The Black Panther (1977 film)
The Black Panther is a 1977 British crime film. Its subject is the death of Lesley Whittle, a teenager kidnapped and murdered by criminal Donald Neilson, known as the "Black Panther". It was directed by Ian Merrick, his first feature,[1] and stars Donald Sumpter, Debbie Farrington and Marjorie Yates.[2][3]
The film closely followed the events of the case. It was controversial on its release, and was strongly criticized by media figures such as Sue Lawley of Tonight. Subsequently the film was effectively banned.[4] In 2012, the film was remastered, and resurrected into the British Film Institute Archives and Hall of Fame, as an important British film to rave reviews. John Patterson of The Guardian commented that The Black Panther "emerges as a meticulous, tactful, well made and highly responsible true crime movie".[4]
Cast
- Donald Sumpter – Donald Neilson
- Debbie Farrington – Lesley Whittle
- Marjorie Yates – Neilson's Wife
- Sylvia O'Donnell – Neilson's Daughter
- Andrew Burt – Lesley's Brother
- Alison Key – Lesley's Sister-In-Law
- Ruth Dunning – Lesley's Mother
- David Swift – Detective Chief Superintendent
References
- ↑ "The Black Panther(1977)". Yahoo movies. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ↑ The Black Panther (1996 [1977]), BFI Film & TV database
- ↑ Chibnall & Petley p.225
- 1 2 John Patterson "Why The Black Panther can hold its head up high", The Guardian (blog), 6 June 2012
Bibliography
- Chibnall, Steve & Petley, Julian. British Horror Cinema. Routledge, 2002.