Being vaguely aware of this obscure British noir, I had acquired it a few years ago from a film buff friend of mine (who also happens to be an award-winning lyricist) following a biography shown on local TV of Maltese film actor Joseph Calleia. It had not occurred to me to include the film in my ongoing Thriller marathon; however, I could not very well leave it out once I read, just a couple of days ago, an article about "Time Out"'s recent "100 Best British Films" in which contributor/French film director Bertrand Tavernier bemoaned there not being enough room in his Top 10 list for, among others, NOOSE! I was under the mistaken impression that the copy I got was of inferior quality which would not best be suited for display on my 40" monitor which is why I watched it on a much smaller screen but, as it turned out, the film did get released on DVD in the UK.
Adapted from his own stage play by Welsh writer Richard Llewellyn (best-known for having penned John Ford's 1941 Oscar-laden HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY), the film largely escapes its theatrical roots thanks to Greville's admirably Expressionistic direction that should have earned it a much better reputation (even among fans of the genre and film buffs in general) virtually comparable to that nowadays enjoyed by Alberto Cavalcanti's THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE (1947) and Jules Dassin's similarly Soho-set NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950; with a wrestling back-drop to NOOSE's prizefighting milieu)! Actually, I do think there is a reason for this neglect since, rather than the relentless post-war bleakness and realism associated with this type of film, there is a welcome air of theatricality (in the acting) and light-heartedness (in the comic incidents that crop up intermittently).
Carole Landis, who for some reason is forever losing her shoes, is a bit too jovial for a noir heroine; ironically, she would die a suicide later in the year, after completing BRASS MONKEY (1948), another genre effort which I hope to acquire (and include) in my current schedule. Derek Farr, too, is a bland leading man – though, as already mentioned, he manages to organize a boxing outfit into efficient opposition to the gangsters involved. On the other hand, Joseph Calleia has one of his better roles: atypically, he received before-the-title billing for this rare foray to the U.K. (incidentally, at the time, our native country was a British colony) and is constantly breaking into Italian and singing operatic arias; though something of a caricature (especially in those scenes featuring his luscious starlet protégée Carol Van Derman), his is an impressive performance regardless. Despite figuring way down in the cast list, Nigel Patrick is really the protagonist as Calleia's right-hand man: he brings such manic energy to the role that it would not be amiss in a screwball comedy!; in fact, on the strength of this, I managed to get hold of Patrick's intriguing self-directed religious parable JOHNNY NOBODY (1961). Stanley Holloway, then, tackles an unusually serious role as the cop on Calleia's trail, while Hay Petrie gives a memorably chilling portrayal as Calleia's combination of private barber and assassin (actually looking a bit like Claude Rains!).
One last thing: I watched this very late at night, believing it to be just 76 minutes long as given on the IMDb: presumably, this duration alludes to the U.S. release print that was re-titled THE SILK NOOSE – being a reference to Petrie's murder 'weapon'; however, the copy I acquired turned out to be the full-length British version running 98 minutes.
Adapted from his own stage play by Welsh writer Richard Llewellyn (best-known for having penned John Ford's 1941 Oscar-laden HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY), the film largely escapes its theatrical roots thanks to Greville's admirably Expressionistic direction that should have earned it a much better reputation (even among fans of the genre and film buffs in general) virtually comparable to that nowadays enjoyed by Alberto Cavalcanti's THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE (1947) and Jules Dassin's similarly Soho-set NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950; with a wrestling back-drop to NOOSE's prizefighting milieu)! Actually, I do think there is a reason for this neglect since, rather than the relentless post-war bleakness and realism associated with this type of film, there is a welcome air of theatricality (in the acting) and light-heartedness (in the comic incidents that crop up intermittently).
Carole Landis, who for some reason is forever losing her shoes, is a bit too jovial for a noir heroine; ironically, she would die a suicide later in the year, after completing BRASS MONKEY (1948), another genre effort which I hope to acquire (and include) in my current schedule. Derek Farr, too, is a bland leading man – though, as already mentioned, he manages to organize a boxing outfit into efficient opposition to the gangsters involved. On the other hand, Joseph Calleia has one of his better roles: atypically, he received before-the-title billing for this rare foray to the U.K. (incidentally, at the time, our native country was a British colony) and is constantly breaking into Italian and singing operatic arias; though something of a caricature (especially in those scenes featuring his luscious starlet protégée Carol Van Derman), his is an impressive performance regardless. Despite figuring way down in the cast list, Nigel Patrick is really the protagonist as Calleia's right-hand man: he brings such manic energy to the role that it would not be amiss in a screwball comedy!; in fact, on the strength of this, I managed to get hold of Patrick's intriguing self-directed religious parable JOHNNY NOBODY (1961). Stanley Holloway, then, tackles an unusually serious role as the cop on Calleia's trail, while Hay Petrie gives a memorably chilling portrayal as Calleia's combination of private barber and assassin (actually looking a bit like Claude Rains!).
One last thing: I watched this very late at night, believing it to be just 76 minutes long as given on the IMDb: presumably, this duration alludes to the U.S. release print that was re-titled THE SILK NOOSE – being a reference to Petrie's murder 'weapon'; however, the copy I acquired turned out to be the full-length British version running 98 minutes.