Concerto Macabro

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.