A Night of Terror (1937) User Reviews

Love from a Stranger (1937) **1/2

[JoeKarlosi · 6/10 · 22 May 2004]

A year or so before he worked with him for SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, director Rowland V. Lee unleashed a maniacal Basil Rathbone in this unusual thriller that's not really a "good film", but is still pretty interesting and serves up a delicious climax if you can wait it out. Rathbone plays a suave ladies' man who charms his way into the life of a young woman who's just won the lottery. They get married, and only then does the woman realize her husband is not what he seems and may have half his screws loose. If you don't love Basil's insane performance in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, this will probably drive you even crazier; but if, like me, you think he's more fun than a barrel of monkeys when he lets it all hang out, this one is for you. The battle of wits at the end between Ann Harding and Rathbone has got to be seen to be believed! This one's a must if you love Basil Rathbone, and no Rathbone fan should dare miss it. **1/2 out of ****

How Far is Over the Top?

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 21 June 2004]

This is based on an Agatha Christie story and contains some of the most histrionic acting I've ever witnessed. I never knew that anyone could go so far over the top and not shoot out of the frame and into space.

The basic plot concerns a young woman who wins a lottery and soon after meets and falls in love with a "stranger", played by Basil Rathbone. Rathbone's intentions are far from happy and it all winds down to a conclusion that allows... well lets just say you will wonder about everyone's sanity.

I'm not sure I liked this. Its good, but it takes a while to get going. Once its moving its fine but even then I was never really content. I want to say that its oddly British, but its not so much that its British as mannered. I like that you have the pure unrestrained emotion in the final act, but at the same time compared to the earlier low key nature of it I was wondering how many coffees the cast had.

Frankly I'm reserving my final judgment until I see it again.

Even with all of that said and done I suggest you do see this movie- and stay to the end. Unless you've seen this before, I'm certain you've never witnessed what Basil Rathbone was truly capable of. I won't try to explain that statement, I'll let you search this out and see for yourself.

LOVE FROM A STRANGER (Rowland V. Lee, 1937) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 12 April 2006]

Interesting British-made suspenser - from an Agatha Christie story, no less - which feels quite dated today due to the low budget and a rather slow pace (though the atrocious condition in which it's available doesn't help matters any!), but survives nevertheless by virtue of its excellent leading performances.

I've watched Ann Harding in only a few other films - most notably PETER IBBETSON (1935) - but, even if she has been largely forgotten, here again she proves her standing as one of the unsung actresses of her time. Basil Rathbone relishes his role as the suave murderer and the latter stages of the film allow him to go into all-out hysterics in much the same way (and under the same director!) as he would, memorably, in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939); in fact, the last 15 minutes create a genuinely electrifying tension that are basically the film's raison d'etre.

Rowland V. Lee has perhaps never been a highly regarded film-maker but, from what little I've seen of his work, he was a reasonably efficient craftsman and, given promising material, he always turned in a quality product (the two films of his I would most love to catch up with are the definitive screen version of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO [1934] and TOWER OF London [1939], yet another Rathbone collaboration).

Very Good Once It Gets Going

[Snow Leopard · 21 August 2002]

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.

A little padded, but the final 20 minutes will have you glued to your seat!

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 11 March 2017]

"Love From A Stranger" is notable as one of the first film adaptations of Agatha Christie's work, and certainly the earliest that is commercially available today. The first three quarters of its length are not too thrilling (they are a little padded - the script was based on a short Christie story, after all), and Basil Rathbone's eyebrow-raising gives away his evil intentions too early (to be more specific, at the scene where he gets Ann Harding to sign the papers about their new house), but the last 20 minutes will have you glued to your seat. I would go as far as describing them as a masterclass in building screen suspense. Also fun to watch a young Joan Hickson, one of the future Miss Marples, playing someone on the opposite side of the intellectual spectrum. **1/2 out of 4.

Basil Rathbone is not as he appears to be much to dismay of Ann Harding

[mike1964 · 7/10 · 20 June 1999]

Typical Agatha Christie story where someone is not at all as he appears. Story consists of a young woman (Harding) who wins the lottery. Basil Rathbone poses as someone wanting a room to let and sweeps Harding off her feet. They rush off to Paris where they quickly marry and Harding unceremoniously dumps her old fiancee. The newlyweds settle in their new home where we watch as Rathbone starts going looney tunes. We learn he is the serial killer known as "Fletcher." The film's suspense builds to a shocking climax where Harding tries to save her life by claiming she too is a murderer. Not to be missed.

based on an Agatha Christie story

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 14 April 2020]

"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.

