User reviews

Obsession (AKA: The Hidden Room) is directed by Edward Dmytryk and adapted to screenplay by Alec Coppel from his own book and play. It stars Robert Newton, Phil Brown, Sally Gray and Naunton Wayne. Music is by Nino Rota and cinematography by C.M. Pennington-Richards.

Finally having had enough of his wife's affair with a young lover, Dr. Clive Riordan (Newton) plots a devilish scheme of kidnap and murder...

The motive that drives the plot of Obsession is simple in the extreme, this is out and out a revenge for infidelity, but the presentation by Dmytryk is superbly crafty in that Hitchcockian way. The doctor is a most elegant and calm man, he has the perfect murder in mind for his wife's lover (Brown) and he, being a purveyor of psychological smarts, is going to enjoy the luxury of methodically taunting his prey over a period of time.

With the man ingeniously incarcerated down in a bombed out abode, and subjected to daily visits from the doctor, Dr. Clive is then seen going about his normal routines. Exchanging brandy sips with cultural chatter in the gentleman's club, swatting away the attentions of his increasingly fraught wife (Gray), and of course dealing with the close attentions of Scotland Yard; here in the form of Naunton Wayne's astute Superintendent Finsbury. The "good" doctor even has plenty of time to indulge in his love of model train set construction.

The initial plot machinations are slowly paced by the recently blacklisted director, but it's a deliberate ploy since the whole complexion of the movie changes once the kidnap occurs and the police and the press become involved. The atmosphere becomes tense, and this even as captor and captive enjoy some straight backed - prim and proper - verbal exchanges. There's a meticulousness to the murder based thematics that strike a chord, the mention of Crippen and obvious nods to John George Haigh keep the film buzzing with real life serial killer atrocities.

There's a case to be made here that this is Dmytryk's best British film? Certainly his ability to build suspense without histrionics or blood letting is a masterclass in Brit thriller staging. While his directing of Newton and Wayne, both of whom are excellent, is also worthy of a pat on the back. Visually it's straight black and white photography, except for the odd time we are out on the wet cobbled streets and the gaslights ooze the ethereal. But although there's some debate about if it deserves film noir status, I personally feel it's the sort of crime/thriller mounted with enough skill to make it worth seeking out by the film noir loving crowd.

Some of the support turns are stiff, but mercifully not film harming, while you do have to accept that the locale of the crime is hardly water tight and most likely would have been found with ease. But minor itches be damned, this is cunning, crafty and a British chiller of some worth. 8/10

Since I first saw Obsession 30 years ago it's remained one of my favourite post War British thrillers – although directed by and starring Americans it's nowhere near noir but a very British take on a calculated attempt at a perfect murder. The idea shown is almost as foolproof and institutionally British as dismembered body parts in suitcases checked into railway station lockers. Some cogent concise acting, scripting, production and black & white photography all go to make an engrossing 93 minutes UK TV running time.

Erudite doctor Robert Newton plays a husband who gets terminally jealous of his philandering wife Sally Gray and decides to bump off her current lover Phil Brown in an ingenious and supposedly undetectable manner. Bomb ravaged London comes into play here with the kidnapped lover temporarily installed in a derelict hidden room underneath a broken brick wasteland to await his gruesome but quick death at manic Newton's hands. And it is Newton's picture - although Naunton Wayne gives him a run for his money later on - his perfect diction matching his impassive body language (maybe exhausted after all the gurning he'd just done in Oliver Twist) and creating a perfectly clinical analysis of the mind of a hopeful murderer. Monty sure was a lucky dog to have escaped a bath though!

A great little film with plenty for you to think about and an atmosphere all of its own when the British made good British films with only the British in mind – even with Yank input!

