Uneasy Terms

1948 British film

Uneasy Terms

Directed by| Vernon Sewell
Written by| Peter Cheyney
Based on| novel Uneasy Terms by Peter Cheyney
Produced by| Louis H. Jackson
Starring| Michael Rennie
Moira Lister
Faith Brook
Cinematography| Ernest Palmer
Edited by| Monica Kimick
Music by| Hans May

Production
company

British National Films

Distributed by| Pathé Pictures International (UK)

Release dates

* 1 June 1948 (1948-06-01) (London, England)

Running time

| 91 minutes
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English

Uneasy Terms is a 1948 British crime thriller film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Michael Rennie, Moira Lister and Faith Brook.[1][2] It was written by Peter Cheyney based on his 1946 novel of the same title.[3]

## Premise

[edit]

Slim Callaghan is a private eye whose client Colonel Stenhurst, is murdered, leaving behind a trail of suspects. Viola, the eldest of the Colonel's three stepdaughters, is the prime suspect, but after wading through clues and romance, Callaghan corners the real culprit.[4]

## Cast

[edit]

* Michael Rennie as Slim Callaghan
* Moira Lister as Corinne Alardyse
* Faith Brook as Viola Alardyse
* Joy Shelton as Effie
* Patricia Goddard as Patricia Alardyse
* Barry Jones as Inspector Gringall
* Marie Ney as Honoria Wymering
* Paul Carpenter as Windy Nicholls
* Nigel Patrick as Lucien Donnelly
* Sydney Tafler as Maysin
* J.H. Roberts as Sallins
* Joan Carroll as Matron

## Production

[edit]

Cheyney was a best selling author at the time. Vernon Sewell wanted to make a film of Cheyney's Dark Duet but was assigned this instead. Sewell said Cheyney "had complete charge of casting and costumes, and script of course. He had choice of the world's stars." According to Sewell Cheyney insisted on Michael Rennie who the director thought "wasn't right for it". Swell also said that Cheyney also did not write the script. "I'm left on the, sometimes on the set with no script at all! Michael Rennie and I had to sit down and write the very next day's work! The film was pretty awful."[5]

Sewell said when the film opened Cheyney insisted it would get good reviews "because the press daren't knock me!" but the reviews were bad. "And then he died! So we never made any more. That was the one Peter Cheyney film ever made. No one has made one since. Poor old Peter."[5]

## Reception

[edit]

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "In order to turn a best-selling thriller from the pen of craftsman Cheyney into a stale, unexciting film it requires a considerable lack of imagination, bad casting and direction. Unfortunately, Uneasy Terms is disgraced by all these faults. The story is involved, and the latter part of the film is spent in trying to sort out the complications caused by the untidy script. Michael Rennie is tall and broad but completely unconvincing as Slim Callaghan. Moira Lister and Faith Brook are characterless as Viola and Corinne. Towards the end of the film a fight takes place, staged by Micky Wood, and for a few lusty moments a spark is kindled. It dies down, leaving the cold ash of an insignificant production."[6]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Michael Rennie is a muscular Slim and Barry Jones an effective foil as Gringall, but Moira Lister and Faith Brook are never at ease as Corinne and Viola. The supporting players are equally undistinguished. ... The first hour is terribly complicated and the last three reels are occupied with sorting things out. The explanations are punctuated with a lusty fight, but even so the film fails to amount to much. Desultory presentation takes the shine off Cheyney."[7]

Sky Movies wrote, "Peter Cheyney's detective Slim Callaghan has rarely translated well to the screen, But this Vernon Sewell-directed thriller is one of the better efforts, thanks largely to a quality cast that also includes Barry Jones, Joy Shelton and Paul Carpenter."[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Uneasy Terms". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
2. ^ "BFI | Film & TV Database | UNEASY TERMS (1948)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
3. ^ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110951943 - via Google Books.
4. ^ "Uneasy Terms Review". Movies.tvguide.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
5. ^ a b Fowler, Roy (8 July 1994). "Vernon Sewell". British Entertainment History Project.
6. ^ "Uneasy Terms". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 15 (169): 73. 1 January 1948. ProQuest 1305815101.
7. ^ "Uneasy Terms". Kine Weekly. 376 (2145): 17. 10 June 1948. ProQuest 2732615104.
8. ^ "Uneasy Terms - Sky Movies HD". Skymovies.sky.com. 15 November 2003. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

## External links

[edit]

* Uneasy Terms at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Vernon Sewell

* Morgenrot (1933)
* The Silver Fleet (1943)
* The World Owes Me a Living (1945)
* Latin Quarter (1945)
* The Ghosts of Berkeley Square (1947)
* Uneasy Terms (1948)
* The Jack of Diamonds (1949)
* The Dark Light (1951)
* Black Widow (1951)
* The Floating Dutchman (1952)
* Ghost Ship (1952)
* Counterspy (1953)
* Dangerous Voyage (1954)
* Radio Cab Murder (1954)
* Where There's a Will (1955)
* Johnny, You're Wanted (1956)
* Soho Incident (1956)
* Home and Away (1956)
* Rogue's Yarn (1957)
* Battle of the V-1 (1958)
* Wrong Number (1959)
* Urge to Kill (1960)
* House of Mystery (1961)
* The Wind of Change (1961)
* The Man in the Back Seat (1961)
* Strongroom (1962)
* A Matter of Choice (1963)
* Strictly for the Birds (1964)
* Some May Live (1967)
* The Blood Beast Terror (1968)
* Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)
* Burke & Hare (1972)

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