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The Monkey's Paw (1948 film)

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The Monkey's Paw
Film titles
Directed byNorman Lee
Screenplay byNorman Lee
Based onThe Monkey's Paw
by W.W. Jacobs
Produced byErnest G. Roy
StarringMilton Rosmer
Michael Martin Harvey
Joan Seton
Megs Jenkins
CinematographyBryan Langley
Edited byInman Hunter
Music byStanley Black
Production
company
Distributed byButcher's Film Service
Release date
  • 1 November 1948 (1948-11-01)
Running time
64 min
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Monkey's Paw is a 1948 British second feature ('B')[1] horror film directed by Norman Lee and starring Milton Rosmer, Michael Martin Harvey, Joan Seton and Megs Jenkins.[2][3] It is based on the 1902 story "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs. The screenplay was by Lee and Barbara Toy.[4] It was produced by Ernest G. Roy.[5]

Plot summary

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A magic Monkey's Paw grants its owner three wishes before a disaster befalls them as punishment for tampering with fate.

Cast

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Critical reception

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The "story within a story", which deals with the marital tragedy related by Kelly, is well done, but it seems to result in detracting somewhat from the climactic intensity of the later tragedy, that of the Trelawnes, which is painstakingly built up with every possible effect of horror and suspense as Mrs. Trelawne imagines the imminent entrance of her dead son. Milton Rosmer as Trelawne and Megs Jenkins as the bereaved mother are the mainstay of the film. The remainder of the cast, though adequate, fail to approach the same standard of excellence."[6]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Old chiller loses most of its sting in this version."[7]

The Spinning Image called it "a creaky diversion with stagey acting and an obvious lack of funds to open it out, yet the strength of Jacobs' yarn was such that it showed through even the most impoverished of tellings."[8]

On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar commended the film for its character development and climax which he called "suitably tense and eerie".[9]

References

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  1. ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ^ "The Monkey's Paw". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  3. ^ "The Monkey's Paw (1948)". Archived from the original on 17 January 2009.
  4. ^ "The Monkey's Paw". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018.
  5. ^ "The Monkey's Paw (1948) - Norman Lee - Cast and Crew - AllMovie". AllMovie.
  6. ^ "The Monkey's Paw". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 15 (169): 92. 1 January 1948 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 231. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
  8. ^ "Monkey's Paw, The Review (1948)". thespinningimage.co.uk.
  9. ^ Sindelar, Dave. "The Monkey's Paw (1948)". Fantastic Movie Musings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
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