A London psychiatrist (Robert Newton) catches his wife (Sally Gray) in an affair with an American (Phil Brown). Apparently this is not her first affair, and Newton, as the objective and self-controlled psychiatric professional, decides to settle things in a well-thought-out way by first kidnapping and then imprisoning the American in a hidden room not too far removed from the actual residence, with the ultimate goal of killing him without leaving any incriminating traces. The film could have been more dramatic by playing up the relationship between Newton and the beautiful Sally Gray. Gray seems to be telling the viewer that Newton never really loved her, although it also seems as if her youth and passion were too much for his middle-aged character to handle. In any event the plot, which is remarkably well done, inevitably leads to a police or Scotland Yard type investigation and eventual solving of the crime, rather than a dark story.

I have only just found this wonderful place to talk about films and I am thrilled to read that so many love The Hidden Room, as Obsession is called here, as much as I do.

Robert Newton has always been one of my favorite actors and it pleases me no end to discover his name on this thread.

When Newton made this film he was still interested in acting and it shows. There are subtle things that he does that are the hallmark of a great actor. His natural kindness comes through as well as his intelligence. You believe he really is this successful London psychiatrist with a wife who wanders.

The opening shot in the film establishes his character. There is tension in his casual posture at the card table. The viewer realizes that here is a man with his mind somewhere else. A troubled man, but one in perfect control of his surface emotions. Newton establishes in just a few shots a complex personality, a man capable of many actions.

Later there is a scene with the deaf butler that is both nerve-racking and sad.

My favorite scene is when he comes to visit his captive to bring him food. The way he instinctively walks just an inch beyond the reach of Bill. He is a tantalizing target for his victim, but just, just out of reach. To me a brilliant scene. A later, equally brilliant scene features the dog.

Another scene with many levels is the model train scene. Again as brilliant as anything Hitchcock ever presented to a viewer. As most of you know, Newton was in a very early Hitchcock film, Jamaica Inn. The Hidden Room is MUCH better.

Every chance I get, I show this film to friends, and without exception they say it is one of the best and most intense films they have ever seen. They wonder why it isn't better known. I have no answer to that. I am just grateful that I can visit that Hidden Room in the bombed-out building whenever I wish for some genuine chills.

Robert Newton is a Doctor and a gentleman. But even he can be pushed too far from his manipulative cheating wife, Storm. Sally Gray gives a devastatingly perfect performance as Storm. Her callow suitor-du-jour, an American sailor named Bill, doesn't have the faintest idea of the peril he's in for when he dates her. Newton's character has nothing in particular against Bill. In fact, he rather likes him. He just happens to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

It's all played out in a single hidden room that no one knows Newton owns, and the psychological effects the situation has on its three principal is explored to its utmost. If you enjoy film noir, and taut character studies, this is the movie for you. Don't miss the dark-humoured twist ending!

