The Right Person (1955)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Peter Cotes

Writer:

Philip Mackie (story)

Release Date:

December 1955 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Short

Cast

Margo Lorenz	...	Martha Jorgensen
David Markham	...	Jorgen Jorgensen
Douglas Wilmer	...	Mr. Rasmusson

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (2005)

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

"Short, sharp and snappy but unremarkable anecdote."

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Martha Jorgensen (MARGO LORENZ) has just got married to her lover Jorgen Jorgenson (DAVID MARKHAM) and they are enjoying their honeymoon in Copenhagen. However, while her husband is out, Martha receives a visitor in their hotel room who announces himself as Mr Rasmusson (DOUGLAS WILMER), an ex-member of the Danish resistance during the second world war. Rasmusson tells Martha that he believes that her husband could be the man who betrayed his resistance group to the Germans for £5000 as his name was also Jorgen Jorgenson. As a result of the betrayal, ten of Rasmusson's men were executed and after ten years since the war ended, he won't rest until he's killed him. Rasmusson intends to wait for her husband's return and if he recognises him as the traitor a bullet will find its mark...

THE RIGHT PERSON (1955) is the typical b-filler short, which Hammer were turning out at the time. The plot is unremarkable, but it is tightly directed by Peter Cotes and even though it only features three characters on a single set for the duration of its running time, it never outstays its welcome and the end result is a short, sharp and snappy anecdote that served its purpose at the time. The performances of Lorenz, Markham and Wilmer are all better than one would expect of this kind of thing. Interestingly, Wilmer was later to become popular on BBC television as Sherlock Holmes before Peter Cushing inherited the role and he was also well known for playing Christopher Lee's arch-enemy Nayland Smith in THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU (1966) and THE VENGEANCE OF FU MANCHU (1967). Nevertheless, one does wonder why they thought it necessary to shoot a film of this kind in Cinemascope and colour. The standard Widescreen format and black and white were all that was necessary for b-movies!