Hangover Square (1945) User Reviews

Cregar, Darnell, Herrmann...what a combination...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 19 September 2006]

HANGOVER SQUARE is one of my favorite films in which LAIRD CREGAR appeared--in fact, his last before a crash diet ruined his health and led to his death at age 28. Seeing him in this film, made me realize what a wonderful Rochester he would have made in '44's JANE EYRE. He had the kind of presence that looms over every frame of this film, even when he's not actually in the scene.

He's a troubled musician who reacts violently when he hears certain discordant sounds. LINDA DARNELL makes an attractive romantic presence in her period costuming (it takes place in Victorian London), and GEORGE SANDERS does a nice job as a doctor (a good guy for a change).

The scenes that stand out are Cregar climbing the ladder of a bonfire to dispose of his latest victim and the finale where he's playing the piano in a deserted building as the flames spread around him--all the while Bernard Herrmann's score is making an impact.

It's a delicious LAIRD CREGAR performance and a fitting finale to his short but illustrious career. It's somewhat similar to a previous film, THE LODGER, another Victorian thriller he did with Merle Oberon.

A golden oldie

[ryancm · 6/10 · 7 November 2007]

This is an above average thriller with a great cast. On the heels of THE LODGER using the same era and sets, HANGOVER SQUARE delivers some good chills and thrills without all the bloodshed like in todays movies of the same ilk. The one problem with the film is the short run time of 77 minutes. Seems like a lot has been left out and seems a bit disjointed at times. Laird Creger and Linda Darnell stand out among the cast. He superbly plays the "mad" composer with proper aplomb, and Darnell is great as a greedy and manipulative actress who is doomed. SPOILER ALERT: An ironic note is that her dead body is burned as in real life she also died in a fire. A bit eerie. Try to view both THE LODGER and HANGOVER SQUARE as a double bill.

The Symphony Concert

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 24 December 2018]

In 1903, in London, the prominent classical pianist George Harvey Bone (Laird Cregar) stabs a shop owner to death and set his store on fire. He returns home with amnesia, a dagger on his pocket and blood on his blazer and he meets his girlfriend Barbara Chapman (Faye Marlowe) and her father Sir Henry Chapman (Alan Napier) waiting for him. George is composing a piano concerto to make his debut in a symphony concert and is stressed with the situation. What he does not know is that when he hears dissonant sounds he turns into a killer. George confesses to Barbara that he cannot recall what he did along that day and when they read the crime of the shop owner in the newspaper, George decides to see Dr. Allan Middleton (George Sanders) from the Scotland Yard and discloses what happened. Dr. Middleton investigates the case and tranquilizes George. However he advises George to see other persons and have entertainment. One night, George goes to a pub and meet his acquaintance Mickey that introduces him to the ambitious untalented singer Netta Longdon (Linda Darnell). She seduces him and uses George to compose melodies to raise money with Mickey and spend his money in dinners in fancy places. When George proposes Netta to get married with him, he learns that he was used and she will marry Mickey. He returns home and accidentally drops his violins, producing a dissonance. What will happen next?

"Hangover Street" is a melodramatic crime film with a particularity since the killer is known in the first scene. Therefore there is no mystery but the screenplay keeps the attention of the viewer until the very last scene. The black and white cinematography and sets are top-notch, showing London in the beginning of the Twentieth Century. The music score by Bernard Herrmann is awesome and Laird Cregar convinces in the role of a pianist in his last work. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Concerto Macabro" ("Macabre Concert")

A forgotten but enjoyable thriller

[win200 · 18 July 2003]

Though it's virtually impossible to find a copy of this buried treasure, it's worth a fair bit of digging. (The film is available on tape only, in mediocre print condition, and carried by only a handful of rental stores in the country.) It's not a brilliant film, but it has some virtuoso camera work that one would never expect to find in a filmi of its type. (Watch for the camera shot in the first seconds of the film that swings quickly up from a crowded street, through a window, and into a tight

closeup of the face of a man about to be killed - very impressive.) This is the type of film one can imagine Martin Scorsese taking an interest in - a skillful, craftsmanlike film overlooked by all but a few film buffs. The performances as well, especially Laird Cregar's, are terrific.

