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Room to Let (1950 film)

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Room to Let
Directed byGodfrey Grayson
Written by
Produced byAnthony Hinds
Starring
CinematographyCedric Williams
Edited byJames Needs
Music byFrank Spencer
Production
company
Distributed byExclusive Films
Release date
  • 15 May 1950 (1950-05-15)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Room to Let is a 1950 British second feature ('B')[1] historical thriller film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Jimmy Hanley, Valentine Dyall and Constance Smith.[2] It was adapted by John Gilling and Grayson from the BBC radio play by Margery Allingham, broadcast in 1947.[3][4][5]

Plot

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After a fire at an insane asylum during the Edwardian era, a young journalist becomes convinced that one of the patients has escaped and taken lodgings at a local middle-class household. The mysterious "Doctor Fell" comes to dominate the three women in the house – mother, daughter and maid – and increasingly shuts them off from outside contact. Despite a lack of assistance from the authorities, the journalist suspects that the Doctor is in fact the notorious Jack the Ripper who is planning a fresh series of attacks.

Cast

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Critical reception

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Valentine Dyall is suitably sinister in this Victorian period piece, but the film is protracted and tedious."[6]

Picturegoer wrote: "As a film, it has very little out of the ordinary to commend it .... The story has an unusual ending, which is not, unfortunately, entirely convincing. Constance Smith, a newcomer to the screen, deals rather more than adequately with a part that does not constitute an exactly ideal opening to her career, and looks quite charming in Victorian costume."[7]

Picture Show wrote: "Effective but rather grim."[8]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Well-acted; tedious at times."[9]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Hammer Films took a step towards its future speciality with this early B-feature ... Modest, but enjoyable. "[10]

TV Guide gave the film two out of five stars, calling it "A fairly disturbing programmer which remains suspenseful to the end."[11]

References

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  1. ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ^ "Room to Let". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Room to Let". BBC Programme Index. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Room to Let (1950)". Archived from the original on 3 October 2017.
  5. ^ Jones, Julia (12 January 2018). The Adventures of Margery Allingham. Golden Duck UK Ltd. ISBN 9781899262014 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Room to Let". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 17 (193): 49. 1 January 1950 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ "Room to Let". Picturegoer. 19: 19. 4 May 1950 – via ProQuest.
  8. ^ "Room to Let". Picture Show (magazine). 54 (1419): 12. 10 June 1950 – via ProQuest.
  9. ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 242. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
  10. ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 788. ISBN 9780992936440.
  11. ^ "Room To Let". TVGuide.com.
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