Storyline
Twenty years removed from Alice Barlow's murder by a thief looking for her jewels, newlyweds Paul and Bella Mallen move into the very house where the crime was committed. Retired detective B.G. Rough, who worked on the Barlow case, is still in the area and grows suspicious of Paul, who he feels bears a striking resemblance to one of Barlow's relatives. Rough must find the truth before the killer can strike again and reclaim his bounty.
Director
Top Cast
Anton Walbrook
Paul Mallen (as Anton Wahlbrook)
Diana Wynyard
Bella Mallen
Frank Pettingell
B.G. Rough
Cathleen Cordell
Nancy the Parlour Maid
Robert Newton
Ullswater
Jimmy Hanley
Cobb
Minnie Rayner
Elizabeth
Marie Wright
Alice Barlow
Aubrey Dexter
House Agent
Mary Hinton
Lady Winterbourne
Angus Morrison
Pianist
Jack Barty
Chairman of Music Hall
Featured Reviews
C
CinemaSerf
June 23, 2022
7 / 10
I always feel that this version has been overshadowed by it's much higher profile 1944 iteration, but is actually every bit as good. A newly married couple move into their home on a Victorian Square and soon afterwards "Bella" (Diana Wynyard) starts to become absent minded, starts to misplace things, forget things. Her initially supportive husband "Paul" (Anton Walbrook) starts to lose patience with her and when she starts to imagine footsteps and flickering gas lamps he threatens to have her certified... Except, what's really going on? Is she what she seems - and, is he? The timely arrival of "Rough" (Frank Pettingell) starts to cause us all to question as he discovers that the husband may have a hidden, much more sinister, past! Thorold Dickinson does well with the pace of this tautly directly adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's play; the performances - especially a menacing Walbrook - are tight and convincing and Richard Addinsell has created a score that perfectly matches the pace as the mystery heads to it's denouement.