Visually Striking

[kenjha · 7/10 · 2 August 2009]

In this variation on the Jekyll and Hyde story, a composer has sporadic episodes where his subconscious takes over and he has no recollections of his actions during these lapses when he comes to. This film reunites Cregar and Sanders with director Brahm from "The Lodger" the previous year, and, like the earlier film, it is visually opulent but the story is less than compelling. Cregar gives perhaps his best performance in this, his final film before his untimely death at age 31 just as he was coming into his own. Darnell, who would also die young, is a sensuous presence as the object of his obsession. Herrmann provides an impressive score, including a piano concerto used in the finale.

Cregar! Cregar!

[telegonus · 10/10 · 18 August 2002]

Hangover Square is the last film Laird Cregar made in his brief, remarkable career. Freely adapted from Patrick Hamilton's novel, it was directed by John Brahm, photographed by Joseph LaShelle, and features a memorably thunderous score by Bernard Herrmann. Like the previous year's The Lodger, also a Cregar-Brahm collaboration, this is a killer on the loose in Victorian London movie. Aside from some fancily shot scenes early on, this would not in itself be an extraordinary film but for Cregar's portrayal of the lead character, a man who murders when he hears loud, sudden noises. In his quieter moments the man is, of all things, a composer!

There are many fine scenes in this film but it's basically Cregar's show from start to finish, and he does not disappoint. His performance is so brilliant, empathetic, nuanced, and for all the melodrama, utterly believable, that it's impossible not to focus on him at the expense of the rest of the movie.

Perhaps the best way to describe Cregar's acting style here is to imagine A Streetcar Named Desire being performed entirely inside someone's mind, with the characters of Stanley and Blanche being played by the same actor, in a Victorian setting, disguised as a murder story. One wonders where Cregar found the inspiration for such work. He was one of the greatest actors to ever grace the screen, and one of the most enigmatic. American-born, he tended to play Brits. Unlike his fellow American Anglophile actor and friend, Vincent Price, he had no education to speak of. Within a span of less than five years he went from supporting player to star. In this movie he is top-billed over Fox hottie Linda Darnell. Not too shabby for a morbidly obese man several inches over six feet in height who, while still in his twenties, was playing men well into their forties.

Cregar had a way of making even accomplished co-stars like Cedric Hardwicke and George Sanders look like amateurs by comparison. He wasn't even trying to. One should watch his films to see what a great actor is like. His roles weren't always great, but he was. Forget Sean Penn and his tantrums, or Meryl Streep's mannered Yale Drama School flair for accents. Cregar was the real deal. The only American actor I can think of who could give him a run for his money would be Brando. Sadly, Cregar was as tormented as he was gifted, was full of self-hatred, for a variety of reasons, and went on a crash diet after completing this film in the hope of becoming a romantic leading man. But he lost the weight so fast it killed him. He was twenty-eight years old.

Hangover Square

[henry8-3 · 7/10 · 13 July 2021]

Famous Composer George Harvey Bone (Laird Cregar) turns from gentle giant to violent murdering psychopath when prompted by certain sounds - he can then recall nothing. Into his life comes tricky nightclub singer Linda Darnell who uses him to write popular songs that she can use / sell - he becomes bewitched.

Glorious piece of Grand Guignol evoking Jekyll and Hyde and a foggy, chestnut roasting London. The story is well played out and full of memorable scenes without going over the top. At the centre of it all is Cregar, hugely impressive as both a sweet, gentle man and an evil killer. He is well supported by Darnell who is good at being bad and George Sanders as the psychiatrist / amateur detective. Bernard Herrman's score is one of his best and used well throughout, but particularly in the climactic scene which is truly terrific.

Cregar & Camera-work Make This Worth Checking Out

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 7 January 2008]

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.

