Bereamic Awesome Movie

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

howardmorley Yes this chiller is now available (as at 22/3/14) on the above web site which thus saves viewers the cost & time tracking down a DVD copy.I cannot add to the praise of all the other user comments for this film which I have just seen for the first time.Of course the film censor morality code was omnipresent in 1949 and I waited inevitably for Robert Newton to get his comeuppance, although Edward Dmytrk had a surprise twist at the end of this tale.I was especially envious of the good doctor's "O" guage model railway set in his basement as purchase tax was ruinous then what with the massive war debt we in the UK owed and had to service to the USA after WWII, especially on imported luxurious goods.I gave it a healthy 8/10.

Spikeopath 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

bob the moo When Dr Clive Riordan discovers that the friendship of his wife and American Bill Kronin is actually an affair he confronts them with a gun, whisking Bill away with wife Storm sure that he will murder him. With Bill missing days later, the police begin a missing persons search that makes the headlines. Unable to go to the police without ruining her reputation, Storm is certain that Clive has killed her lover – however a letter from Bill suggests he is still alive. Meanwhile the police investigation continues, with Clive never coming into it once, despite the fact that he is holding Bill alive in a secret room in his house – waiting for the police to give the case up before killing him for real.I have made a bit of a fudge in describing the plot above but it actually flows a lot better than I have written it. The plot is quickly set up and it brings the film down to a series of cat and mouse style games, all of them Riordan and at least one other. So we get Riordan and Bill talking in the secret room; Riordan and Storm talking around the supposed murder; Riordan and Supt Finsbury talking around the investigation. The film can pretty much be broken down into these parts, interlinking with each other. Each works well as the writing and tension help to keep the film moving along well right down to the satisfying conclusion.The script is enjoyable in producing characters that are interesting. For example I enjoyed the way that Clive seemed to quite like Bill despite the fact that he was going to kill him. The script also has a touch of humour across it, with the macabre comedy across it played subtly while also leaving room for an amusing Carry On style joke from the woman complaining about her husband in Riordan's surgery. Dmytryk directs well mostly inside rooms, keeping enough back to build the tension but not letting it become stagy.The cast respond well to this and it is they that make the script work well. Newton is the standout of the cast as he delivers a cold and clinical character who is also emotional but in a very English way. He works well with the other actors to deliver some solid tension. Brown is good considering what is asked of him in his character – he works well with Newton. Gray is almost on the sidelines for much of the film but gives a reasonable turn despite this. Wayne delivers an obvious character perhaps but it does work when you consider how it compliments and plays off Newton's character.Overall then an enjoyable little film. Criminally few have seen it but it works well within itself thanks to a solid script that good performances make good on, and of course atmospheric handling from director Dmytryk.

tomreynolds2004 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!