31:
318:
He tries to remove all evidence when young MacPherson suddenly appears but manages to avoid detection. Back in the office, MacPherson interrogates Martin and finds his denial more plausible than Mrs. Barrows' claims. She cannot take any more, accuses them all of being mad, and leaves for good. Thus
314:
film at the cinema and is inspired to kill Mrs. Barrows. As he is a non-smoker and a non-drinker, he decides he can mislead any future investigation by smoking and drinking at the scene of the planned crime. He buys a half-bottle of whisky and a packet of cigarettes. However, in her flat, after a
298:
The new owner of the Tweed company, young MacPherson, is enamoured of a zealous
American woman, Angela Barrows, who is an efficiency expert and wants to turn her hand to revolutionising the very traditional company. She insists on visiting "the factory" on the
306:
She plans to replace the 700 weavers, dotted across the islands, with a single large factory. While being driven through the city, she also says the company should change to synthetic fibres, causing the chauffeur to drive into the back of a brewer's dray.
438:
It was the first film made by the newly-formed
Bryanston Films, who approved it on 13 May 1959. Crichton liked the script, felt Robert Morley was "slightly miscast... but I think it was about the best performance Peter Sellers ever gave in his life."
484:
wrote- The Battle of the Sexes, transfers James
Thurber's story The Catbird Seat to Scotland and spins it out to unjustified length. There is only one long joke in the picture, full of predictable padding.
295:. He is called to the death-bed of the owner, old MacPherson, at Moray Place. MacPherson offers him a whisky but Martin declines, so MacPherson drinks for the two and promptly dies.
503:
940:
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279:. A timid accountant in a Scottish Tweed weaving company cleverly bests a brash modern American efficiency expert whose ideas threaten his way of life.
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was signed to direct. Then
Charles Crichton was brought out from London to direct the film but it didn't proceed. Eventually they sold the rights.
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581:
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Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of
British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 359
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calling it a "gentle, tongue-in-cheek ribbing that cleaves to the spirit, if not entirely to the letter of
Thurber's lampoon."
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Mr. Martin wins his "battle of the sexes". Later, seeing her crying at the station, he is moved to buy her a flower.
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islands, only to discover that the work is done by old couples, on crofts where they spin the wool.
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504:"Bryanston Films : An Experiment in Cooperative Independent Production and Distribution"
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series of botched attempts, his conscience gets the better of him and he cannot kill her.
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The film was a minor box office hit earning
Bryanston a profit of £10,894.
300:
651:
287:
Mr Martin, the accountant for a
Scottish Tweed weaving company, is in
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Notes From Coast
Special to The New York Times. 4 June 1957: 38.
677:
546:"Screen: Thurber Tale: Battle of the Sexes' Is British Import"
630:
613:"It's Britain 1, 2, 3 again in the 1960 box office stakes"
464:
On its 1960 release, the film was very warmly reviewed by
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called it a "money maker" at the
British box office.
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40:
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511:Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television
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8:
696:
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29:
20:
400:as Detective's friend (on film in cinema)
494:
427:Film rights to the story were owned by
941:Films based on works by James Thurber
589:British Entertainment History Project
539:
537:
16:1959 British film by Charles Crichton
7:
291:buying whisky and cigarettes on the
611:Billings, Josh (15 December 1960).
926:Films directed by Charles Crichton
247:is a 1959 British black and white
14:
385:as Detective (on film in cinema)
152:Prometheus Film Productions Ltd.
591:. 14 December 1988. p. 23.
544:Weiler, A.H. (19 April 1960).
1:
971:Films scored by Stanley Black
921:British black-and-white films
502:Petrie, Duncan James (2017).