The Killing Sickness.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 20 August 2008]

Laird Cregar, whose last movie this was, was one of those actors whose kind we seldom see today. Tall and bulky, with the features of a flabby puppy and a smoothly articulated voice, he made a few films in which he played maniacs. Clearly, he was headed towards interesting character roles but died before any such career could be realized.

His previous movie was "The Lodger", an fictional examination of Jack the Ripper. You know Jack the Ripper? That guy who murdered those "dance hall girls" in Victorian London? This is a variation on that theme. He's George Harvey Bone, a noted composer of the period, who suffers from blackouts that last an hour or two, after which he's amnesic. He doesn't realize it but, as John Brahm's long opening pan shows us, Craigar murders people during those blackouts.

Bone sees a doctor who specializes in brain diseases, George Sanders. Sanders suggests that Bone take time off from writing his new symphony and get to know ordinary people. It's too bad that Sanders didn't specify who those people should be, because, before he knows it, the somewhat unworldly Craigar finds himself being exploited by the treacherous chanteuse, Linda Darnell, looking just fine. She seduces him into writing popular songs for her act. All the music is written by Bernard Hermann. And Hermann's pop songs sound like ballads straight out of 1945, with titles like "Forever Yours." This George Sanders is a curious shrink. Suspecting -- no more than intuiting, really -- that Craigar may be up to no good during his blackouts, he sics a private investigator on the composer and alerts the police to his conjectures.

This doesn't prevent a confrontation between Craigar and Linda Darnell. He strangles her, disguises her body as a Guy Fawkes dummy, and burns the corpse atop a community bonfire.

Sanders and the police twig. They visit Craigar's apartment, reveal the evidence against him, and tell him that he must come with them and be sent to a hospital for the criminally insane. But he bolts because this is the opening night of his symphony and he must play the piano. The symphony begins as planned, with Craigar the featured musician, but when the cops show up all hell breaks loose and there is a final shot of Craigar playing out the last few melancholy chords while the empty music hall burns down around him and provides him with a Wagnerian exit passage.

Not a bad movie, if a little depressing. Craigar isn't an ordinary murderer. He kills people he doesn't even know. And, as for Linda Darnell's lying, selfish tart -- well, she doesn't deserve to be strangled, but there's no reason he couldn't have turned her over his knee and giving her a darned good pranging. In fact, that might have been fun. Whatever illness Craigar suffered from is fictional, of course, but looks like some ungodly combination of psychomotor epilepsy and explosive personality disorder. And as for Sanders' shrink, I wouldn't have paid his bill. Sanders should have sent Craigar, not out into the streets of London, but off to the Sussex downs where he might have quietly kept bees.

A Movie To Die For--And Cregar Did, Alas

[dtb · 10/10 · 10 April 1999]

While I understand this bears little resemblance to the novel it's based on, HANGOVER SQUARE is still a suspenseful period nail-biter. It also reunites many of the personnel from the loose 1944 remake of Hitchcock's THE LODGER, including stars Laird Cregar and George Sanders as well as director John Brahm and screenwriter Barre Lyndon. Amid gorgeous Edwardian settings accompanied by one of the great Bernard Herrmann's most powerful scores, George Sanders is as suave as ever, while Linda Darnell is so convincing as the selfish, grasping songbird who uses and dumps poor lovestruck Laird Cregar that you're rooting for him to hear a loud noise, go nuts, and strangle her. But it's Cregar who touches your heart and terrifies you at the same time as poor, talented, obsessive composer George Harvey Bone, whose homicidal tendencies are touched off by clanging lead pipes and other unbearably loud noises (you'd think he'd have found a quieter profession). Cregar was best known for playing heavies, literally and figuratively (he was far younger than he looked), and he went on some insane crash diet to slim down for this role. It worked, but tragically, it cost him his life: the diet took a terrible toll on his health, resulting in cardiac arrest and death shortly after Cregar completed the film. Just goes to show that it's unwise to go too far for your art. Admittedly, I couldn't help thinking about this as I watched HANGOVER SQUARE, but even if you don't know anything about Cregar's short life, this is a corker of a thriller. It's now available on DVD as part of a 3-disc collection of Brahm's films, including THE LODGER and THE UNDYING MONSTER. Update for 2011: HANGOVER SQUARE will be aired on Turner Classic Movies tonight, Saturday, August 27th, 2011, at 11:30 p,m. EST as part of TCM's month-long Summer Under The Stars Festival. You might want also want to keep an eye on TCM's schedule for future airings!

