Fragment of Fear

1970
AA
1h 34m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

YOUR RATING

Play trailer3:21

1 Video

99+ Photos

Crime Drama Horror Mystery Thriller

Reformed drug addict Tim Brett (David Hemmings) is vacationing in Italy with his aunt. When she is murdered, he tries to investigate. Soon his whole life spins out of control.Reformed drug addict Tim Brett (David Hemmings) is vacationing in Italy with his aunt. When she is murdered, he tries to investigate. Soon his whole life spins out of control.Reformed drug addict Tim Brett (David Hemmings) is vacationing in Italy with his aunt. When she is murdered, he tries to investigate. Soon his whole life spins out of control.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos1

Trailer 3:21

Fragment of Fear

Photos142

+ 138

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Many critics complained that the film's ending - which appears to show Tim to be insane, and therefore (perhaps) the whole story thus far to be a fantasy (possibly drug-induced) - was suddenly imposed and unsatisfactory, and some sources suggested that it might have been the result of last-minute re-editing. However, there are hints quite early on that the narrative is not as straightforward as it seems to be - the dead body of Tim's aunt is discovered by Juliet, who appears to be a complete stranger to Tim, and yet, when he gets back to England, she has suddenly become his fiancee, although there have been no scenes between them of a romantic nature at all, and his time does seem to have been fully occupied with his investigations. This mysterious plot-lacuna is never even referred to, much less explained.

Goofs
During the wedding scene, Hemmings' character calls out for Major Ricketts and then switches to Colonel Ricketts by mistake.

Quotes
Tim Brett: Either I am mad and all this isn't happening to me, or else I'm sane and it is.

Crazy credits
The role of Columbus (the pigeon whom Tim feeds outside his window) is credited as being played by "A London Pigeon"

Connections
Featured in Paul Dehn: The Writer as Auteur (2017)

Soundtracks
Fragment Of Fear
Written by Johnny Harris
Performed by The Johnny Harris Orchestra

User reviews24

Review

Featured review

6/10

Fragment of insanity

Ex-junkie author David Hemmings (Tim) is chilling out in Italy and agrees to meet his aunt Flora Robson (Lucy) for lunch in Pompeii. I'm afraid that's not going to happen – Robson doesn't make it. She's been strangled. Hemmings wants to find out more about her aunt's life and pursues his own investigation back in London. However, there is a network called 'The Stepping Stones' that seems hell-bent on preventing him from discovering anything. He's a marked man unless he drops his curiosity.

It's a tense film if a little complicated at times as you're never quite sure who's who. Basically, suspect everyone who Hemmings comes into contact with. The cast are good and the story unravels well but the ending just didn't do it for me. I wanted something better as things don't get resolved in the manner I had wanted. And the music by Johnny Harris is laughably inappropriate. I see that some nutter has previously referred to it as a superb music score. He clearly has no knowledge of how to score a film. The film leaves unanswered questions and that was a let-down for me.