"A woman's weakness is man's opportunity".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 5 September 2011]

I saw this film under the British title "Love From a Stranger", and I found it interesting to place Basil Rathbone on the wrong side of Scotland Yard for a change. That reference in the story didn't go very far, but putting the future Sherlock Holmes on the opposite side of the law seemed oddly satisfactory.

Actually, Ann Harding has top billing in bold letters over Rathbone in the opening credits, and it IS pretty much her picture throughout until about the last half hour when Rathbone summons up his maniacal best. Personally, I would have been suspicious of him on the cruise ship when he offered Miss Howard (Harding) and Kate (Binnie Hall) a tray of hot chocolate, whipped cream, French pastry and pilchard sardines.

Considering the tension in the build up to the finale, I thought the story had a pretty good mix of humor going for it. I would liked to have seen more of hypochondriac Aunt Lou, she seemed like quite the trip with her floating pains. And dim-witted English house maid Emmy (Joan Hickson) raised my eyebrows with a remark to Carol about her prospects for getting married, considering she 'ain't quite bright but I'm willing'. A bit of double entendre there.

Actually, two key elements of the story can be interpreted in different ways, and since I haven't read the Agatha Christie short story this was based on, I don't know the definitive result. Presumably, the character 'Fletcher' was actually Gerald Lovell (Rathbone), but if you think about it, the criminal might have only been the inspiration for Lovell's madness. I tried mentally erasing the scruffy beard on the picture of Fletcher, and it didn't strike me that the resemblance to Lovell was there.

Secondly, the verbal sparring between Carol and Lovell was explained as buying time for the poison in the coffee to kick in. However considerable pains were taken to establish Lovell's heart condition, so Carol's pressing of the argument could have been taken as providing the stress to cause a massive heart attack. Otherwise, guess what? - she's a murderer! How come no one else has considered that in the dozen plus other reviews posted on this board?

definitive

[jcoppeto001 · 9/10 · 19 March 2006]

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.

Good beginning and tense ending

[Paularoc · 6/10 · 7 May 2013]

A young woman, played by Ann Harding, wins a huge lottery and has big plans to see the world and do exciting things. She soon meets the romantic and suave Basil Rathbone character who quickly wins her over with his smooth talk. In spite of both her roommate and ex-beau warning her that Basil is not all he appears to be, Harding marries him. The middle part of the movie is very draggy. All right already - she's a sap and he's crazy. But the ending makes up for the earlier slow pace. The verbal battle between Harding and Rathbone is quite amazing. The movie is worth watching because of the performances of Harding and Rathbone but the whole "Bluebeard" premise is not one I find particularly interesting or entertaining.

Could have been better

[1930s_Time_Machine · 5/10 · 20 April 2024]

Since it's from the mind of Agatha Christie, it's not quite as straightforward as you first think. In the hands of Alfred Hitchcock however this could have been something really special but as it is, it's just ok.

As soon as Basil Rathbone shows up you know he's a bad'un. This role is perfect for him and he gives a spectacular performance. Ann Harding however is as bland as she usually is but that mousy naive character is necessary for the story to work. It does however make it difficult to sympathise too much with her so it's not as gripping as it should be. I think it would have been better to have given the lead to Binnie Hale who had a lot more oomph but in this she doesn't really have much to do. Surprisingly she's also uncharacteristically quite frumpy which is a shame.

To set the scene, the start is very slow and although the tension really builds up half way through, by then you're losing interest. As I said, this is the type of story which Hitchcock would have got the pacing just right unlike Rowland Lee who's direction feels too inconsistent.

The production is first rate - it's a big budget affair from Max Schach (made at Korda's state of the art studio), the script and performances are believable but the actual story isn't really that engrossing. Maybe it wasn't so clichéd back in 37 but this isn't classic Christie.