Blacking Out

[sol- · 6/10 · 23 March 2017]

Subject to lengthy spells in which he cannot recall his actions, an overworked London composer begins to question whether he is committing murders during his blackouts in this stylish thriller starring Laird Cregar in his final big screen performance before his untimely death. Cregar is excellent throughout, especially towards the end as he gradually becomes more and more unhinged, and his fiery final scene is hard to forget. The film has some pacing problems though with around half the movie's duration passing between the first and second murders/deaths. While the events during this lengthy interim provide some extra character motivation, is never particularly interesting to watch small time nightclub singer Linda Darnell constantly toy with the (unbelievably) gullible Cregar's emotions. The second half of the movie is admittedly pretty solid though and Bernard Herrmann's atmospheric music score is excellent throughout, nicely coinciding with the heightened sound effects that indicate that Cregar is about to black out. Blurry closeups of Cregar's wide open eyes as he begins to blackout works surprisingly well too (cinematographer Joseph LaShelle had just come off an Oscar win for his luscious lensing of 'Laura' at the time). It is debatable how psychologically sound the story is here, however, it nevertheless makes for an interesting look at the possible effects of elevated stress on an individual, and if nothing else, the film features the most morbid Guy Fawkes celebration scene ever committed to celluloid.

The greatest movie ever made about madness!

[inframan · 9/10 · 8 March 2001]

My parents took me to see this when I was 8 & I had nightmares about it for a month or more - compounded by the knowledge that the lead, the great Laird Cregar died shortly after his appearance in it (of complications from dieting - at age 28!). The total immersion of this film into the clinical madness of a composer who cracks up when he hears discordant sounds & the greed & opportunism of his paramour give it a real nasty Edwardian gothic mood. There are scenes of creepiness here that seem almost the prototypes for Hitchcock classics like Psycho & Vertigo. (Bernard Hermann wrote the composer's scores as well as the background music). But it's also a great exercise on good vs evil, apollo vs dionysius & above all high art vs low art. The 2 main leads, Cregar & Sanders, the director & writer were involved in the making of The Lodger - a Jack the Ripper film - the year before.

Killing Them Softly With His Song

[Lejink · 7/10 · 18 October 2018]

I found it impossible to watch this highly-charged melodrama without thinking of the sad fate of its leading actor Laird Cregar, who embarked on a crash diet to lose weight in the hope of getting less stereotypical "heavy" (no pun intended) roles but died of a likely related heart attack before this film was released. You can see here that he's less bulky than in some of his previous films and can certainly understand his artistic frustration but what a shame he died so young at age 31.

This movie may just be another Gothic-flavoured murder mystery set in period London after the manner of "Gaslight", "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" and even the immediately preceding film of Cregar, his co-star George Sanders and director John Brahm, "The Lodger", but it's well staged, acted and filmed from first to last.

Cregar is the aspiring young classical music composer all set for an artistic breakthrough and happily in tow with his loving fiancee and her well connected orchestra conductor father, only he keeps experiencing black-outs when he hears discordant sounds and when he wakes up later, someone in the neighbourhood has been murdered. There's no whodunit here, it's made obvious from early on who the killer is although no real explanation is offered for his condition. Moreover his otherwise well-ordered life takes a sharp south turn when he encounters good-time girl singer Linda Darnell, keen to exploit his almost immediate infatuation with her and so derail his serious musical ambitions by coaxing him to knock out catchy pop songs to boost her raunchy stage show. This artistic / lover's dilemma is carried through to a spectacular pyromaniac conclusion as Cregar's burning love and ambition are expiated in true "Phantom Of The Opera" style.

