A Night of Terror

Once this gets moving, it's a good thriller with an interesting story that is well worth watching. It has a good cast, led by Basil Rathbone and Ann Harding. The last half of it builds up the suspense very nicely in leading up to a tense climax.

The story is a fairly straightforward one about a young woman who is swept away by a charming man, and then quickly marries him, but then begins to wonder if he is really what he seems to be. The first part is rather slow in setting everything up (the Agatha Christie story on which the play and movie are based is much more economical, and just as suspenseful), but stick with it, because the last part is more than worth waiting for. It squeezes quite a bit out of the possibilities that the situation offers, and you'll definitely want to find out what happens.

This is the definitive movie version of the story. The later movie version pales by comparison. The casting is terrific. The plot is plausible. The pacing is perfect. The settings were simple yet convincing. The acting is right on the button. Basil Rathbone is extraordinary in what may be one of his finest performances. Hitchock could not have directed it any better. The psychopathology is presented in a valid way, eschewing melodrama. This version is uncompromisingly true to the meaning and the tone of Christie's creation. Just as importantly the dialogue does not insult your intelligence. The final scene is intense yet controlled and makes one yearn for these well-done black and white movies in contrast to the melodramatic, syrupy Technicolor endings we get nowadays.

Love from a Stranger (1937)

*** (out of 4)

A poor woman (Ann Harding) wins the lottery and soon she's swept off her feet by a nice man (Basil Rathbone) but after they're married she begins to think he has a few secrets including murder. Director Rowland V. Lee does a good job on this story by Agatha Christie and builds some nice atmosphere, which helps matters. Harding is very good in her role but the real key here is Rathbone who, as later in Son of Frankenstein, goes through a nervous breakdown, which is wonderful to watch. Some might call it over the top but I think he does a good job at showing the character losing his mind. Some slow segments hamper the film but the ending certainly makes up for that.

An extraordinarily entertaining thriller. The acting is melodramatic, and rightly so. A clever plot by Agatha Christie (how could it be otherwise?) keeps things moving along at a rapid clip. Two wonderful players -- Basil Rathbone and Ann Harding -- give bravura over-the-top performances that are breathtaking in their high-wire daring. Ann Harding especially was a revelation -- a gorgeous blonde with poise and class who had beautiful diction -- an American mid-Atlantic "Seven Sisters" voice that was as melodious as a cello. Basil Rathbone never ceases to amaze. Here, he is frightening and charming simultaneously. And two cheers for the Art Deco furnishings that grace one scene. Were those Lalique glass-paneled doors?

"A Night of Terror," or "Love from a Stranger" from 1937 is based on an Agatha Christie story. A woman, Carol Howard (Ann Harding) wins a huge amount of money in a lottery. She decides to sublet her apartment and go to Europe, first to claim the money in Paris, and then to sightsee. Her fiance doesn't understand, and is unhappy that after working hard for a good job, they're not going to need his salary. They consequently break up.

A man, Gerald Lovell (Basil Rathbone) comes to see the apartment - it's too short a time for him to sublet, but when she and her friend (Binnie Hale) board the ship for Paris, he's on it. Gerald wines and dines Carol, and they are soon married.

They move into the country, where Gerald exhibits some odd mood swings and secretive behavior, which includes making the basement his sacred place where no one is allowed.

On the night before they're due to leave on a long trip, the relationship boils over.

This is a wonderful psychological drama, with very good acting. One of the posts mentioned that the acting was so over the top as to be absurd. For the times, it was excellent acting. Acting style has changed and become much less theatrical over the years. I think it's important (for me anyway) to appreciate films from the perspective of the times in which they were made. Not all performances from those days survive today's critiques. Rathbone and Harding are both excellent.