This film is based on a novel ('A Man about a Dog') by Alec Coppel, who wrote Hitchcock's 'Vertigo'. This story is far creepier and more sinister than that one. Robert Newton, who the previous year had entranced people as Bill Sikes in 'Oliver Twist', and who was to be cursed with the role of Long John Silver the next year, from which he would struggle to escape for the rest of his life, here shows what a fine standard British actor he was. He plays a highly articulate and urbane London psychiatrist who beneath his mask is actually an obsessive and sadistic psychopath. Anyone who thinks psychiatrists cannot be more mentally ill than their patients is naive: I have known two psychiatrists personally (no, I was not a patient) who were totally insane. It is a good place to hide when you are psychotic, as no one can question you. Newton is perfect in this part, and his calm never leaves him till the end, as he carries out his odious plans with the unruffled manner of a cleaner dusting a bookshelf (and he has plenty of bookshelves). Newton is married to a compulsively unfaithful wife, played with style by the glamorous Sally Gray (who made one more film the next year and then became Lady Oranmore and retired from the screen). One day he snaps, and Phil Brown is the American lover who bears the brunt. As Newton says to him: 'You've heard about the straw that broke the camel's back? Well, you're the straw.' With meticulous cunning, Newton imprisons Brown in a cellar on a deserted bombsite (this is just after the War, and bombsites were everywhere in London). He holds him for months, and Brown very cleverly creates a character who attempts to bond with his captor, in the hope that he can somehow escape. Brown is kept chain within a chalked circle of his subterranean den, and Newton stands just at the edge of it and lectures Brown about how each time he comes he brings a hot water bottle full of yet more acid with which he is slowly filling the bath tub into which he will place Brown's body when it comes time to kill him, where it will dissolve. 'So I'll just go down the plug?' asks Brown, and Newton solemnly agrees. This film is really nasty and does not let up in showing us the calculating manner in which a psychopath goes about his carefully coordinated crime plan. Ed Dmytryk directs chillingly and tautly, and surprisingly the music is by Nino Rota of Italy, who later would become famous for composing the music for major Italian directors like Visconti and Fellini. Naunton Wayne plays a Scotland yard superintendent with a calm and menace which exceeds even that of Newton's. This film in a sense is a study in the mannered British way of behaving, and the politenesses exchanged between a criminal and a detective who are enemies, as well as between a husband and a wife who loathe each other but for some reason never split up, living on in their elegant house with no children but the dog Monty, played by a real dog called Monty. And here is the rub: Monty messes things up in a major way, but that would be telling. For those who can bear the extremely grisly and claustrophobic aspects of this sick tale, which was a forerunner of 'The Collector' with Samantha Eggar, this film could be recommended as good noir fare. But it is not pleasant, and it lacks the surreal and haunting quality of 'Vertigo' entirely. It is certainly a savage comment on the arch hypocrisy of traditional upper middle class British manners, and all that they can conceal, such as 'something nasty in the shed'.

Robert Newton gives a restrained and powerful performance as a cuckolded doctor exacting revenge on his high-spirited wife by abducting her young American lover, then keeping her guessing as to where he is, and whether he is still alive. Sally Gray is nothing short of brilliant as the wife. And, Naughton Wayne is magnificent as the dogged police inspector. Obsession combines brilliantly chiseled characterisations with an extremely intelligent and literate screenplay. Keep it on tape, because no one gets all the nuances the first time he or she watches it, but it's all put together so brilliantly the repeat viewings become a glorious pleasure.

Obsession is adapted from a book by Alec Coppel (who also wrote the screenplay) and is yet another film based on the idea of a man in search of 'the perfect murder'. The film takes on a dark noir tone and the film focuses on both the story at hand, as well as the psychology of the lead character. The lead character is Dr. Clive Riordan; a prominent psychologist. He's an articulate and intelligent man and so when he discovers his wife is having a string of affairs right under his nose, he decides to do something about it, by way of shocking her into not having any more affairs. He drops in on his wife one night while she is enjoying an evening with a lover - an American named Bill Kronin - and holds the two of them at gunpoint. After humiliating his wife; she leaves the room, while he and the American leave shortly afterwards. The American then disappears; the wife believes her husband has murdered the man as he promised he would, but the truth is much more sinister as the psychologist goes in pursuit of the perfect murder.

The lead role is taken by Robert Newton, who makes for an excellent lead. His portrayal of the central character is thoroughly captivating, and much of the film's success is owed to this. The film also benefits from an excellent script, which really makes the characters seem real and provides some excellent lines of dialogue - a scene between the lead character a police officer over the varying skills of the police and murderers is a major highlight. The plot itself flows very well as the film moves along and more than does enough to hold the audience's attention; the psychologist's musings over his theories on how to commit the perfect crime are one of the main points of interest. The atmosphere of the film is very dark and director Edward Dmytryk lays style on very thick which is of great benefit to the story, which is very dark itself. Things get very tense as we near the ending and the end itself is strong and gives good closure to the story. Overall, Obsession is a great thriller and well worth the effort of tracking down. Highly recommended!