Sure it's hokum from the get-go but director Brahm's flair for Noir-ish scene-setting with excellent use of shadow, low-angle shots and impressive sets creates a darkly atmospheric backdrop to proceedings. Especially noteworthy are his use of high dolly tracking shots, particularly for the suitably over-the-top climax and the distorted lens to portray Cregar's madness. There's also an early, fine, dramatically macabre score by Bernard Herrman later to work so well with Hitchcock and others.

Cregar's fine playing in the lead (he even looks the part when playing the piano) is well supported by George Sanders as the friendly but maybe not completely altruistic police doctor on his trail (he seems to have designs on Cregar's girl) and Darnell as the unscrupulous but undeniably sexy chanteuse.

Who knows if Cregar's hoped-for physical transformation might have similarly changed his career path but as they say, be careful what you wish for. Yes he's playing a stock part here but there's an underlying sensitivity in his playing, especially the timbre of his voice that makes you think better was to come.

Hungover Viewer

[moorje · 3/10 · 17 April 2007]

A deserved adaptation of one of literatures great 'lost' novels this is not. Whilst the performance of Laird Cregar as George Bone was good, the rest of the film was an entire mess. There was no characterisation, the acting was appalling, the plot was rushed and the conclusion lacked any urgency or tension. From the very start of the film it is clear this film is a dumbed down exercise for cheap thrills, though the thrills are absent, The device of using 'Hangover Square' as an actual road name is ridiculous, it is supposed to be a metaphor! Yet the whole concept of social drinking and alcoholism are absent, rendering the title completely redundant.The cast consists mainly of Americans without any attempt of an English accent, despite the film being set in London. Whilst the Guy Fawkes scene provided the only highlight of the film (a truly disturbing scene which must have brought the house down at the time), this was a rushed, watered down travesty of a thriller. The device of using loud sounds to trigger off murderous urges stank of avoiding the core of the novel, George's schizophrenia. Though it would seem pointless to make comparisons between the novel and the film because there are so few. This is why the film fails. It takes several random aspects of the novel to turn it into a trashy crime thriller. The problem with this is that there is no tension in George's murderous rampages, nor do we like (or even know) the victims. The presence of George Sanders dilutes this tension even further with Sanders playing his usual relaxed, dismissive character-type. This was a huge disappointment to me but it seems obvious why this film has remained dormant since it's original theatrical release. There just is not enough time in 77 minutes to achieve an effective story of this nature. For the love of god, read the book instead! This remains one of the most tragic pieces of modern English literature, whilst expanding on the anguish and suffering of the characters that are barely hinted at in this cheap cash-in of a film.

A tense tale of obsession and desperation

[Moxie · 29 December 1998]

Well worth watching, if you can find it. Cregar is excellent as the concert pianist tortured by obsession with a woman, and what it leads to. Moody, urgent (all the more so in black and white), with mounting suspense and tension. Lush Bernard Hermann score that expresses his anguish. Bonfire scene is gripping.

Don't play the wrong chord

[AAdaSC · 7/10 · 27 October 2016]

Laird Cregar (George) suffers blackouts whenever he hears discordant sounds. His brain is taken over by impulses that lead to actions for which he has no recollection. And they're not good actions! Basically, don't annoy him as he seems to dish out revenge in these moments. Outside of these episodes, he's a composer who has a champion in noted conductor Alan Napier (Sir Henry) and pupil Faye Marlowe (Barbara). But, enter floozy Linda Darnell (Netta) and her ruthless streak for fame and fortune and Cregar is in trouble. She lures him into her trap with false promises of love in return for his services in composing songs for her to perform and promote her own career. She can then drop him once she hits the big time. Wow, did she ever pick the wrong guy to wind up!

Musicians are sometimes a funny breed – wrapped up in a self-obsessed world of creativity. It's an admirable path. Sometimes the music doesn't work – as with Elton John, and sometimes it does as with Cregar in this film. The music is so powerful that it deserves a credit as one of the major cast. Other cast members are all excellent with special mention to Darnell as a total bitch. She will have you rooting for Cregar to have an episode with her and the film doesn't disappoint. However, it is Cregar who drives the film and does an excellent job eluding sympathy despite the horrors that lurk within him.

