Wednesday, 21 June 2023

Wanted for Murder (1946 Lawrence Huntington)

Emeric Pressburger adapted the play (by Percy Robinson and Terence de Marnay) for independent producer Marcel Hellman back in 1938 (for £175) - his screenplay credit here is shared with Rodney Ackland.

Good meet cute opening on board tube train between shop girl Dulcie Grey and bus conductor Derek Farr. Then they are separated at Hampstead Heath fair. We start to believe fairly early on that Eric Portman is the serial strangler, particularly when it's revealed his father was a hangman. Detectives Roland Culver and Stanley Holloway are on the case. Cat and mouse interplay between Portman and Culver good.


The film is reasonably exciting, with good touches (cigar evidence is smoked by one of the coppers!) and features a good amount of on location London filming (the house looks like it's on Chelsea Embankment - Cheyne Walk?) One note though is that Mischa Spolianski's theme is repeated way too often. Interestingly 'Max Greene' aka Mutz Greenbaum is credited not only as DP but associate producer as well.

With Barbara Everest, Bonar Colleano, Jenny Laird, Kathleen Harrison, Bill Shine, Wilfred Hyde-White, Moira Lister.

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