Robert Newton gives a restrained and powerful performance as a cuckolded doctor exacting revenge on his high-spirited wife by abducting her young American lover, then keeping her guessing as to where he is, and whether he is still alive. Sally Gray is nothing short of brilliant as the wife. And, Naughton Wayne is magnificent as the dogged police inspector. Obsession combines brilliantly chiseled characterisations with an extremely intelligent and literate screenplay. Keep it on tape, because no one gets all the nuances the first time he or she watches it, but it's all put together so brilliantly the repeat viewings become a glorious pleasure.

Whilst I have no admiration for Edward Dymtryk as a man after his selfish betrayal of his colleagues during the Hollywood Communist witch-hunt of the late 40's and early 50's, he undeniably knew how to direct a film. This indeed was a movie he made in exile in England at a time when his membership of the Hollywood Ten saw him denied work in America.

It's a very unusual film built around a highly implausible premise which still manages to carry the viewer's interest until the end. Robert Newton is a wealthy, but emotionless doctor who dines at his club, sitting with his cronies late into the night putting the world to rights and bemoaning the poor quality of the drinks on offer. Not too surprisingly, his pretty wife, Sally Gray takes lovers behind his back only this time, when he catches her in the act with suave American Phil Brown, he exacts a grisly revenge by effectively kidnapping and imprisoning the hapless Yank in a subterranean garage, chaining him to a bed and promising his hostage that he will indeed kill him after the fuss about the disappearance has died down, even months from now. Thus, Newton can effect his perfect murder in his own time as the delay will greatly reduce any suspicion of motive on his part should the police start investigating the man's associates, even allowing for the unlikely event that the poor man's body will ever turn up, as Newton is obviously taking inspiration from Gilbert Haigh's then recent acid-bath M.O. Also, there's only so much acid you can smuggle in a water bottle until you can in fact fill a bath which also accounts for the delay.

Credulity is stretched even further however as we're bizarrely expected to accept that the unfaithful wife, who firmly believes that Newton has already killed and disposed of Brown, would continue to not only live with her homicidal husband in unhappy wedlock, but also fail to go to the police with her well-founded suspicions. I understand that things like marital vows and social position meant much more then than now but it's asking a lot to accept that a woman, especially a high-spirited one as projected here by Gray, would continue to live with a perceived murderer and not try harder to trace the whereabouts of her former lover.

A couple of outside occurrences, one seemingly minor and the other major, change the course of events, one the disappearance of the couple's dog who ends up being Brown's cherished companion in hiding and the second the appearance on the scene of Naunton Wayne's English-Poirot-type DCI who immediately suspects Newton and makes a nuisance of himself to the latter's carefully laid plans.

It gets even sillier when Brown improbably trains the dog to derail Newton's end-game strategy and it all ends up with a race against the clock to save the seemingly doomed man as Newton senses Wayne close on his tail.

This sort of thing, in my opinion, was carried out appreciably better by William Wyler in the much later "The Collector". I appreciated the black humour of the piece, particularly the matter-of-fact exchanges between Newton and his hostage Brown. However, I found the whole thing too improbable to hold together and that it ultimately collapses under the weight of its own pretensions, this despite good performances by all the four principals. Dymtryk directs with a lightness of touch but fails ultimately to really create the tense, nail-biting finish which I think would have salvaged the film and in the end left me thinking more about the English class system, marital mores of the time and the importance of manners and politesse instead of the noir-ish chills and thrills I was anticipating,

In the end, the film comes across like a Raymond Chandler story as adapted by Terence Rattigan when in fact it would have worked far better if those positions had been reversed.

