The beautiful young Diana Dors, Britain's foremost sex symbol of yore, gives an amazing performance as a young woman - Mary Hilton - convicted of murder, and serving out her last days before she is hanged. Much of the advertisements for the film capitalise on Dors' sexy image by labelling the film 'Blond Sinner'. This is really selling the film short - Diana puts in an immaculate and heart rending turn of a woman, who perpetrated murder and must face the consequences of the time. She is not a glamour figure in the film - she wears no make up and she sports prison clothing. The film was loosely based on the Ruth Ellis case - the last woman to be hanged in Britain - who committed a crime similar to the one of Mary Hilton in the film. The film is very strongly anti capital punishment - reflecting a general surge in the unpopularity of the death penalty in 1950s Britain. The depiction of the penal system is very realistic with a door at the bottom of Mary's cell where she knows she will go through to die. It taunts her everyday. Mary Hilton builds up relationships with the prison wardens who look visibly pained when the appeal goes against Mary - there are no evil screws in this film. Despite its anti death penalty tone, the film is never didactic in its message. At the beginning we see her calmly and coolly murder her love rival. The murder is predetermined and callous. However, despite your views on capital punishment, you will admire the film either way for Dors' tour de force acting skills and the well executed (pardon the pun) direction.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
