Starring Eric Portman, Edana Romney, Barbara Mullen, Hugh Sinclair, Bruce Belfrage
Directed by Terence Young
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young woman becomes infatuated with a mysterious man who lives like a lord from centuries ago in a majestic house, but learns that he has definite plans for her.
I concur with a review I read online, that mentioned that although set in the present day, the film uses the past-obsessed character of Paul Mangin and his elaborate mansion to re-create a gothic romance along the lines of past efforts of the type in fiction and film. With splendid art direction and costuming as well as fine photography, it succeeds in this venture. The film's title refers to a corridor within Mangin's house with doors behind each mirror, where a different outfit of the past lies waiting for Romney's Mifanwy, tailored exactly to her measurements, transporting her in a sense back to the time Mangin cherishes. Romney also co-wrote the screenplay, and her performance is the equal of Portman's, as a modern woman who enjoys the experience of a relationship with him, before she discovers the truth behind his obsessions. It's an intriguing film with a haunting tone, although it might not quite have the depth of the classic romances it emulates. The film is also notable for the direction of Young, who would become a director of James Bond films, and for featuring the film debut of horror icon Christopher Lee, who only has one line of dialogue in a brief appearance at the beginning of the picture.
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Showing posts with label Barbara Mullen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barbara Mullen. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2020
Sunday, February 12, 2017
A Place Of One's Own (1945)
Starring Margaret Lockwood, James Mason, Barbara Mullen, Dennis Price, Helen Haye
Directed by Bernard Knowles
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A retiree and his wife invest in a beautiful estate, but discover afterward that their new home is haunted, and its ghost has taken possession of a young woman they've hired.
Despite a refined cast which includes Lockwood, Mason, Price, and even Ernest Thesiger in a small but pivotal role, the film falls short of becoming a memorable ghost story due to an overemphasis on advancing the plot through dialogue, and a lack of imagination in the film's photography and direction. While the movie looks crisp and the set decorations do capture the period well, there's no hint of menace using shadow or any effort to create chills through staging or via eerie notes on the soundtrack. It's not a badly written film, based on a novel by Osbert Sitwell, who apparently collaborated with screenwriter Brock Williams, but when the most exciting scene in the movie is Price driving Lockwood around a circular path in a motorcar, there's clearly a need for something more dynamic. One compensation in that regard is the presence of Mason, who although oddly cast as an aged retiree despite being still under 40 at the time of the film's release, gives the most watchable performance, bringing the character of a charming but occasionally fiery Scottish gentleman to life.
Directed by Bernard Knowles
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A retiree and his wife invest in a beautiful estate, but discover afterward that their new home is haunted, and its ghost has taken possession of a young woman they've hired.
Despite a refined cast which includes Lockwood, Mason, Price, and even Ernest Thesiger in a small but pivotal role, the film falls short of becoming a memorable ghost story due to an overemphasis on advancing the plot through dialogue, and a lack of imagination in the film's photography and direction. While the movie looks crisp and the set decorations do capture the period well, there's no hint of menace using shadow or any effort to create chills through staging or via eerie notes on the soundtrack. It's not a badly written film, based on a novel by Osbert Sitwell, who apparently collaborated with screenwriter Brock Williams, but when the most exciting scene in the movie is Price driving Lockwood around a circular path in a motorcar, there's clearly a need for something more dynamic. One compensation in that regard is the presence of Mason, who although oddly cast as an aged retiree despite being still under 40 at the time of the film's release, gives the most watchable performance, bringing the character of a charming but occasionally fiery Scottish gentleman to life.
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