(This review pertains to the UK Region 2 DVD release)
By Tim Greaves
Based
on the novel “Whispering Woman†by Gerald Verner, 1953’s seldom-seen whodunit Noose for a Lady marked the directorial
debut of Wolf Rilla (Village of the
Damned), and stars a host of reliable British stalwarts. A quaint, cliché
ridden drama, it offers up a modicum of intrigue and sufficient suspense to
tickle the palate of the most jaded aficionado of such fare. It even pulls a
satisfying rabbit out of its hat with a final reveal that this seasoned
reviewer readily admits he hadn’t seen coming. Yes, of course it creaks a
little, but if nothing else it’s guaranteed to hold your attention for its succinct
70-minute runtime.
Adapted
for the screen by Rex Rienits, it hits the ground running with the sentencing to
death by hanging of Margaret Hallam (Pamela Alan), found guilty of poisoning
her husband, despite her protestations to the contrary. With just seven days
until Margaret’s execution, her stepdaughter Jill (Rona Anderson) decrees she
will find the real killer. Assisted by Margaret’s determined cousin, Simon Gale
(Dennis Price), that’s precisely what she sets out to do.
All
the requisite ingredients of the quintessential British whodunit are present
and correct here, first and foremost the gathering of deliciously suspicious
characters – each of whom had the means and motive to bump off Hallam – which
includes the barbiturate dispensing doctor (Ronald Howard), the gossiping
spinster (Esma Cannon), the disgraced major (Colin Tapley), the irascible
ex-con (Robert Brown), and family friends with secrets to hide (Charles Lloyd
Pack and Melissa Stribling). These are characters who utter such lines as
“There’s something I must tell you – meet me tonightâ€, immediately signing
themselves up for an early trip to the grave before they have the opportunity
to blab. Also in situ is that feather-in-the-cap moment for every amateur
sleuth, the Poirot-esque summoning of the suspects to the drawing room to
reveal the killer’s identity. In this instance the murderer is revealed to be…(the
light snaps out…a gunshot sounds…a scream echoes through the darkness)… well, you’ll
just have to buy the DVD to find out.
Fortuitously
Noose for a Lady has just been issued
on disc by Network Distributing as another welcome addition to its valuable “The
British Film†collection. A brand new transfer from the original film elements,
aside from a few minor crackles and pops on the soundtrack, it’s a stellar
presentation and well worth investing in. Bonus features comprise a trailer
(preceded by a nostalgia evoking censor’s card classifying it as a “U trailer
advertising an A filmâ€) and a small gallery of promotional art and press
stills. A word about the galleries included on Network’s releases: Even though those
included on many titles are slender affairs, all kudos to the company for
taking the time to assemble such materials instead of taking the easy route and
simply batching together some pointless frame-grabs and peddling them as worthy
supplementary incentive; there have been far too many perpetrators of that crime.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON UK