Why only 29 votes when it is presumably inspiration for Vertigo, even written by the same author (Alec Coppel) and with music by probably the greatest (besides Ennio Morricone and Philip Glass) composer in cinema Nino Rota (Godfather, Amarcord, 8 1/2, Il Gattopardo)? Vertigo seems like a degenerated 'Obsession' to me. Brian De Palma's Obsession (1976) was probably inspired by Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958), which was probably inspired by Dmytryk's masterpiece Obsession. This thriller surpasses most Hitchcocks. The suspense is gruesome, the music is memorable, the great cinematography by Pennington-Richards (Scrooge (1970?), 1984 (1956)) is dynamic and claustrophobic and the performance of Phil Brown as 'Bill' is more interesting than any character of James Stewart or Cary Grant. There is a lot of psychological terror, but what else would you expect from a fight between a psychiatrist and a diplomat? 'When a man's intelligence is insulted he is reduced to the most insensible and uncivilized behaviour.' Universal Pictures must have kept this hidden treasure securely hidden to prevent the success of Vertigo of fading out. This should have been a classic and will be one day. The black-list-era should have been over by now, don't you think?

9/10

"You've heard of the last straw, Bill? Well you're it."

So sums up the plot of the chilling thriller The Hidden Room. Robert Newton's wife, Sally Gray, has been repeatedly unfaithful. Bobbie can't take it anymore, and he's vowed to kill the next of her lovers. Phil Brown just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Hidden Room was ahead of its time, no doubt inspiring stories like Sleuth and Secrets in Their Eyes. It's not your normal revenge story of the 1940s; it's very creepy. Robert Newton was an easy casting choice for the frustrated villain, but I'm sure James Mason, Herbert Marshall, and Claude Rains were envious that they weren't chosen instead, as they each could have played the part.

My biggest criticism of the film is its untapped potential. When Scotland Yard gets involved in the story, the cleverness of writer Alec Coppel dwindles. There could have been many more cat-and-mouse games, or gotchas for the audience, all of which would have fit in with the opening tone of the film. It doesn't make any sense that Scotland Yard even becomes involved in the first place, let alone the other steps that are taken. Still, if you like creepy stories or revenge schemes that involve mental torture, you'll definitely want to check out The Hidden Room.

No movie has ever delved into the psychic essences of its three main characters as this claustrophobic thriller has succeeded in doing. Robert Newton is astoninshing and the actor playing Bill Kronin is even better, but Sally Grey's Storm has got to be one of the most memorable faithless wives in the history of filmdom -- definitely a role model.

This is probably the best straight-part effort from Robert Newton I've ever seen. He is super as the doctor "Riorden" who has had just about enough of his wife's infidelities so decides to rid himself of her latest flame "Bill" (Phil Brown). After surprising the couple at their home, he somehow (and this is very much the weaker part of the film) manages to get the man chained to the wall of a bombed-out basement where he proceeds to hold him captive for weeks, whilst implementing a particularly grizzly, but untraceable, plan to kill and dispose of him. Wife "Storm" (Sally Gray) suspects that something has gone amiss, and when her beloved dog "Monty" disappears too, she involves the police. Enter the very unassuming character "Insp. Finsbury" (Naunton Wayne) who takes some advantage of "Riorden" and his cocksureness and... well... Might there still be some hope for the doomed prisoner? As I said, the start of the film is poorly constructed and requires us to let the remainder of the 95 minutes forgive that - but it ought to do that OK; the tension builds quite nicely. I can't say that I much cared for the ending, to be honest - but see what you think.

Edward Dmytryk directed this British film Obsession during his exile years in the United Kingdom and was fortunate to have Robert Newton in the lead. As the cheated upon husband Newton who could chew up the scenery when let loose gets a firm directorial hand. His performance here is really brilliant because it is so carefully controlled.

Newton is married to Sally Gray who isn't all that subtle with her affairs. But this one with American Phil Brown is just one too many. He takes Brown prisoner and locks him in a dungeon in one of the bombed out buildings of London at the time. There he keeps Brown on a chain like a dog, but when Gray's pet terrier Monty follows Newton to the dungeon and has to be kept there, it's the missing dog that proves to be the mistake Newton didn't count on.

