Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

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

Leofwine_draca The second highly enjoyable British Edgar Wallace adaptation I've seen in recent weeks, following on from the exemplary Dark Eyes of London. THE CASE OF THE FRIGHTENED LADY is more of a traditional old dark house style mystery, in which a young woman is being assailed by mysterious goings-on in a rambling old ancestral pile, leading the police to investigate.There's little to dislike about this oft-filmed tale, which takes all of the clichés and somehow breathes life and vigour into them. Where THE CASE OF THE FRIGHTENED LADY particularly excels is in the efforts of the cast members, many of whom give fine performances, particularly those in support.Marius Goring is fine as the likable heir, attempting to get to the bottom of the mystery; George Merritt matches him as the dogged detective. Felix Aylmer plays the mysterious family friend and Helen Haye the scheming mother. Penelope Dudley-Ward is the titular character and slightly weaker, but she doesn't really have much screen time anyway. The best two actors in the film are Ronald Shiner, who adds hilarious comic relief as the wisecracking sergeant, and Roy Emerton as the delightfully sinister manservant, complete with glass eye and stern demeanour.For fans of old mystery flicks this has it all: secret passages, inexplicable murders, shadowy figures, strangulations, dark pasts, familial secrets, confuddled detectives, a dark and oppressive atmosphere, and plenty more besides. It's a delight.

Alex da Silva Penelope Dudley-Ward (Isla) is the frightened lady of the title. From the first shots of the film when she screams at the shadows that are following her in the house, you can't help but laugh and fear for your oncoming experience. It doesn't say much when the comedy detectives are the best thing about the film. It is woefully acted by all the main players who deliver their lines in that clipped English which is just plain fake – the word "exactly" becomes "exectly" – it's just nonsense. The film does keep you watching to see how things pan out but it ends just as badly as it started with some laughably crass dialogue being spouted by the appalling Helen Haye (Lady Lebanon) accompanied by a hysterical closing head shot of her. It's not meant to be funny, though. A nice, spooky venue is wasted in this badly acted effort.

Spikeopath The Case of the Frightened Lady is directed by George King and based on a play by Edgar Wallace. Edward Dryhurst adapts to screenplay, Jack Beaver scores the music and Hone Glendinning is the photographer. It stars Helen Haye, Marius Goring, Penelope Dudley-Ward, Patrick Barr, Felix Aylmer, Ronald Shiner and George Merritt.Mark's Priory: The ancestral English family home of the Lebanon's. Mark's Priory: Home to secrets, suspicion and possibly a psychotic murderer.One of a number of old British films newly discovered for DVD release, George king's movie is a mystery thriller in the classic "old dark house" mode. Edgar Wallace's play had already been adapted to the screen in a 1932 film version directed by T. Hayes Hunter, with two subsequent television versions appearing in 1938 and 1983. Clearly it's a source story that has proved popular with producers. Although creaking with its undoubted stage bound origins, film delivers the goods for those willing to accept that the first half is driven by dialogue and character development. After an initial "shriek" opening, the picture settles into a literary stride where there's no real sense of impending menace or creepy atmospherics: in fact a good portion in this quarter is jovial as plot takes in major characters at a community dance party. However, conversations are relevant and it seasons the ingredients for the stew about to be cooked.Once back at Mark's Priory, we at last reach the realms of mystery/thriller land and the hunt and guess who begins. Characters are strong for the formula; a head of the family who appears to be hiding something, a doctor who may have an iffy past, shifty footmen servants and naturally a pretty girl catching the eye of some debonair suitor. Throw in some shadowy photography by Glendinning and a terrific piano led score by Beaver, and fans of films of this ilk have much to enjoy; and thankfully the big "reveal" of the story is not too shabby either. Cast are well tuned for the material, particularly Goring, Aylmer (isn't he always?), Shiner and Merritt, the latter two of which making a wonderful double act as the intrepid coppers investigating the dastardly goings on. While keep an eye out for a young Torin Thatcher impacting with a character marker for future roles to come. 7/10

MartinHafer This film really surprised me. For some time, I thought it was just another stuffy old murder mystery with little to recommend it. However, towards the end, the pieces all came together nicely--resulting in a darn good mystery with a nice twist.The film begins in a weird manor home. Oddly, the Lady who runs the place keeps her secretary locked in her room at night--and this regal woman and her servants all are hiding something...but what? Soon, bodies start to appear here and there and you KNOW that despite a fine family name and titles that this is one screwy family with some dark secret. However, my assumptions as to what was really going on and why Lady Lebanon (Helen Haye) was so obviously obstructing justice were all wrong--leading to a wonderful twist and exciting performance by Marius Goring.In general, I am not a fan of murder mysteries because the mystery itself seems to seldom warrant the rest of the film. Here, however, the story really pays off and is well worth your time. Ignore the relatively dull first half--it really heats up at the end. Also, in an odd first, the comic relief (the Chief Inspector's dim assistant) was good and not too obtrusively stupid--a seriously flawed cliché in most films of the genre that try to inject a bit of humor.