Love from a Stranger (1937)

LOVE FROM A STRANGER is an adaptation of an Agatha Christie which seemed to have been made into loads of films in the 1930s and 1940s. I previously watched the 1947 version which was superior to this, although with 1937's LOVE FROM A STRANGER the viewer has the novelty of seeing a pre-Sherlock Holmes Basil Rathbone playing the fortune hunter who marries a young woman who recently won a lottery.It's a simple version of the classic 'Bluebeard' tale, as Ann Harding's naive young bride falls head over heels for this charming suitor before coming to realise that not all is right with him. He spends an inordinate amount of time in his cellar, enjoying his photography hobby, and nobody else is allowed inside. The viewer is awarded the chance to see a normally stern and sedate Rathbone going off the rails, although the rest of the production has dated somewhat and the female protagonist's character is quite poorly written. Still, LOVE FROM A STRANGER does have a fine twist ending going for it, which is the best thing in the movie.

Beautiful Ann Harding was noted for her long silvery blonde hair and her melodious throbbing voice. Her looks and bearing meant she was only to play ladies and she played them to perfection but by the mid 1930s she was being ousted by stars who could play more down to earth heroines. Like many other stars whose box office power had dimmed she tried her luck in England and made "Love From a Stranger" in 1937. It was taken from an Agatha Christie short story and had a ripping, over the top performance by Basil Rathbone. Some of the critics of the day compared the shocking ending to James Cagney's ending in "The Public Enemy" (1931) - not quite!!Ann Harding at her most dignified was completely believable as English working girl Carol who finds she has won the lottery. She goes on a "wild" spending spree (she buys a hat she has had her eye on) and eagerly awaits the return of Ronnie (Bruce Seton), her fiancé, old "Mr. Reliable", who she hasn't seen for a few years (he has been working in the Sudan, saving for their marriage). Before he arrives she meets Gerald Lovell (Basil Rathbone) who has come to view her flat which she is going to let. Once Ronnie arrives and realises she has won the lottery - suddenly the thought of marriage turns him cold. He wants to be the man of the house, support them both on his salary etc, but Carol wants them both to travel to exotic lands, to places new and interesting. They quarrel and suddenly Gerald is back on the scene and Carol finds it hard to resist him. He follows her to Paris - where she has to pick up her winnings - and proceeds to show her the Paris he knows - all the out of the way places. Ronnie then turns up, he is sorry for the way he has behaved, but she has news for him - she is already married.Things, at first, seem wonderful but then a house deal falls through and Gerald's South American bank funds are late - he is more than happy for Carol to sign some papers. He has an evil glint in his eye - is she signing away her fortune??? They move into a beautiful country house but as in all these movies - the cellar is the master's domain and no one is to go down there but him!!! He gives Carol a beautiful scarf - and it starts to affect his mind. His behaviour becomes more and more erratic - he literally screams when he finds her near his "dark room", when the doctor examines him and when Carol's old friends come to visit. The screams are really bloodcurdling!!! He is particularly interested in "Fletcher", a master criminal who has murdered three women and successfully evaded the police. When he sees Carol looking at Fletcher's picture again - she realises not only is he mad but he is also Fletcher. The ending is tension filled but with a few holes. Lovell is supposed to have a heart condition - but can no one see he is stark raving mad!! There is a fine line between Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes and the madness of Gerald Lovell. Ann Harding gives a gripping performance as the lovely Carol who, in a huge surprise twist, turns the tables on Gerald - and wins. This could be Ann's best performance.Highly Recommended.

LOVE FROM A STRANGER sounds like a TV courtroom melodrama, yet it evokes the charm and spontaneity of the British between—the—wars cinema sometimes nostalgically evoked by Hitchcock—a sort of freedom and originality and unpretentiousness. Mrs. Harding—what a delicious woman and actress, what a funny blonde! …And the Hoffmanesque cellar scenes, brightly scored! The score is by Britten; the precarious technique affects the sound's quality, the dialogs are rather badly taken, sometimes hard to understand.Such movies are amusing almanacs of funny bits and small inventiveness.Rathbone was the villainous, threatening version of Flynn. A better actor, one might say.The hypocrisy of men was illustrated in cinema by Grant, Cotten, Mitchum, with roles in movies about women being manipulated and used,of trust betrayed, and Cave sang about the victims of others' malice.Mrs. Harding produces instantly a very good impression, as a most fine person.

Love from a Stranger (1937) *** (out of 4) A poor woman (Ann Harding) wins the lottery and soon she's swept off her feet by a nice man (Basil Rathbone) but after they're married she begins to think he has a few secrets including murder. Director Rowland V. Lee does a good job on this story by Agatha Christie and builds some nice atmosphere, which helps matters. Harding is very good in her role but the real key here is Rathbone who, as later in Son of Frankenstein, goes through a nervous breakdown, which is wonderful to watch. Some might call it over the top but I think he does a good job at showing the character losing his mind. Some slow segments hamper the film but the ending certainly makes up for that.