Fragment of Fear (1970)

This tense and complicated (very) British thriller has recovered drug addict and best-selling author, Tim Brett (David Hemmings), holidaying in Italy, where he arranges to meet his elderly widowed Aunt Lucy (Flora Robson) in Pompeii.

Unfortunately, she is found strangled to death near the ancient ruins of the city.

The local police can’t find any reason for her murder and presume it was the work of an escaped lunatic from a local mental hospital.

Shortly after the murder – and having fallen in love with young American teacher Juliet Briston (Hemmings’ real-life wife, Gayle Hunnicutt in a mostly decorative role) who first discovered his Aunt’s body – Tim returns to London and decides to investigate the murder himself.

Although he discovers almost nothing, he receives a few unmistakable warnings to refrain from looking further: He is repeatedly visited by a peculiar old lady (Mary Wimbush) who turns up dead later; receives threatening letters apparently written on his own typewriter; and has recordings on his answering machine of someone laughing mysteriously.

Being a former junkie, the police don’t take him very seriously and suggest the intangible, odd events exist only in his mind.

It transpires that Aunt Lucy founded and supported a shadowy group of high-IQ and highly educated ex-cons called the “Stepping Stones”, who she provided with fake identities and helped place in high-profile jobs in the government and business world.

With many of these people now in very high and prominent positions, Lucy had begun blackmailing them to keep her from exposing their past and thus destroying their very successful careers. When she went too far, the ex-cons took matters into their own hands.

Or perhaps Tim is simply going mad and has imagined it all?

Fragment of Fear is a marvellous illustration of London society during the late 60s and early 70s with several famous British faces – including Arthur Lowe, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Yootha Joyce, Patricia Hayes, Kenneth Cranham, Mona Washbourne, Glynn Edwards and Georgina Moon –  in minor supporting roles.

Tim Brett
David Hemmings
Juliet Bristow
Gayle Hunnicutt
Mr Copsey
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Lucy Dawson
Flora Robson
Signor Bardoni
Adolfo Celi
Mr Vellacot
Roland Culver
Major Ricketts
Daniel Massey
Mrs Gray
Mona Washbourne
Mr Nugent
Arthur Lowe
Miss Ward-Cadbury
Yootha Joyce
Sergeant Matthews
Derek Newark
Mrs Baird
Patricia Hayes
‘Bunface’
Mary Wimbush
C.I.D. Sergeant
Philip Stone
C.I.D. Superintendent
Glynn Edwards
Mario
Massimo Sarchielli
Bruno
Angelo Infanti
Priest
Bernard Archard
Joe
Kenneth Cranham
Rocky
Michael Rothwell
Schoolgirls
Petra Markham
Georgina Moon
Lois Hyett
Uncle Stanley
John Rae
Kenny
Edward Kemp
Miss Dacey
Hilda Barry
Nino
Kurt Christian
American Matron 1
Jessica Dublin
American Matron 2
Louise Lambert
Pop Singer
Richard Kerr
Columbus
A London Pigeon

Director
Richard C. Sarafian