Rathbone at his Emotive Best

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 2 May 2007]

I love Basil Rathbone. He made a wonderful Holmes. Too bad the scripts didn't match the performance. But that's another issue. Here he plays a type of Bluebeard who marries women who come into money and then bumps them off. He is a mass of psychoses, depression, and a bad ticker. He goes from being suave and successful, to maudlin and manic. A modern psychologist would have a field day. The tension that builds as he goes through his rant is a little like Jack Nicholson in "The Shining." There's a moment where the bride becomes cognizant of the fact that she is married to a lunatic. And, of course, she had been warned and has married him anyway. Anyway, the last scene where they spar intellectually is delightful and shows both actors at their best. There's a wonderful moment of realization on the young woman's face where she realizes that her life depends on what she says. It is one of the most claustrophobic bits I've ever seen and is very effective in showing that there is just a little tilt to the scales on both sides.

Good dramatics

[Panamint · 7/10 · 21 July 2012]

Ann Harding was capable of delivering as fine a dramatic screen performance as any actress of her generation. That is a big statement, but watch this film and you will be impressed with her performance every minute she is on screen. It is that good.

Rathbone seemed to get a lot of roles requiring a lot of dramatic "flair", such as Dr. Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, and this role here. Within that context he always delivers what is required, which is to walk the fine line between overacting and "flair".

While a bit slow developing, the good acting by all the cast in "A Night of Terror" will hold your attention, and will leave you wanting to look for more Ann Harding films.

If you are a fan of good, straight, no-gimmick drama, watch this one.

Beware of crazed husbands even if he is Basil Rathbone

[jcholguin · 5/10 · 4 August 2001]

Basil Rathbone as a crazed wife killer took time to get used too but actually he was excellent. The film begins very slowly for about forty minutes as Carol Howard wins the lottery. She now has money and starts to spend it. Gerald Lovell "Rathbone" comes into her life and sweeps her off her feet into marriage. Little does she know that he has a secret life. He is actually a killer of three previous wives and intends to make her the fourth. The final half of the film makes up for the first half as we begin to see Rathbone in action. The end features the "battle to the death" between Rathbone and wife Carol.

Very Underrated

[Michael_Elliott · 11 March 2008]

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.

I rather like Mrs. Harding

[Cristi_Ciopron · 7/10 · 24 November 2008]

LOVE FROM A STRANGER sounds like a TV courtroom melodrama, yet it evokes the charm and spontaneity of the British between—the—wars cinema sometimes nostalgically evoked by Hitchcock—a sort of freedom and originality and unpretentiousness. Mrs. Harding—what a delicious woman and actress, what a funny blonde! …And the Hoffmanesque cellar scenes, brightly scored! The score is by Britten; the precarious technique affects the sound's quality, the dialogs are rather badly taken, sometimes hard to understand.

Such movies are amusing almanacs of funny bits and small inventiveness.

Rathbone was the villainous, threatening version of Flynn. A better actor, one might say.

The hypocrisy of men was illustrated in cinema by Grant, Cotten, Mitchum, with roles in movies about women being manipulated and used,of trust betrayed, and Cave sang about the victims of others' malice.

Mrs. Harding produces instantly a very good impression, as a most fine person.

Stage trained performers to the fore

[Igenlode Wordsmith · 7/10 · 14 September 2011]

Ann Harding (as a mysteriously-American-accented London typist) is top-billed in the opening credits -- but when explaining the nature of my cinema visit later, it was as "a film with Basil Rathbone and Binnie Hale" that I instinctively described it. Rathbone has been praised (and rightly so) in other reviews: for an actor best known as the swift-quipping villainous fencing master of the swashbuckler genre, or the alert and cerebral Sherlock Holmes, he puts on an astonishing act here as a charismatic seducer, while his theatrical training is clearly to the fore when he carries off his set-piece speeches about moonlight over the Taj Mahal... and manages to make them sound compelling instead of merely false. (Miss Harding doesn't manage quite so well when it comes to her turn with the same lines; but then her character is supposed to be merely parroting his.)

Binnie Hale, meanwhile -- darling of the West End musical comedy stage throughout the 1920s -- here plays the heroine's unmarried flatmate (frankly, I was hoping by the end that the rejected suitor would find solace in the arms of plain good-hearted Kate) as more or less a 'straight' role, but manages to liven every scene she is in with her tremendous energy and sense of timing. It is not on the face of it much of a part, but Miss Hale makes a good deal out of it and brings the character sympathetically to life.

