinema that night (geddit?).

For all that, Rogue's Yarn is not bad compared to other such film of the day, and is noticeably improved by the excellent Brook-Jones as the low-key but persistent detective Walker. Hitchcock would have done better with the 'will he blow himself up?' episode, but he was otherwise engaged.

A good murder story.

[1bilbo · 8/10 · 2 September 2018]

This is a really good story - no special effects or actors running around shooting at everybody - just a good story.

The Rogues yarn refers to a piece of rope that eventually convicts the murderer but even if you know this it is still a good story.

This film is from a different age when people didn't need things screamed at them.

Origin of the film's title.

[EdinaJambo · 5/10 · 16 June 2017]

There is a connection to the odd name of the film which isn't apparent until the conclusion of the murder investigation. Although this is a crime thriller about an adulterous man's murder of his wife, the term 'Rogue's Yarn' is a nautical one, describing the yarn used only in naval rope and indicated from their colour the ropeyard in which they were made. They were introduced to stop thieving by making the rope easily recognizable. In the days of sailing, naval rope was considered far superior to any other, and there was a great temptation to smuggle it out of the dockyards and sell it to owners or captains of merchant vessels.

The connection becomes obvious near the end of the film.

Only one other oddity. John Marsden intended to murder Inspector Walker by filling up the below deck cabin with butane gas so that it would explode when he struck a match to light his pipe. It would become instantly obvious to anyone entering the cabin that the smell alone would be sufficient warning that something was amiss. Anyone who has used butane in caravans would recognise the smell, so why didn't the Inspector?

A good start, but then a boring middle and conclusion.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 5/10 · 7 September 2016]

John Marsden comes up with a master plan to murder his invalid wife Hester, and start a new life with his striking French Mistress Michele. Hot on his heels is Inspector Walker, who does everything he can to unpick the web Marsden has spun.

It's a highly intriguing concept, as utterly unfeasible as the plot may be, it's still interesting enough. I find it more then difficult to believe that his boat would not have hit an unsuspecting bystander within ten minutes.

The beginning is really enjoyable, I like the plot set up, the characters (even if some of the acting is a little ropy,) the trouble is after the first 25 minutes the film did not keep my attention, it became a little boring, once the M.O was discovered all the intrigue disappeared. The music was overpowering.

I found myself using the fast forward button, 5/10

Watching the Detectives....

[barkiswilling · 5/10 · 7 June 2022]

A mildly interesting B pic that pitches itself as an inferior version of the classic Double Indemnity but without the clout. Enough plot holes to formulate Swiss cheese - would the vessel really maintain its course without diversion or collision while our antihero (Derek Bond) swims back to shore in a pair of big pants, does away with his nagging wife, catches the (hopefully considerably faster) ferry to Le Havre, gets on another boat and then steers his original boat into harbour in fully suited glory? Hmmmm.

As mentioned in previous reviews, the real star is a rather dour, seemingly humourless, portly, pipe-smoking ( this last point significant) and persistent detective played by the little-known Elwyn Brook-Jones, who brings some unexpected charisma to the role as the investigating Detective, backed up by his Sergeant (Hugh Latimer) who plays it for laughs in true "silly ass" style. Overall not a bad time waster but no classic.

I thought it was a late thirties flick! It just got more boring!

[richard.fuller1 · 29 July 2001]

Not a very compelling film at all, I erroneously believed it was from the late thirties, perhaps an English suspense drama. Upon looking it up, I see it is from 1956! Inexcusably dull film.

Derek Bond as the husband agrees with his French mistress Nicole Maurey that he will kill his invalid wife so they can be together. He devises 'an ingenious plot' by making sure he is seen voyaging out in a yacht, racing back in a rented speedboat or something, murdering her, then hurrying back, establishing his alibi. Apparently automatic pilot was still a bit of a novelty as that seemed to be the evidence that turned the tide. French witnesses to an unidentified speedboat and a gas fume leak in the yacht were also little tidbits to pay attention to. Pity Hitchcock couldn't have gotten hold of this one.

Bond sought to off the Inspector with that gas fume leak on the yacht when he lit a match but the Inspector was out of matches. Suddenly Maurey was shocked by the man she saw. Why, when she had pushed him into murdering his wife? Maurey and Bond are for some reason listed as the stars but the investigating detectives were more compelling to watch.

Look for 'Double Indemnity' instead.

Nice Alibi, Now To Find The Evidence

[boblipton · 5/10 · 22 January 2023]

Derek Bond has a waspish wife who is bedridden. He's carrying on an affair with Nicole Maurey, who wants to know when he's going to get a divorce and they can be together. He doesn't want a divorce, so he murders her with an airtight alibi: he was at sea piloting his boat to France at the time. This looks like a great alibi, since we see him docking the boat and having French Inspector Jean Serret tell him about his wife's murder, even though we have already seen him climbing out of the sea to murder the missus.

Very clever. It takes Inspector Elwyn Brook-Jones about thirty minutes to crack the alibi, but he needs proof to get a warrant for Bond's arrest. Can he do it over the objections of his superior? With the physical evidence show up in time? Frankly, I never had any doubt.