I have to say that Newton did have a meticulously conceived plan for the murder and that he did have a reason other than sadism for keeping him alive for weeks until he was ready to do the deed.

Like Dmytryk, Brown was also a victim of the blacklist and glad to be working over there. His American speech pattern and idiom also contributes to Newton's downfall.

Kudos also go to Naunton Wayne as the Scotland Yard police inspector who pursues this investigation with Columbo like intensity. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the Columbo character was inspired by Obsession and Naunton Wayne.

This is one top drawer British noir feature.

A wonderful, tight drama that begins with a British gentleman (Robert Newton) turning up unexpectedly to surprise his wife (Sally Gray) and her American lover (Phil Brown). Angered by her string of infidelities, he's planned the perfect revenge, but I won't describe the plot further. I loved the intelligent, British dialogue put side by side with a truly dark crime. The performances are fine, and director Edward Dmytryk creates a nice noir feeling. The detective played by Naunton Wayne is a forerunner of Columbo, turning up to ask 'one more question' with a veneer of innocence, but flashing his understanding and unnerving the culprit. A hidden gem.

Dr. Clive Riordan (Robert Newton) has put up with the very long list of his wife Storm's (Sally Gray) various affairs. He determines that he will kill the next man who Storm sets her sights on. So when she and an American named Bill Kronin (Phil Brown) meet at a cocktail party and strike up a quick relationship, Dr. Clive sets his plan into action.

Robert Newton absolutely shines in his portrayal of a man who has just been given 'the last straw'. The complete opposite of the rolling-eyed, mumbling pirate for which he is best remembered for, he desplays perfect eloquence and diction, along with a stage presence that cannot be ignored. Always calm, polite, and ever one step ahead of all those around him. Robert Newton is an absolute joy to watch, and you can't help rooting for him to have a happy ending.

Sally Gray delivers a very sincere and believable performance as someone who is used to getting her own way, always trying to prove she is just as smart as her husband. I found her to be very well casted, as she was able to hold her own alongside Robert Newton.

Phil Brown also deserves praise for his work. Definitely a tough role to pull off, he manages to joke and remain calm in the face of death. Some other reviewers say he was 'too stiff upper-lipped' about it, but such was the way in which gentlemen of that era conducted themselves. Very well acted.

Naunton Wayne, as Superintendent Finsbury of Scotland Yard, is absolutely delightful. True British wit and cunning at its best. Quite a few whicked one-liners, dry calmness, and a smarter-than-you-think-he-is personality along with great chemistry between him and Robert Newton in the few scenes they share, cements him as a force to be reckoned with. A perfect portrayal of the infamous Scotland Yard Superintendent character.

All in all, this masterpiece kept me in suspense the entire time. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, and the superbly-written script and strong performances made me want to watch it over again immediately afterwards so as to enjoy getting pulled in again. One of Robert Newton's best works, extremely under-rated by a generation that does not appreciate a movie unless it has explosions, and a true joy to watch, this movie will remain a favorite of mine for the rest of my life.

Shrink, Clive Riordan finds out his wife (Sally Gray) is having an affair with an American (Bill Cronin) and manages to imprison him with plans to kill in due time. An elaborate attempt at the perfect crime he is dogged by a Scotland Yard detective while his scheme is temporarily put on hold by the wife's dog, Monty.

Directed by Ed Dmytryk during his blacklist period, The Hidden Room has plot holes that just cannot be filled around the lover's imprisonment. Far from a remote area, a constant racket would draw attention. The relationship between jailer and prisoner is surprisingly civil and somewhat sadistic, settling into a series of cynical conversations that grow wearisome after awhile. Newton is surprisingly composed through out while a Columbo like detective (Naunton Wayne) parries with him in cat and mouse fashion to get to the bottom of things when a mere tail on the major suspect would bring the mystery to a fast close. An improbable mystery that asks its audience to overlook much of the obvious drawbacks.