Bruce Seton puts in a rather wooden performance as the admittedly somewhat one-dimensional Ronnie (one of Agatha Christie's standard hearty-but-dim stalwart Englishmen), which does the film no favours; and I felt that an otherwise excellent script, which makes matters apparent without ever explicitly stating them, would have benefited from a little more ambiguity. Rathbone's performance is so good that it seems a pity to make him an obvious villain from so early on, while it makes the heroine seem a fool for failing to see it -- a missed opportunity perhaps for leaving the audience wondering about Gerald's sincerity until a much later point.

Miss Harding is not quite up to the standard of her supporting players when it comes to dealing with this sort of material (compare her cutaway 'reaction shots' to those of Rathbone and Miss Hale -- but then to Seton!) and her character comes across at times as somewhat one-note in moments of stress; when Gerald rages at her for entering the cellar, for example, the actress goes immediately into 'maximum shock' mode and stays there. But on the whole she holds her own in a demanding part which requires her to appear in almost every scene, and creates real chemistry with just about every character the heroine interacts with, from the half-wit rustic Emmy to the hypochondriac Aunt Lou, and of course the two men with whom she is seen to be in love. (And keep a look out for those classic 1930s costumes -- especially the demure but at times extremely revealing evening dress of the final scene!)

Very early Christie

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 15 January 2020]

Unlike many of the writer's plots,it is not a whodunit but pure thriller ;"Philomel cottage" was a short story which was often transferred to the screen (there's another version featuring Sylvia Sidney);It's possible by the author was inspired by Charles Perrault 's fairy tale "Bluebeard" ,the darkroom replacing the bedroom the heroine must not enter.

The problem is that a short story is inevitably too short,and the first part drags on a little;but by the second part,in "Philomel Cottage ",the movie hits his stride and both actors deliver the goods ;one can regret the phone call to the butcher , one of Dame Christie's best tricks ,but the writer's job in a dispensary shows.Otherwise, the film is faithfull to the story with minor differences: the heroine,for instance,does not win on the lottery but comes into a "distant cousin"'s inheritance.And ,yes,in the short story ,the real name of the hero was Charles (like writer Perrault) Lemaître ,a French.

Sit back,turn out the lights, and get some scares!

A thin line between love and hate, and sanity and psychosis.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 19 May 2020]

Surprisingly effective 83 years later, this Agatha Christie melodrama is stagy in many ways but relatable for people who have been through bad relationships with people with mental issues. it goes into great detail to show how the seemingly level-headed Ann Harding allows herself to be swept off her feet by stranger Basil Rathbone after she wins the lottery, dumps a decent man and marries Rathbone spontaneously. He is charming at first, wining and dining her, and dancing her to the altar, then moving her out to a charming country home where he turns her life into a living nightmare. His personality fluctuates between calm loving and violent fury, and it is very apparent that he is extremely conflicted by his sudden bursts of anger. Harding, realizing that she has no way out, utilizes knowledge of his physical health to allow herself to escape, but realizes that it could backfire on her in a very deadly way.

Certainly Rathbone has the showier role, and he pulls out all the stops to make his character flesh and blood rather than a simple one-dimensional monster. there are times when he is to be pitied, times when he is to be feared, and times when the only way to deal with him is to sync like he does when he is in an irrational state. That's where Ann Harding comes in to change her performance from one extreme to the other, and this is an Ann Harding that you've never seen before. Her monologue at the end shows a woman who can take no more and would rather risk everything then to be psychologically abused buy him any longer. She unleashes a fury that would make the ground shake, because as a level-headed character from the beginning, you do not expect that from her, and that makes her really scary.

Without a doubt, this really looks like a film stage play, but it is well shot and the sets are beautiful. The editing is tight and the direction keeps the viewer intrigued as to how it will all turn out. The ensemble is fantastic, particularly Joan Hickson as Harding's ailing aunt who all of a sudden is well enough to travel when Harding wins the lottery. I loved Harding's reaction to her hard-boiled employer when she realizes that she's won the lottery, not even giving him a notice and just simply putting on her hat and walking out the door. The 1947 remake is decent but does not compare in the intensity of this version, and that is because this contains many surprises that seemed diffused when the same story was redone.

