An unnecessary remake of THE LODGER/’44, 20th/Fox’s excellent Jack-the-Ripper thriller. Director John Brahm gave the earlier film considerable London-town atmosphere & a creepy finesse, with sharply etched perfs from Laird Cregar, Merle Oberon & George Sanders as Ripper, Show Girl & Detective. Many elements (script, sets, music) repeat to some extent in this version by director Hugo Fregonese* for Fox’s low-budget Panoramic Productions. And it does get off to a tasty, crepuscular start before stumbling, largely thru its inadequate cast and a story that doesn’t quite connect the dots. The climax really gets botched, missing the superbly designed backstage chase that was a highlight in ‘44. Jack Palance may not have Cregar’s peculiar affinity for this particular heavy, but does brings a startling presence of his own. It’s love interest Constance Smith and Scotland Yard man Byron Palmer who really come up short. And what’s Frances Bavier, Andy Griffith’s Aunt Bea, doing in here as a London landlady? And with just the accent you’d expect from Aunt Bea.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: *A obvious talent in Argentina on films noir like APENAS UN DELINCUENTE/’49, director Fregonese made two striking Westerns in Hollywood, APACHE DRUMS/’51 and THE RAID/’54, but little else to match them. Try ‘em both!
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: Alfred Hitchcock’s 1927 silent THE LODGER, quite a different take then 1944. Try ‘em both!
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