Two scenes that stand out are the Guy Fawkes bonfire sequence where Cregar places his dummy at the top of the bonfire and the end sequence as he is driven to perform his concerto to the end. Literally. We have the added curiosity of the terrible fate that fell upon all 3 of the leads in this film. Sanders committed suicide, and while many people give the nod to Cregar in his last performance before his death, surely the most eerie aspect of the film is what happens to Darnell.

Laird Cregar at his best

[Morning Star · 9/10 · 28 August 2000]

HANGOVER SQUARE was Laird Cregar's last film (he died at 28) and he turns in a fine performance. You can see how haggard he looks from his 100+ pound weight lose which happened before and during the filming of this movie. His appearance and exhaustion fit well with the role of George Bone though. The scene where he carries the body to the Guy Fawkes bonfire and places it with all the mannequins is very memorable as is the ending. The film score by Bernard Hermann is excellent and the concerto Bone "writes" is believable and tense. Cregar even plays the piano very well. It is too bad he died so young after only 5 years making movies as Hollywood lost a fine talent that was just starting out. John Brahms does a good job directing the atmospheric HANGOVER SQUARE too.

A tragic story of a remarkable actor

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 6/10 · 28 August 2011]

Last night I watched this film for the second time, and oddly enough my reaction was much different than after my first viewing several years ago.

There are two remarkable actors in this film. Laird Cregar -- whom I had never heard of when I first viewed the film -- is good here, but not brilliant as I had felt after the first showing. This movie belongs to him. And, so that the heavy could play a romantic, yet murderous part, he quickly lost 100 pounds before making the film, and died as a result of doing so...before the film was released!

The other remarkable performance in this film is by Linda Darnell...in my opinion, remarkably bad. I had just seen her the previous night opposite Tyrone Power, and she was quite good. But here, stinko!

Most disappointing for me is the small amount of on-screen time that George Sanders had...and he's the reason I watched the film to begin with. His role as a sort of police-psychologist is important...but all to brief.

The film is not unlike "Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde". Here, Cregar plays a composer who has amnesia attacks during which he often kills someone. A wonderful girl is in love with him, but he falls for a cheap pop singer who only wants to use him. Of course, we all know where this is going. And, indeed, he does kill Darnell...and the viewer is glad of it. Cregar is able to gain sympathy while playing a serial murderer! I give him credit for that.

The fire scene at the end of the film is done remarkably well.

First time around I gave this film a solid 7...this time only a 6. Perhaps had George Sanders' part been more extensive I would have rated it higher.

Why, oh why, isn't this available on home video???

[moondog-8 · 10/10 · 5 March 2001]

I think this is one incredible movie. Aside from seeing it on late-night TV with dozens of commercial breaks, the only times I've seen this on the Big Screen was at the UCLA Film Archives and at the University of Southern California when the director's daughter was present.

It seems as if those in the know are in on a secret: this is a kewl movie!! John Brahm was a terrific director who was not afraid to use unusual shots (ever see the work he did for TV's Twilight Zone?), the performances are exceptional, and Bernard Herrmann's score is top-of-the-line.

Having said that, I must ask the big question: why must the lovers of this film have to wait over a decade between screenings? Come on, 20th Century-Fox, this movie is just begging to be made available to consumers!