Basil the Fortune Hunter

[theowinthrop · 9/10 · 6 January 2006]

Agatha Christie had a hard time with the movie adaptations of her works. Prior to the astounding success of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS in the 1970s, only two film adaptations of her works had been done well: the 1944 version of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, and (beyond that) the 1957 version of WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. The former was done by the French film director Rene Clair, and the latter by Billy Wilder, and both were well cast. But those were like exceptions to the general rule. WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION had a memorable performance of Charles Laughton as the cagey old barrister Sir Wilfred Robarts (ably assisted by his nurse, played by Laughton's wife Elsa Lanchester). But in the early 1930s an early English talkie was made of ALIBI, a play based on THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD. Laughton had made a name for himself on stage as Hercule Poirot in that play, and was repeating the role for film. Christie saw the finished result and wondered if she should allow her other stories to be made into movies! In 1937 Christie allowed a play she wrote, "Philomel Cottage" to be made into a film. The film was retitled LOVE FROM A STRANGER, and starred Ann Harding as a lonely young woman who wins a fortune in a lottery. Soon she meets a fascinating, sophisticated gentleman played by Basil Rathbone, who sweeps her off her feet and marries her. But his charms begin to frazzle after marriage - he insists on them moving to the cottage (of the play's title) which is in an out-of-the-way location, and he slowly drives away all her friends. As she realizes how isolated she is, she begins to wonder what is the real personality of the man she has married: is he moody or is he actually planning to murder her for her money.

Although not handled by a director of the caliber of Clair or Wilder (or of ORIENT EXPRESS' Sidney Lumet), LOVE FROM A STRANGER benefited from the hand of Rowland Lee, an expert director of melodrama and detective films. Lee wisely kept to the story, and allowed Rathbone to play one of his best villains. Basil is a fortune hunter and "Bluebeard" like Henri Landru or George Joseph Smith. He has more polish than the average killer: witness his abilities to order a first rate dinner early in the film for Harding and himself, including choosing the fine wine involved. He also is quite in love with his accomplishments. When the neighborhood doctor and he are discussing murder cases the former mentions one in South America where the killer defended himself and got off, and left the jurisdiction just before the evidence that would have convicted him turned up. Rathbone says that killer was brilliant, and was really something else. Of course, as it turns out, that killer was Rathbone.

Harding balances him, trying to keep her suspicions under control and trying to counter all of Rathbone's various schemes so that she can stay alive. It becomes a literal battle to the death between the two of them.

LOVE FROM A STRANGER lacks the production values of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, but it has two sturdy performances and good directing behind it. It is the best of the pre-1944 Christie films. In 1947 it would be remade (with the same title) with John Hodiak and Sylvia Sidney and John Howard, although no longer treated as a modern story but set back in the 1890s.

One final point. The supporting cast included David Calthrop (who frequently was in British movies in this period), and Jean Cadell. But one name in the cast is rather ironic. Joan Hickson had an early role in this film. In the 1980s the B.B.C. discovered in Ms Hickson the first woman to play the role of Miss Jane Marple (pace Margaret Rutherford and Angela Lansbury) as Christie had written the role. Hickson would appear in nearly a dozen small screen multi-episode productions in the 1980s and 1990s before her death in 1998. Her performances as Miss Marple remain a standard to match all others in that role.

Whatever You Do, Don't Go Into The Cellar.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 13 October 2015]

If you didn't know this was from a story by Agatha Christie, you wouldn't know this was from a story by Agatha Christie.

The entire first half of the film is a romantic melodrama of no particular interest, except perhaps for Basil Rathbone's skanky performance as the smiler with a knife. I saw him on Broadway as a comforter in Archibald MacLeish's "J.B.", but it was no use. Every time I see Rathbone trying to be a nice guy I see Mr. Murdstone and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

When he sweeps the newly minted Ann Harding off her feet and marries her, the director Rowland V. Lee looses the reins on Rathbone's performance and he begins to blow fuse after fuse, each one worse than the preceding one.

Ann Harding, awash in a sea of love, attributes his spells to his time in the trenches in World War I or something. And, like all good wife abusers, he apologizes profusely.

At least until the night of the murder arrives. Rathbone has sent the staff away and locked all the doors and windows, preparatory to strangling his wife. She prevents her own death by precipitating his. He drops dead and she rushes screaming to the door of the cottage, which is immediately broken in by three or four friends who were evidently waiting just outside for their cue. They had no other reason for being there.

