him the victim of a blackmailer, grips one's interest to the very end. There is an extremely thrilling chase right at the beginning where the hero, after accidentally killing a man, eludes the pursuing police. It is one of the best chase sequences ever filmed. Burt Lancaster acts the part of the hero with force and conviction and, despite his violent temper, manages to win a measure of sympathy because of his willingness to lead a lawful life, as well as his efforts to protect Joan Fontaine, his sweetheart, who had fatally stabbed the blackmailer in self defense. Miss Fontaine is an appealing heroine, winning one's sympathy because of her efforts to rehabilitate Lancaster. There is no comedy to relieve the tension. The story's locale is London. Richard Vernon produced it and Norman Foster directed it from a screen play by Leonardo Bercovici. Adult fare". Motion Picture Herald wrote on October 16, 1948: "Gerald Butler wrote the novel upon which the attraction is predicted. Basic material is interesting as a contemplation of the personal havoc brought by the war on two individuals, no doubt representative of millions in the war-stricken countries. The various acts of violence woven into the story are designed to speed up the conclusion and give the attraction action and movement. At the same time they tend to move into the background the essence of the story which this reviewer assumes to have been the mental struggle confronting the man and the woman before they work out their joint destinies. Some of this is there and, when it shows up, the film takes on strong dramatic import. When it recedes, the film gives ground and becomes another movie. Performances by Lancaster, Miss Fontaine and Newton are good. Production values are high. Dialogue is intelligent in Leonardo Bercovici's screenplay with added lines by Hugh Gray from an adaptation of the novel by Ben Maddow and Walter Bernstein. The title is strong and intriguing, if long for the marquee". Variety wrote on October 20, 1948: "Kiss the Blood Off My Hands," adapted from Gerald Butler's novel of postwar violence and demoralization, is an intensely moody melodrama with sufficient emotional kick to make it a good b.o. bet. The striking title, which promises a far greater scoop of excitement than what is delivered, will draw the male customers. But the film actually will find its heaviest appeal among the femme