Hangover Square (1945)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

John Brahm

Writers:

Patrick Hamilton (novel)
Barré Lyndon (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 October 1945 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

THE SCREEN'S MOST Terrifying LOVE STORY! EXCITING MYSTERY AND STRANGE EMOTION! (original print ad - mostly caps)

Plot:

A promising classical musician finds his life poisoned by a music hall dancer -- and by the strange gaps in his memory.

Plot Keywords:

Black Out | Doctor | Piano | Scotland Yard | Singer

Cast

Laird Cregar	...	George Harvey Bone
Linda Darnell	...	Netta Longdon
George Sanders	...	Dr. Allan Middleton
Glenn Langan	...	Eddie Carstairs
Faye Marlowe	...	Barbara Chapman
Alan Napier	...	Sir Henry Chapman

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #10426)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

This film is cited by Stephen Sondheim as inspiration for writing "Sweeney Todd."

Quotes:

[first lines]
Street Vendor: Look! It's old Ogilby's place!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Concerto Macabre: The Films of John Brahm (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

So Close to Paradise

Cregar & Camera-work Make This Worth Checking Out

If you admire good acting, directing and cinematography, this is a good movie to watch. It combines all of those elements. Whoever did the DVD transfer is to be complimented, too: the picture is sharp and the lighting is outstanding.

After a quick shocking opening, the story settles in for awhile and you have to stick with it. If you're used to modern movies, you'll get bored but if you hang around "Hangover Square" to where the main figure commits his second crime, the rest of the film gets better and better from that point. So does the direction and the photography. Kudos to Director John Brahm for a variety of interesting angles, from floor level to above-ceiling, through peep holes and anywhere else he could think of to shoot the scene.

If you're a fan of film noir, Cinematographer Josesph LaShelle's work here will keep you enthralled. Once he gets rolling, scene after scene is jaw-dropping in his array of lights and shadows - superb stuff.

Laird Cregar, meanwhile, is mesmerizing as "George Harvey Bone," a demented composer who, upon hearing discordant notes, literally goes insane and gets violent, intending to choke the life out of the last person who got him upset. What a shame the young Cregar never lived to see his great performance on screen. Read his biography here on IMDb, as it is interesting and tragic. In fact, if you rent or have this film's DVD, check out the 20-minute bonus feature of Cregar's career. The fact that the actor is still talked about in reverent tones in Hollywood some 60 years after his death, is a testimony to his acting prowess. particularly since his career was so short.

Linda Darnell adds a lot of sex appeal and evilness to "Hangover Square" and George Sanders - surprise - plays a good guy. How often do you see that?

The finale in here also is incredible - one you are guaranteed to remember!

Now that "Hangover Square" is available on DVD with such a great transfer, I highly recommend it.