Rather simple-minded thriller without suspense, though adorned with several amazing set-pieces...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 1 September 2009]

Character actor Laird Cregar (in a rare starring role) headlines this exceptionally loose adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's novel about a mild-mannered composer with a latent homicidal streak. In gas-lit London (via Hollywood), Cregar falls for Linda Darnell, playing a greedy chanteuse who uses the pianist for his songwriting talents; little does she know, he also harbors a Mr. Hyde-like tendency to go off the beam whenever he hears loud, obtrusive noises. Cregar (who has the hulking frame of a Boris Karloff and the smudgy, pudgy face of a Lee J. Cobb) doesn't deliver a performance with multi-dimensions--but then, the picture itself is rather cut-and-dry. Without cinematographer Joseph LaShelle's swooping camera movements and Bernard Herrmann's scintillating score, the movie wouldn't be much more than another Jack the Ripper variation. A few stand-out moments (a bonfire sequence which recalls the German Expressionists, also the frenzied finale which must be seen to be believed) causes the film to linger in one's memory. Cregar died in real-life before the picture was released; he fills the bill without possessing any actual charisma or evidence of an uncanny grasp of verisimilitude. **1/2 from ****

A fitting "last hurrah" for a sadly short-lived actor.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 17 July 2018]

Laird Cregar stars as George Harvey Bone, a turn of the 20th century London composer. He's busy working on a concerto, but gets distracted by a chanteuse named Netta Longdon (Linda Darnell). He gets his heart broken by this self-serving lady, who's only interested in what he can do for her. Meanwhile, he keeps suffering prolonged "episodes" - brought on by loud, discordant noises - and he can't remember what he does or where he goes during these periods. As it turns out, he becomes impulsively murderous.

"Hangover Square", named for the London address at which Bone resides, was scripted by Barre Lyndon, based on a novel by Patrick Hamilton. Sadly, it would turn out to be the final picture for Cregar, who suffered the ill effects of an attempted crash diet. But he certainly goes out in style, creating a vivid character who's far more sympathetic than the character he played for director John Brahm in "The Lodger". While the other cast members are good, this largely remains his show - one that his character sees through to the bitter end.

Darnell and the equally lovely Faye Marlowe are intoxicating as the women in his life. One does feel disgruntled on Bones' behalf when Netta reveals her true colours. George Sanders is his typical classy, dapper self as an analyst working for Scotland Yard. Glenn Langan is amusingly smarmy as Bones' rival for Nettas' affections. And Alan Napier, Michael Dyne, and Frederic Worlock lend able support in various other roles.

While the excellent black & white cinematography by Joseph LaShelle is definitely a key element, the film works best as a marriage of image and music. Bernard Herrmann is one of the most valuable assets that the film can boast, as his lush score & concerto provide the perfect accompaniment for these melodramatic goings-on.

One clever highlight: Bone taking advantage of a fiery Guy Fawkes celebration night.

Eight out of 10.

Hitchcock-like, but fumbles along a choppy story

[thespeos · 7/10 · 1 July 2022]

(No, I haven't peeked yet, but ... ) This was like a junior version of a Hitchcock suspense flick.

Is it great? Is it any where close to "the master?" No, but it's got a solid beginning and end : )

Here's my breakdown:

STORY: A concert pianist that suffers from black outs ... and what happens during the "forgotten darkness?"

Well, you'll have to watch to find out, but ...

The story had massive potential, but just as it just kept perking up, it would turn around and run flat again.

It's as if either the writers: 1) Couldn't make up their minds about characters and sub-plots, were they minor or major players?

Or 2) This was an earlier work and reflects a lack of maturity, cohesion, or as the Brits call it "continuity." or 3) Put their energy into a few key story elements, and then just coasted or dropped the ball for the rest.

(Let's do a little digging to try and find out ...)

ACTING: The acting here is actually quite good by Cregar (his last film before his death), and I liked seeing Darnell play a more vivacious and seductive character than her usual hard-nosed gal.

No stand outs, though I'd put Cregar in the style of Vincent Price (an exceptional actor with very good range).

ENTERTAINMENT: Moderate value as it wasn't great, but held up in the end

TEMPO: Good pace, but it bounces around too much and ends up feeling like we're almost switching films intermittently.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Actually OK, with what appears predominantly sets with some outdoor work. The endless fog was a bit much.

DIRECTING / WRITING: Director: As I suspected, Brahm was both influenced by and had great respect for Hitchcock, and it shows.

His camera work, use of lighting, the capturing of emotion and thought written on faces ... these are classic Hitchcock signatures.

