Dark Purpose

1964 film by George Marshall

Dark Purpose

Directed by| George Marshall
Written by| Massimo D'Avak
David P. Harmon
Doris Hume Kilburn
Produced by| Steve Barclay
Starring| Shirley Jones
Rossano Brazzi
George Sanders
Cinematography| Gábor Pogány
Music by| Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Distributed by| Universal Pictures

Release date

* April 3, 1964 (1964-04-03)

Running time

| 97 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

Dark Purpose is a 1964 film directed by George Marshall and starring Shirley Jones, Rossano Brazzi,[1] and George Sanders.

## Plot

[edit]

American secretary Karen Williams travels to Italy with her employer, art appraiser Raymond Fountaine, to assess the valuable collection of Count Paolo Barbarelli at his villa overlooking the sea.

The count lives there with Cora, a young woman suffering from memory loss, whom he claims to have taken in like a daughter after her skiing accident. Karen falls in love with the count, but Cora wants her gone. She later confides to Karen that she is not Paolo's daughter but his wife. He is slowly poisoning her so he ultimately can inherit her family's money, Cora says, but Karen isn't sure whether to believe her story.

Cora is found dead. The police believe it to be a suicide, but evidence at the scene leads Karen to believe that Paolo was indeed responsible for the young woman's death. It leads to a confrontation and violent struggle. A vicious watchdog tries to protect his master, but instead knocks Paolo into a fountain, where he drowns.

## Cast

[edit]

* Shirley Jones as Karen Williams
* Rossano Brazzi as Count Paolo Barbarelli
* George Sanders as Raymond Fountaine
* Giorgia Moll as Cora Barbarelli
* Micheline Presle as Monique Bouvier
* Emma Baron as Gregoria
* Mathilda Calnan as Mrs. Thompson
* Fanfulla as The Florist
* Charles Fawcett as Martin

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Dark Purpose (1964) - George Marshall | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".

## External links

[edit]

* Dark Purpose at IMDb

* v
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Films directed by George Marshall

* The Committee on Credentials (1916)
* Love's Lariat (1916)
* A Woman's Eyes (1916)
* The Devil's Own (1916)
* The Man from Montana (1917)
* The Midnight Flyer (1918)
* The Adventures of Ruth (1919)
* Ruth of the Rockies (1920)
* Prairie Trails (1920)
* After Your Own Heart (1921)
* The Jolt (1921)
* The Lady from Longacre (1921)
* Hands Off! (1921)
* A Ridin' Romeo (1921)
* Why Trust Your Husband? (1921)
* Smiles Are Trumps (1922)
* Don Quickshot of the Rio Grande (1923)
* Where is This West? (1923)
* Men in the Raw (1923)
* The Back Trail (1924)
* Pack Up Your Troubles (1932)
* Their First Mistake (1932)
* Towed in a Hole (1932)
* Ever Since Eve (1934)
* Wild Gold (1934)
* She Learned About Sailors (1934)
* 365 Nights in Hollywood (1934)
* Life Begins at 40 (1935)
* $10 Raise (1935)
* Music Is Magic (1935)
* In Old Kentucky (1935)
* Show Them No Mercy! (1935)
* Can This Be Dixie? (1936)
* A Message to Garcia (1936)
* The Crime of Dr. Forbes (1936)
* Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937)
* Love Under Fire (1937)
* The Goldwyn Follies (1938)
* Battle of Broadway (1938)
* You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939)
* Destry Rides Again (1939)
* The Ghost Breakers (1940)
* When the Daltons Rode (1940)
* Pot o' Gold (1941)
* Texas (1941)
* Valley of the Sun (1942)
* The Forest Rangers (1942)
* Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
* Riding High (1943)
* True to Life (1943)
* And the Angels Sing (1944)
* Murder, He Says (1945)
* Incendiary Blonde (1945)
* Hold That Blonde! (1945)
* The Blue Dahlia (1946)
* Monsieur Beaucaire (1946)
* The Perils of Pauline (1947)
* Variety Girl (1947)
* Hazard (1948)
* Tap Roots (1948)
* My Friend Irma (1949)
* Fancy Pants (1950)
* Never a Dull Moment (1950)
* A Millionaire for Christy (1951)
* The Savage (1952)
* Off Limits (1953)
* Scared Stiff (1953)
* Houdini (1953)
* Money from Home (1953)
* Red Garters (1954)
* Duel in the Jungle (1954)
* Destry (1954)
* The Second Greatest Sex (1955)
* Pillars of the Sky (1956)
* Beyond Mombasa (1956)
* The Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957)
* The Sad Sack (1957)
* The Sheepman (1958)
* Imitation General (1958)
* The Mating Game (1959)
* It Started with a Kiss (1959)
* The Gazebo (1959)
* Cry for Happy (1961)
* The Happy Thieves (1961)
* How the West Was Won (1962)
* Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
* Dark Purpose (1964)
* Advance to the Rear (1964)
* Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966)
* Eight on the Lam (1967)
* The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968)
* Hook, Line & Sinker (1969)

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