The Sleeping Tiger

In the streets of London at night, Frank Clemmons pulls a gun to hold up Dr. Clive Esmond outside his affluent home. The doctor overpowers Clemmons, ending the robbery. The encounter foreshadows the unusual and controlling dynamic that will follow.

Arriving home from Paris, Esmond's wife Glenda discovers Clemmons staying in their house as a household guest. Clemmons agrees to stay to avoid police attention and acts as a human guinea-pig for Esmond's psychoanalysis. The arrangement sets the stage for a dangerous psychological experiment.

Esmond conducts regular analysis sessions with Clemmons, aiming to uncover the root causes of his criminal behaviour. The sessions probe Clemmons' past and motivations, testing his willingness to change. Clemmons submits to the process, though trust remains fragile.

Between sessions, Clemmons goes riding with Glenda, who is initially aloof toward him. The rides become a space where tension and attraction begin to blur the boundaries between patient and wife. The growing closeness complicates the doctor-patient dynamic.

One night Clemmons leaves the house with a fellow criminal to steal jewellery. A police inspector later interviews him about the crime, but Clemmons denies involvement. The incident marks Clemmons's first act of criminal activity outside the psychoanalytic setting.

The police interview Clemmons about the jewellery theft, and he steadfastly denies committing it. The denial reinforces the clinic-like distance he maintains from the consequences of his actions. The exchange deepens the tension between truth and performance in the relationship.

Clemmons takes Glenda to the Metro, a hip nightclub in Soho, where her conflicted attraction to him deepens. The environment sparks a more intimate tension between them. Their dynamic hints at an affair that will threaten the household’s balance.

The next day Glenda admonishes Clemmons for his violent behavior toward Sally, but their argument ends with a passionate clinch. The moment signals the beginning of an illicit bond between them. The line between husband and substitute father blurs further.

Initially oblivious, Esmond eventually finds Glenda in a compromising position with Clemmons. The revelation shatters the doctor’s sense of order and deepens his sense of complicity. Glenda's guilt and desire create a volatile triangle.

Back at the Metro or on the way home, Clemmons makes a careless remark that pushes Glenda toward a breaking point. They drive recklessly as a police car pursues them, but they manage to escape. The escape underscores their fragile control over the situation.

Sally's fiancé visits to complain about the abuse she has suffered from Clemmons and threatens to tell the police. Esmond buys him off with £100, causing Clemmons to realize the scheme. Enraged, Clemmons carries out another robbery.

During questioning, Esmond lies on behalf of Clemmons to protect him. Clemmons recounts his tyrannical father and the punishment he endured, explaining why he has felt condemned. Esmond concludes that Clemmons has been inflicting punishment on himself since his father's death.

Esmond increasingly acts like a father figure toward Clemmons, and Glenda grows intensely jealous of their bond. Clemmons is urged to consider eloping with Glenda, but he chooses a different path. The tension foreshadows the ultimate surrender to law.

With the psychoanalytic experiment completed and patterns understood, Clemmons decides to turn himself in to the police. He makes a quiet, final choice to accept accountability for his crimes. Esmond’s professional distance now collides with his personal concern.

Glenda rushes to Esmond claiming Clemmons has assaulted her. Esmond goes upstairs with a gun, a shot is heard, and he returns claiming that Clemmons has been killed. Glenda discovers Clemmons had already left the room and drives off in a high-speed chase that ends in a crash; Clemmons survives while Glenda dies.