956:1950s English-language films
951:1960s English-language films
936:Films based on short fiction
631:"Stanley Kauffmann on films"
582:"Charles Crichton Interview"
267:. Based on the short story "
854:The Boy Who Stole a Million
987:
176:25 February 1960
712:
35:Theatrical release poster
28:
798:The Titfield Thunderbolt
946:Films shot in Edinburgh
846:The Battle of the Sexes
664:The Battle of the Sexes
653:The Battle of the Sexes
394:Abe Barker as Mr Meekie
244:The Battle of the Sexes
191:18 April 1960
24:The Battle of the Sexes
931:Films set in Scotland
782:The Lavender Hill Mob
406:as Jeannie Macdougall
310:Mr. Martin watches a
911:British comedy films
870:He Who Rides a Tiger
429:Hecht Hill Lancaster
337:as Robert MacPherson
275:, it was adapted by
966:1960s British films
961:1950s British films
878:A Fish Called Wanda
822:The Man in the Sky
718:For Those in Peril
704:Films directed by
550:The New York Times
467:The New York Times
341:Constance Cummings
277:Monja Danischewsky
263:, and directed by
261:Constance Cummings
98:Constance Cummings
81:Monja Danischewsky
55:Monja Danischewsky
916:1959 comedy films
888:
887:
814:The Divided Heart
478:Stanley Kauffmann
418:as railway porter
412:as railway porter
383:Michael Goodliffe
355:as Old Macpherson
349:as Andrew Darling
343:as Angela Barrows
240:
239:
978:
862:The Third Secret
830:Law and Disorder
806:The Love Lottery
769:(segment) (1949)
750:Against the Wind
729:(segment) (1945)
706:Charles Crichton
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635:The New Republic
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482:The New Republic
365:Moultrie Kelsall
361:as Irwin Hoffman
359:Donald Pleasence
269:The Catbird Seat
265:Charles Crichton
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66:The Catbird Seat
45:Charles Crichton
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766:Train of Events
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669:Rotten Tomatoes
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353:Ernest Thesiger
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312:Sherlock Holmes
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162:Bryanston Films
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118:Freddie Francis
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646:External links
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637:. 30 May 1960.
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371:Alex Mackenzie
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220:United Kingdom
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158:Distributed by
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114:Cinematography
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758:Another Shore
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726:Dead of Night
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347:Jameson Clark
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335:Robert Morley
333:
331:as Mr. Martin
330:
329:Peter Sellers
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296:
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273:James Thurber
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257:Robert Morley
254:
253:Peter Sellers
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169:Release dates
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138:Stanley Black
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108:Sam Wanamaker
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94:Robert Morley
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90:Peter Sellers
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72:James Thurber
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619:. p. 9.
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472:A. H. Weiler
465:
463:
453:
451:
437:
433:Billy Wilder
426:
416:Glyn Houston
391:as Mr. White
389:Noel Howlett
373:as Robertson
317:
309:
305:
297:
286:
243:
242:
241:
208:Running time
64:
18:
742:Hue and Cry
617:Kine Weekly
454:Kine Weekly
249:comedy film
104:Narrated by
78:Produced by
41:Directed by
906:1959 films
901:1960 films
895:Categories
774:Dance Hall
601:Petrie p 8
571:Petrie p 5
489:References
448:Box office
423:Production
379:as Macleod
293:Royal Mile
212:80 minutes
195:1960-04-18
180:1960-02-25
145:Production
51:Written by
519:1465-3451
443:Reception
367:as Graham
289:Edinburgh
251:starring
128:Seth Holt
124:Edited by
460:Critical
301:Hebrides
236:£133,060
225:Language
134:Music by
86:Starring
61:Based on
228:English
217:Country
193: (
178: (
147:company
881:(1988)
873:(1965)
865:(1964)
857:(1960)
849:(1959)
841:(1959)
833:(1958)
825:(1957)
817:(1954)
809:(1954)
801:(1953)
793:(1952)
790:Hunted
785:(1951)
777:(1950)
761:(1948)
753:(1948)
745:(1947)
737:(1945)
721:(1944)
517:
259:, and
233:Budget
585:(PDF)
513:: 7.
507:(PDF)
271:" by
658:IMDb
515:ISSN
323:Cast
283:Plot
202:(US)
187:(UK)
667:at
656:at
480:of
70:by
897::
633:.
615:.
587:.
548:.
536:^
509:.
431:.
255:,
697:e
690:t
683:v
552:.
521:.
197:)
182:)
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