A Place of One's Own (1945)

An elderly couple move into an old, supposedly haunted abandoned house. A young girl comes to live with the pair as a companion for the wife. However, soon the girl is possessed by the ... See full summary »

Director:

Bernard Knowles

Writers:

Osbert Sitwell (novel), Osbert Sitwell (collaboration),

Stars:

Margaret Lockwood, James Mason, Barbara Mullen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Margaret Lockwood	...	Annette
James Mason	...	Smedhurst
Barbara Mullen	...	Mrs. Smedhurst
Dennis Price	...	Dr. Selbie
Helen Haye	...	Mrs. Manning Tutthorn
Michael Shepley	...	Maj. Manning Tutthorn
Dulcie Gray	...	Sarah
Moore Marriott	...	George
O.B. Clarence	...	Perkins
Helen Goss	...	Barmaid
Edie Martin	...	Cook
Gus McNaughton	...	P. C. Hargreaves
Muriel George	...	Nurse
John Turnbull	...	Sir Roland Jervis
Ernest Thesiger	...	Dr. Marsham

Storyline

An elderly couple move into an old, supposedly haunted abandoned house. A young girl comes to live with the pair as a companion for the wife. However, soon the girl is possessed by the spirit of another girl, a wealthy woman who had once lived in the house but who had been murdered there.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | number in title

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 1945 (UK)

Also Known As:

...holt Doktor Marsham!

Filming Locations:

Gainsborough Studios, Islington, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gainsborough Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (British Acoustic)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When supposedly toasting with port, the liquid in the glasses is clear.

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Quotes

Mr. Smedhurst: If there's one thing I can't stand, it's mystery.

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Connections

Referenced in The Others (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Prelude No.14"
(uncredited)
Music by Frédéric Chopin
Arranged by Hubert Bath

User Reviews

An Enjoyable Gainsborough Gothic Romp

I enjoyed this the latest addition to my Margaret Lockwood collection of films.It was filmed the same year,(1945) , that she produced her most famous role of the evil, beautiful, Lady Barbara Skelton in "The Wicked Lady".In "A Place of Our Own" she looks her dark, ravishing best in the "good" role of Annette, the lady companion to Mrs Smedhurst, (Barbara Mullen).

It is a pity that in the eyes of the general public "The Wicked Lady" has crowded out from their conscience her other "good" roles.Most notably, apart from this film, was "The Lady Vanishes" and "Bank Holiday" both from 1938 and "Girl in the News" and "Night Train to Munich" both from 1940 also "Love Story" (from 1944).James Mason for once puts aside his usual sophisticated and sadistic role (such as he played in "The Man in Grey"(1943) with Margaret, Stewart Grainger and Anna Neagle) and plays a sympathetic man twice his age at the time.He plays a plain speaking Yorshireman, Mr Smedhurst, who has spent his entire working life as a draper and now wishes to settle into retirement living in an old house the estate agent had difficulty selling.This role presumably caused James Mason no problems seeing as he was born in Huddersfield.("We're plain speaking folk up there").This is the third film where I've seen Margaret Lockwood "play" the piano well.For other films see "Love Story" and "Inspector Trent's Last Case" (1952.Was that divine music I heard a Chopin prelude? Being a period piece and ghostly it is quite interesting and held my attention to the end.I agree here with another reviewer, it could have been directed with slightly more tension and hence it has only a touch of Gothic suspense.I wonder what Hitchcock would have done with the direction but he was firmly established in Hollywood at the time.I gave it a rating of 6/10.