Overall, I thought he possessed excellent talent and potential, but he eventually poured himself into TV!

Yuck.

Writers: Yeah, I'd pin the problems with this film on the writers mostly. They don't appear to have produced winners, and both eventually gave up and wrote for TV. Probably for the best ...

Is it a good film? Yes, but it's not a strong "yes"

Should you watch this once? Yes, especially if you like Hitchcock's style and Bernard Hermann's music.

Rating: 7.3.

Music was his first love ... And it will be his last.

[Coventry · 9/10 · 11 June 2020]

Every time I see a film, or a TV-episode, directed by John Brahm, I'm grabbing the opportunity to state my humble opinion that he is (was ...) the most underrated director of all times! His contributions to "The Twilight Zone" prove it, "The Mad Magician" with Vincent Price proves it, and the overlooked werewolf movie "The Undying Monster" proves it. But his accomplishments that prove it the most undoubtedly are the two masterful horror/film-noir hybrids he made together with Laird Cregar. "The Lodger" was a stupendous adaptation of Marie Bellow Lowndes' Jack the Ripper novel, and "Hangover Square" is inspired by the writings of Patrick Hamilton ("Gaslight", "Rope").

"Hangover Square" has occasionally been labeled as a self-conscious attempt to repeat the success of "The Lodger", but I politely beg to differ, since both films are solid classics in their own right. Comparisons are inevitable, for sure. The charismatic Cregar stars again as the anti-hero, this time depicting an overworked and easy-to-manipulate classical music composer George Harvey Bone, who goes on a murderous streak whenever cacophonous sounds cause his brain going into blackout modus. Even though he committed to finishing a highly artistic concerto, the irresistible but scheming night club singer Netta keeps seducing him to waste his talents on hip pop-songs, and that's more than his sensitive nerves can bare. Apart from Cregar's flawless performance and Brahm's tight direction, "Hangover Square" benefices mostly from a wondrous Edwardian era London-setting, Bernard Herrmann's fabulous score, and a handful of downright brilliant sequences. Bone's uniquely chilling method to get rid of a corpse during a Guy Fawkes bonfire is the most remarkable one, obviously, but also the moody opening sequences and the Grand Guignol climax are amazing. Highly recommended.

This was Laird Cregar's final film, as he passed away far too young (30) due to a heart-attack and a heavy stomach operation. Shame, because, purely based on his roles in "The Lodger" and "Hangover Square", he was destined to become a genre monument as big as Vincent Price or Boris Karloff.

Eerie atmospheric noir set in turn of the century London with memorable scenes and performances

[declancooley · 7/10 · 3 February 2022]

Slightly gothic in atmosphere what with the foggy damp London and some dramatic symphony music - Cregar gives a compelling turn as a very troubled composer who agonises over fugues and concertos while Darnell is ravishing as one of his vying muses. George Sanders and Faye Marlowe also put in good work. There is some innovative camera work - some truly creepy scenes - even chilling - with fascinating use of music and songs peppered throughout, and woven into the plot. A memorable and worthy watch you won't regret.

Seeing this getting a high rating is like seeing people like Star Wars EP9

[greggman · 2/10 · 19 June 2021]

I don't get it. The entire premise is ridiculous. It's possible a better movie could have made it believable but not this movie. That people love this movie at all just doesn't add up to me. It feels like all those fake amazon reviews that vote up all the cheap made in China electronics. Is it really possible people love this movie? Did I watch some different movie? Is there another version that doesn't suck?

In any case, I don't get it. George, the main character, has this condition where in when he hears a loud discordant sound he becomes someone else and then later when he wakes up he has no memory of the time he was his alternate self.

Okay, but during those times he's groggy like he's "hungover" (aha!). Which is fine for the first event, and maybe the 2nd event (even though that was unbelievable), but the 3rd event is long and well thought out. It doesn't fit at all.

Further, near the end, George, completely out of character from the entire movie, manages to lock someone in a closet without being in his alternate mode.

Then, the end was just melodramatic and silly.

I don't get it. 2 stars out of 10.