When Hollywood reduced its investment in foreign film production at the end of the 1960s, the British movie industry went into a tailspin. London-based film producer Alan Ladd Jr.'s worthy first effort The Walking Stick (1970) was lost in the shuffle and seen by almost nobody. From a book by Winston Graham, the author of Marine), it's another story of dark romantic secrets, sex and crime. Artist Leigh Hartley (David Hemmings) and antiques appraiser Deborah Dainton (Samantha Eggar) meet at a party. A polio victim, she's needed a wheelchair and cane since childhood. Their romance blossoms, although Deborah has unanswered questions about Leigh's patron Jack Foil (Emlyn Williams). Only after she is deeply involved does Leigh explain that he and Jack want to rob the auction gallery where she works. For love of Leigh, Deborah becomes an accomplice. Director Eric Till had earned positive notices for Hot Millions (1968), andVariety praised this film's "tastefully executed sex encounter." Samantha Eggar's sensitive performance reminded audiences of Audrey Hepburn's blind and vulnerable heroine in Wait Until Dark. Although impressed by the unusual relationships critics thought the film too slowly paced, and expressed resentment when it unexpectedly changes genres to transform into a conventional crime thriller.

By Glenn Erickson