If this is worth sitting through it's because this is -- Basil Rathbone AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE! Man, he overacts. He glares, he spits, he snarls, he chews his tongue, he chews the furniture.

I understand he was a pretty good amateur fencer.

Bluebeard in all but name...

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 21 August 2016]

LOVE FROM A STRANGER is an adaptation of an Agatha Christie which seemed to have been made into loads of films in the 1930s and 1940s. I previously watched the 1947 version which was superior to this, although with 1937's LOVE FROM A STRANGER the viewer has the novelty of seeing a pre-Sherlock Holmes Basil Rathbone playing the fortune hunter who marries a young woman who recently won a lottery.

It's a simple version of the classic 'Bluebeard' tale, as Ann Harding's naive young bride falls head over heels for this charming suitor before coming to realise that not all is right with him. He spends an inordinate amount of time in his cellar, enjoying his photography hobby, and nobody else is allowed inside. The viewer is awarded the chance to see a normally stern and sedate Rathbone going off the rails, although the rest of the production has dated somewhat and the female protagonist's character is quite poorly written. Still, LOVE FROM A STRANGER does have a fine twist ending going for it, which is the best thing in the movie.

It's Rathbone's show

[ahearn02 · 8/10 · 10 April 2001]

All right, it creaks a bit, now, and suffers from the staginess which afflicted many if not most British films of this period, but the Agatha Christie plot (with a strong family resemblance to that other hyper-theatrical melodrama, "Gaslight") is gripping, and the necessary claustrophobic atmosphere is established and maintained -- with help from the excellent score from a very youthful Benjamin Britten (I have, by the way, never come across a reference to this early effort in any Britten biography; it is unmentioned in the long article in Grove's Dictionary). Most of all, it's worth seeing for the terrifying performance by Basil Rathbone, which again reminds us what an accomplished and versatile actor was all-but obliterated in his later absorption into Sherlock Holmes. No goalie-mask, no retractile steel claws, no camera-tricks, he scares the pants off you using only an actor's equipment, and you'll never forget his portrayal of a psychotic, obsessive Bluebeard.

Love from a maniac

[AAdaSC · 7/10 · 11 February 2023]

Ann Harding (Carol) wins the lottery and instead of working through her 3-month notice period, she just walks out of her job. How unrealistic. Everyone who wins the lottery would surely continue to turn up to the workplace every dreary morning in order to help make their employer richer and richer with no benefit to themselves. That's how our wonderful work system operates and why we are all so proud to be part of it. She tells her fiancée she is now rich and he is immediately outraged and doesn't understand why she wouldn't want to struggle in life so they quarrel and split up. He is Bruce Seton (Ronald) and is obviously a moron. Ann is now rich and single and, by chance, meets Basil Rathbone (Gerald) who comes to see her flat which she is letting out while she travels to Paris. So, a new romance blossoms.........uh-oh.....

Rathbone is excellent as always. What is there not to like about a well-spoken, well-mannered gentleman? He does, however, have a peculiar interest in unsolved crimes and in particular, one case about a man called Fletcher who killed 3 of his wives. His picture seems to be missing from Rathbone's copy of the book. I think you can put two and two together on this one.

We build to a climax in the secluded house in Kent that Harding and Rathbone share one night when Rathbone sends the staff away and locks all the window and doors. By this point, Harding is aware that he is a maniac but can she fight back and avert the plan he has in store for her?

There are a few unnecessary comedy characters but they don't outstay their welcome like they usually do. The film builds the drama and tension in the second half and is played out by Harding and Rathbone in an entertaining final segment.

A Brush With Basil

[writers_reign · 5/10 · 28 April 2012]

The most interesting thing about this trifle from a modern perspective is that if features Joan Hickson in the role of a maid. The interest rests on the fact that this is an adaptation of a story by Agatha Christie and Hickson went on to play Christie's Miss Marple on television. It's hoary to say the least, Ann Harding wins a fortune on the lottery and within minutes Basil Rathbone appears to begin charming her out of it and, for an encore, killing her. Of course, as we know, the best laid plans ... so it's just a matter of sitting it out until the last reel when he finally gets his. It's reasonably well done but light years short of what Hollywood was doing with the same genre at the same time. Novelty appeal mostly.