rweasel Reviews

The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1935)

A brilliant portrayal, a neglected film.

[8/10 · 4 January 2006]

This is a really interesting film, based on a Victorian play by Jerome K. Jerome, famous for his humorous Three Man in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) ca 1890.

Its director, Viertel, had left Germany for England, where he made several films. The Stranger is played by Conrad Veidt, famous for his roles in Dr. Caligari, and Casablanca. It is an allegory of the struggle between good and evil. I especially enjoyed the performances of Conrad Veidt and Mary Clare, and it amused me to note that the builder, Mr. Wright, also appears in The 39 Steps as the Sheriff.

It is not an easy film to find, but I think it is one of my favourite British films of the 30's, except for Hitchcock. Even so, I think's it better than some of his minor works, like Rich and Strange. It may be one of Veidt's best portrayals, which says a lot, especially if you are familiar with his work in The Thief of Bagdad, The Spy in Black and Casablanca.

I Stand Condemned (1935)

Not a great film, but an intriguing one.

[7/10 · 23 June 2005]

Moscow Nights is not a superb film, but it is studded with so many jewels and excellences that one feels guilty criticising it. Probably the worst that one can say is that Penelope Dudley-Ward, no matter how hard she tries, always looks like she should be at Croydon, waiting to board a Hanley-Paige for India, not playing a nurse named Natasha.

The plot is sometimes a bit thin, and one cannot help but wonder why the film was set in Russia. Still, it seems one of the wave of espionage films that confronted British audiences following Hitler's accession in 1933.

The appearance of Anthony Quayle adds interest, and Harry Bauer does a very creditable job as the film's villain. Olivier is brilliant as the young officer, who, although the hero, is something of a cad - in contradistinction to Bauer's character, who though a boor, is also something of a hero. There are wonderful settings, views and scenes that clearly show Asquith's grasp of Hollywood technique. In many ways, it is more Hollywood than Hollywood.

Is Miss Kovrin a presentiment of Miss Froy in Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes?