Wanted for Murder (1946) User Reviews

Murderer loose in postwar London in the 40's

[Steve-318 · 7/10 · 30 October 2002]

Erudite British effort where the strangler comes off as quite civilized. He's quite the gentleman, really, just has this problem with his hands.

Really enjoyed Stanley Holloway as the #2-cop on the case. Stanley doesn't break into song but he does provide some comedic relief--subtle stuff, no slapstick.

You can't help but be fascinated by the many views of London that are pictured (immediately after the war). The buses, street scenes, and various landmarks shown on film tell a story of their own. How times have changed--the record shop scene is a far cry from the rocking London that would follow 20 years later.

This is well-written (Emeric Pressburger had a hand in that) story with characters that are decidely human, albeit in the English stiff-upper-lip school.

Marvelous British Suspense Film

[Handlinghandel · 8/10 · 29 December 2007]

Don't be put off by the generic title. This is a film of subtlety and grace.

Eric Portman is perfect as the troubled protagonist. Dulcie Gray enchants as the vulnerable yet strong-willed heroine. And the supporting cast is uniformly excellent.

This is a variation on the Jack the Ripper theme. Someone is strangling young women, sending notes to Scotland Yard in advance. Ronald Culver is absolutely right as the chief inspector on the case.

The psychology may be painted with slightly broad strokes. But the acting elevate that: The pain felt by all concerned is palpable. We do not admire the killer but we have understanding of the person's behavior. The victims and would-be victims are touching. And the attempts by secondary characters to help are persuasive and upsetting to us.

Well worth a viewing.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 18 August 2021]

"Wanted for Murder", based on a play by Percy Robinson and Terence de Marney, is a rock-solid black & white thriller set in post-WWII London. Eric Portman stars as Victor Colebrooke, a dapper gentleman living under a cloud. He's dominated by the legacy of his insane father, and is also haunted by thoughts of his grandfather, who was a notorious hangman. He goes out regularly at night and often strangles the young women with whom he spends time. Scotland Yard, represented by persistent detectives Conway (Roland Culver) and Sullivan (Stanley Holloway), finally focuses on him as a viable suspect in this string of killings. However, will they be in time to save the life of Anne Fielding (Dulcie Gray), who's been dating Victor? Victor does NOT take it well when she falls out of love with him and begins seeing amiable young bus conductor Jack Williams (Derek Farr).

Efficiently directed by Lawrence Huntington, this features some great use of locations, and tells a very engrossing story. It's the capable performance by Portman that serves as a true anchor: Victor is confident enough and arrogant enough to send the police postcards and otherwise taunt them, but it's clear that he may well have inherited his late fathers' madness. Portman is able to make this sociopath character interesting, and not entirely unsympathetic. He's well supported by a sterling British cast that also includes people like Barbara Everest (as Victors' mother), Jenny Laird, Kathleen Harrison (in another of her hired-help roles), Bill Shine, John Ruddock, and Wilfrid Hyde-White (as the guide in Madame Tussaud's).

"Wanted for Murder" is appropriately suspenseful and creepy at times, but what was appreciable were the little, light comic touches throughout (like a bumbling cop smoking some evidence, or Anne & Jack going to a fancy restaurant only to learn that some of their dishes are unavailable). The film even ends on a priceless comedic note. All of the characters are engaging in their own way - Culver, Holloway, and Everest were particularly enjoyable to this viewer. The ending is abrupt, however, and may rob some viewers of real satisfaction.

Emeric Pressburger was one of the credited screenwriters.

Eight out of 10.

Stay away from London parks

[AAdaSC · 7/10 · 24 July 2010]

Eric Portman (Viktor) is the grandson of a notorious hangman. His grandfather's sadistic, psychotic reputation as a killer plays heavily on Portman's psyche. Actually, it does more than that - it influences his behaviour. However, he is unable to change who he is. A serial killer is at large murdering women and goading the police. Can Roland Culver (Inspector Conway) and his team prevent the killer from striking again and again....?

This film contains some dodgy accents, in particular, a very posh bus driver as played by Derek Farr (Jack) and a young Scottish woman, Jenny Laird (Jeannie), who comes from absolutely nowhere in Scotland. There are humorous moments eg, Stanley Holloway's portrayal of "Sgt Sullivan" and Gerard Kempinski as a waiter, alongside tense dramatic sections, eg, the murder of Jenny Laird (Jeannie) in the park. I found Barbara Everest as "Mrs Colebrooke" slightly weird b t it's a minor point in an otherwise convincing tale of a killer who is born to kill. We are left in no doubt as to who the killer is from the beginning and this adds to the tension throughout the film. I thought that the killer's fate was rather convenient - an easy way to end the film - but it's still a good film.

Very effective British thriller

[stills-6 · 7/10 · 7 July 2004]

It's all very nicely done. I had barely, if ever, heard of any of the leads in this movie before I saw it. I was expecting a sloppy film noir set in London, but it was a pleasant surprise when the dialogue and the players were as good as they are. The story is tight, mostly, and there is real tension and unexpected humor. Overall, it was very effective.

I was particularly impressed with Eric Portman as Colebrooke. There was not much of a tradition playing sociopaths at this point in the movies. Of the few that had been portrayed, Cagney in "White Heat", for example, is much more histrionic and obvious than Portman is here.

I might quibble with some plot points and some really heavy-handed staging, but really this is much like middle Hitchcock without all of the psychological mumbo-jumbo to push it along.

a look at immediate post-war London as a strangler runs loose.

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 17 October 2020]

Eric Portman stars with Dulcie Gray, Eric Farr, and Stanley Holloway in "Wanted for Murder," also known as "A Voice in the Night."

I wish more young people could get into classic films - the look at the past in this film is so interesting. Imagine a record shop, which we've seen in old films before, where someone comes in, requests a record, and an employee plays it on a record player. Twenty years later, the city would be alive with mod fashions and the Beatles.

There's a strangler of young women on the loose, sending postcards to the police before the various murders. Suspicion falls on a young man (Derek Farr) but when he's clear, the chief detective (Roland Culver) becomes suspicious of a smooth, dapper man (Portman) who seems to have been in the vicinity of one of the murders.

Portman's mother is played by Barbara Everest, familiar to people who have seen the U.S. "Gaslight." She suspects her son is disturbed and becomes anxious when he leaves the house. But the Portman character can't seem to help himself. And it seems this predilection runs in the family.

Decent film, worth watching.

Hangman's House

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 4 April 2022]

This is an odd little film of immediately post War Britain that grew on me the second time I watched it. The first time I was somewhat confused plus I simply couldn't understand the actors and their thick British accents when they spoke rapidly. The second time though, it grew on me. In spite of the fact that the viewer knows everything and it is the police who are trying to find out who the murderer is.

A woman is killed near a local fair, strangled, and apparently there have been several of these types of murders - all unsolved - over the last year or so. Scotland Yard is called in on the case. They beat a path to the actual murderer's door almost immediately, but they don't know that and the murderer is playing it cool. So much so that it is awhile into the film before the viewer knows that this guy is the murderer and not just some moody eccentric fellow with an exaggerated penchant for punctuality and that this is not going to be some kind of "wrong man" story. And it can't hurt that the murderer is from a respectable household and is a respectable businessman as far as giving the police pause.

So in this film the accent is on the inner turmoil of the murderer, apparently tormented by the knowledge that his grandfather was a hangman. This is the kind of weird slant on things that I saw in the silent film "Hangman's House" - insinuating that people who hang murderers who were convicted by somebody else and sentenced by somebody else are the actual murderers. Plus back in this time people still believed that genetics were destiny rather than possibility. As the murderer's inner conflict intensifies, the rather haunting score of the film becomes louder and more constant.

The second time watching it, I noticed that this film was most economically shot. You never even see the first victim of the film, and subsequent scenes are shot outside or in small rooms. No elaborate sets seem to have been built. This tends to make post war British films high quality in the acting and plot departments since apparently there was not lots of money for art design.

I'd recommend this one. Just don't get the idea that it is a police procedural or a noir because it really is neither of those.

Interesting but flawed thriller

[johnshephard-83682 · 6/10 · 22 August 2019]

I can't say I can rave about this film as much as some of the reviewers, though it does have some interesting features. There are certainly some Hitchcockian moments, as in the scene where the murderer and victim are stumbled upon by a passing couple, evoking Hitch's trademark moral ambiguity, and it uses atmosphere and mood effectively in places. Performances vary from the realistic to the melodramatic, as if, at times, two entirely different films have been stitched together. It is severely weakened by the moments of melodrama, some poor dialogue, an unconvincing romance (why did so many screenwriters of this era think it plausible for people to declare their love within five minutes of meeting? - - the couple in question here literally meet about three times throughout), and I found the 'comedy' policeman just plain irritating. It's a shame because the troubled serial killer/mummy's boy theme should have made for a better film - watch Psycho instead. Worth a look, but don't expect too much.

Just Call Whitehall 1212

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 25 January 2014]

Wanted for Murder is directed by Lawrence Huntington and adapted to screenplay by Emeric Pressburger, Rodney Ackland, Barbara Everest and Maurice Cowan from the play by Terence De Marney and Percy Robinson. It stars Eric Portman, Dulcie Gray, Derek Farr, Roland Culver and Stanley Holloway. Music is by Mischa Spoliansky and cinematography by Mutz Greenbaum.

Nifty little thriller noir this, basically it finds Portman as the sinister Victor James Colebrook, a man with murderous instincts born out by bad seed lineage in his family tree. Can intrepid Chief Inspector Conway (Culver) nail his man before he kills yet again? Imperative since Victor has latched onto Anne Fielding (Gray), and although he is in love with her, he doesn't know how long he can contain his blood lust.

Thought to be influenced by a real life serial killer, Huntington's movie is very Hitchcockian in tone. Story unfolds by night in a London of dimly lighted foggy streets and dense shadowed parks, and by day it's the hustle and bustle of the city that provides a backdrop of false normalcy. As the tormented Victor goes about his way, leading his double life as a cunning member of society who dotes on his mother – and that of a strangler of women – the makers ensure the surroundings suit the persona.

A chapter of the story set at a carnival pulses with unease, a visit to a wax museum really gets to the heart of the evil, a murder sequence that is off camera strikes all the right terrifying notes, and a quite brilliant passage that sees witnesses come face to face with the killer in Conway's office is superbly performed by all involved. Then there is the finale that plays out at night (naturally) at the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park. Wonderful!

Portman (A Canterbury Tale/Dear Murderer) was a British treasure, an actor whose career begs for reappraisal by classic film fans. Here he is right on the money as the complex sociopath who detests what he has become and even dangles clues for the police to follow. Yet he also slips easily into society with a measured calmness that is rather chilling. Portman quite simply is excellent. As are Culver and Holloway as the sort of coppers Britain could do with having more of these days!

With Pressburger as part of the writing team it's no surprise to find the script tight and the dialogue snappy, Huntington (The Upturned Glass) and Greenbaum (Night and the City) never miss the chance to accentuate the psychological tremors by way of smart visuals, and Spoliansky's music is devilishly spectral like. It probably could have been shorn of ten minutes and the Dulcie Gray/Derek Farr romance gets a little twee at times, but this is well worth checking out and deserves to be better known. 8/10

Wanted for Murder

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 8 January 2023]

I always thought that Eric Portman was never much more than an efficient actor; rarely does he ever deviate from his usual, rather linear, style of performance. This one, though, is a bit different and he is rather good as the son of a hangman who, losing his grasp on reality, is obsessed with strangling young women. With the police (Roland Culver & a rather entertaining Stanley Holloway) hot on the trail, he falls for Dulcie Gary ("Anne") and for the first time, he has doubts about what to do next... Lawrence Huntingdon has done a decent job with a solid cast based on quite an intriguing Percy Robinson play - and the last twenty minute build to quite an exciting crescendo that takes more than a casual swipe at red tape and the "more than my job's worth" brigade... Certainly worth a go - you might spot Wilfred Hyde-White at Madame Tussaud's!

Poor murderer

[clanciai · 10/10 · 12 October 2020]

This is like a Dostyevsky thriller, you know the murderer from the start, and you have the privilege of together with the script writer gradually intersecting him piece by piece, to get into the very heart of the matter of his complex psychology. Like Raskolnikov, he almost begs to get found out and be delivered, Eric Portman makes a fantastic performance by never sparing the poor murderer his tribulations, who can't help being what he is, he can't explain it and understand it either, and he even prays to God to be set free. The explanations of the malaise "being in the blood" is poor and does not hold. And then there are all the other persons getting involved, his poor mother above all, who never suspects her son to be as affected as his father until it is too late, and his girls, all innocents and suspecting nothing, and then the marvellous police officers, the meticulously methodical Roland Culver deliberately beating about the bush until he at last has evidence, and Stanley Holloway as his second, dutiful to the last. There are others also and precious details, the case about the cigar, the spectacular scenes at the fair and Hyde Park, and the towering thriller of the final settlement, almost reminding of "The Third Man" although being out in the open and in broad daylight. You feel the keen pen of Emeric Pressburger here in almost every detail, the famous partner of Michael Powell, who was the script writer of them and one of the best in film history. To all this comes the haunting melody of Mischa Spoliansky, a Russian composer who had to escape from Russia to Germany to later make his career in England with various film scores, but this could be his very best: actually reminding of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's "Capriccio Diabolico" from 1935, expertly performed by Andrès Segovia among others. In brief, this very noir British thriller contains everything you could wish for, while the almost Dostoyeskian psychology is its major treat.

Determinism.

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 23 May 2021]

This is not a whodunit for one knows the identity of the killer ;it's more psychological drama,and some of its aspects somewhat predate works like Hitchcock 's "strangers on a train "(1951): the mother is omnipresent in the miserable murderer 's life,and in his house ,he only sees women such as his auntie and the servant ;although she notices he's always gone at night , the mother seems to want to ignore what might lay beneath : she knows the family has a history of family of mental illness,but she tries to reassure herself by saying he takes after her and soon he'll find the right girl and settle down .But isn't it already too late? The scene in the museum means a lot: he does need someone to lean on , but by introducing the right girl from the first sequence , the screenwriter (Powell's collaborator, Pressburger) creates a blind alley at the same time : the nice bus conductor.

Other similarities with Hitchcock's 1951 thriller:the fascination for amusement parks ,the final sequence in the island (which appears earlier in "stranger on a train" ). Both murderer are well respected men .

With his aristocratic look,his refined manners , Eric Portman gives a restrained performance but behind the mask,he conceals an intense suffering ; he may show infinite tenderness when he holds the girl in his arms ,and the murder is almost unexpected (directing avoids horror and treats the sequence in a stunning way)

Worth it for the last scene, and the 40s ambiance

[lucyrfisher · 5/10 · 7 August 2015]

1946 - when women were still wearing that strange 40s aesthetic with huge, unflattering hair styles. See Colebrooke's secretary, who thinks he'll marry her one day when in fact he is planning to strangle her on Wimbledon Common. (Not a spoiler, we know he is the killer from the start.) I like Derek Farr, and the scene where he picks up Anne on a tube train that's broken down. Dulcie Gray must have been about 30, and I'm sorry, but she doesn't look as young as her character is meant to be (19 or so?). The scene at the fair is good, too, with the Punch and Judy man and the gramophone operator. It's nice to see Bonar Colleano as an American soldier and witness, and Kathleen Harrison is good as the Colebrookes' maid. Mrs Colebrooke, as another commenter said, gives us a glimpse of acting styles of the past (circa 1840). There are effective moments as Colebrooke's skinny, moustachio'd tail follows him along the river bank, and there is a splended scene as Inspector Conway overrules the jobsworth of jobsworths. Best moment, though, is when squads of coppers in old-fashioned helmets, and on horseback, descend on Hyde Park. Colebrooke attempts escape by boat and by water. High melodrama in the Serpentine is a challenge, but Eric Portman rises to it. It's all rather ludicrous, and not a patch on Canterbury Tale or Dear Murderer. Yes, there's much too much faffing about at Scotland Yard, and the intended humour just isn't funny, despite Stanley Holloway's efforts.

The sound on this transfer is so bad that some of the dialogue is lost.

Mainly for Eric Portman

[happytrigger-64-390517 · 7/10 · 24 June 2022]

"Wanted for murder" is an investigation on a serial killer. We know from the beginning his identity, and the inspector quickly suspects him, so there is no real suspense, the story is mostly predictable. There are even some clues that are not exploited, or sometimes badly. The main interest is Eric Portman, discovering his illness, but Pressburger's script could have been more precise by checking some holes in the story. Max Green's photography is a must. This movie remains entertaining.

A spoilt film

[Vinny37 · 6/10 · 30 April 2023]

At large, and interesting film with tension towards the end. Very few characters, and basically one girl. It's a who dunnit, with a dash at the end to save the last victim's life. The murderer has, seemingly, inherited a touch of madness, which he loathes. His fix is strangling women, but Anne could have a better fate, if only she'll have him. But with another man in her life, will she try to save him? Scotland Yard slowly zero in on him, but miss vital opportunities. The murders continue, but his MO isn't always the same. The parts are well played, with some humour. Sadly someone in the Force speaks of warnings from a psychic - which could spiritually sidetrack viewers.

it's pretty good

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 7 November 2023]

This post war film started out as a pre-war play, written by robinson and de marney. Someone in england is strangling young girls. And after a period of time, the coppers think they have an idea who it is. But there just isn't enough evidence to arrest him. Yet. Mostly serious drama; some humor at the restaurant when they go for a spot of dinner. The chef is out of everything, but the server crosses off whatever they order, one by one. Kind of a redo of w.c. Fields' diner scene in "never give a sucker an even break". Although since the play was first performed in 1937, it's possible the play used it first. Who snitched from whom? It's okay. Has a big finish. But the whole story is pretty average. Directed by lawrence huntington.

I liked much of the movie aside from the ending that felt rather rushed

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 28 May 2023]

(1946) Wanted for Murder PSYCHOLOGICAL CRIME DRAMA

It opens with a bus conductor, Jack Williams (Derek Farr) taking a liking to a woman name Ann (Dulcie Gray) while on a train. And he recognizes her because apparently she was one of the passengers he saw and liked, as she used to take the bus he used to work at until he was transferred. And Jack decides to put his plans on hold so that he can come with her to the fair even though she has another engagement to see someone else. This person she was supposed to meet, his name is Victor James Colebrooke (Eric Portman), and is late meeting him. When Jack went to get some ice cream leaving her on the carousel ride, is when she spots and takes off to meet Victor. The next day, a lady is found murdered with Chief Inspector Conroy (Roland Culver) taking in charge of the case, along with his assistant, Sgt Sullivan (Stanley Holloway), and that both Jack and Victor were there approximately at the same time the murder happened. And it was not until it reached the half hour mark, viewers see that it was Victor who was strangling woman at random, as the movie turns into a game of cat and mouse. Victor mocks the police by sending them postcards when the strangler was going to strike next by using his alias Tom Maren.

My rating may have been higher had the ending had not felt very rushed.

It Has Its Moments

[keithhmessenger · 7/10 · 27 November 2023]

An individual film's appeal can, of course, be for many and varied reasons and my attention was drawn to this 1946 British thriller as a result of two major factors - the presence of the ever-reliable Yorkshireman and actor Eric Portman and a screenplay co-written by Hungarian-British Emeric Pressburger. Of course, this actor-writer pairing is most famous for the work they did on The Archers' (the moniker adopted by Pressburger and director Michael Powell) films 49th Parallel, One of Our Aircraft is Missing and (most famously of all) A Canterbury Tale. Now, Wanted For Murder falls well short of the best work of The Archers, but it does have its moments, with a solid turn from Portman, support via a number of impressive (often comedic) supporting cameos in director Lawrence Huntington's cast, as well as a handful of (Hitchcock-like) set-pieces in intriguing locations (some convincing as supposed London locations, others not so much).

Investigations into the psyche of serial killers/mass murderers are, of course, now commonplace on both film and TV, but over half a century ago were rather harder to find - outstanding examples including the respective Fritz Lang and Michael Powell masterpieces, M and Peeping Tom. Here Portman and Pressburger do not reach such heights, but, certainly for the first hour, Portman's brooding, increasingly maniacal, schizophrenic 'respectable' city businessman, Victor James Colebrooke, is genuinely unsettling, whilst Pressburger (and co-writer Rodney Ackland) give us some nicely atmospheric, at times nostalgic, banter, often delivered by the 'chalk and cheese' cop pairing of Roland Culver's Chief Inspector Conway and Stanley Holloway's Sergeant Sullivan. This pairing plays up the film's 'class angle', a theme that also applies to Colebrooke's well-heeled gentleman, whose social status deflects (in police minds) any immediate suspicions of guilt. Any supposed explanations of Colebrooke's warped mindset are conspicuous by their absence, save for him being the son of the (deceased) Queen's (Victoria) hangman. The Madame Tussauds sequence of Colebrooke coming (close-up) face to face with his 'nemesis' is unforgettable and there are other impressive set-pieces on the London Underground, Hampstead fair (Punch & Judy show), a gramophone shop (with listening booths!) and Hyde Park bandstand and boating lake (albeit with unconvincing backdrops). Outside of Messrs. Portman, Culver and Holloway, the acting is fairly modest with Derek Farr and Dulcie Gray just about shading 'wooden', but do look out for the great Wilfrid Hyde-White in Mme. Tussauds and also (for film-buffs) Bonar Colleano as the GI in Regent's Park (he of A Matter of Life and Death fame - an altogether more impressive Pressburger vehicle).

B picture gets A treatment

[manuel-pestalozzi · 10/10 · 7 February 2012]

This is a truly memorable movie. Not for its story which is pretty pedestrian but for its treatment by the screen writers, the actresses and actors, its cinematography and its art direction. My first surprise came with the title credits. Emeric Pressburger participated in the screen writing. And this seems to be one of the rare cases in which the screen writing is better than the general plot. There are a great many interesting characters which are competently and nicely sketched. The actresses and actors grace the script with very good, heart felt and often funny performances down to the last bit part (and there are many of them). They portray ordinary people who just want to be decent - and ordinary. The movie is set in post war London and the number of sets and location shots is astounding considering the simplicity of the whole affair. The apartment of the villain is in a fine town house, and it looks like it was shot on location, so it must also be a feast for friends of architecture. Watching this movie is anything but a waste of time!

Again and again I become enraptured by British films which were made during the period of Austerity (The Archers, Ealing Studio, Carol Reed etc.). I always feel that lack of funds was more than compensated by the love all those who participated felt for their art.

Eric Portman Contributes Mightily to This Moody, Atmospheric Thriller

[kidboots · 10/10 · 7 March 2016]

After years of wartime austerity, picture going resumed in Britain in a big way with the spectacular success of "The Wicked Lady", a Technicolour costume extravaganza. But strangely another genre to find favour was the psychological crime film and no actor could create quiet menace, the type that simmers under a surface of normality quite like Eric Portman. His smooth speech usually meant he was often able to fool everyone and get away with murder - until the last reel. In this film he plays Victor James Colebrook, a man who seems to hold everything under control but is still capable of violent outbursts. Only his mother seems worried about his moods - his father had been a notorious hangman whose mind snapped and ever afterwards was only happy when he was carrying out his grisly occupation. Victor has inherited the madness and as the film opens he is already stalking his latest victim. He is engaged to a sweet girl, Anne (Dulcie Grey) who works in a music store but the first scenes show her meeting someone else - a love struck bus driver, Jack (Derek Farr) and she has fallen for him as well.

The film explored many avenues, it was moodily atmospheric with director Laurence Huntingdon taking full advantage of Eric Portman's deep moods and mask like face. Has some very Hitchcockian moments, I wondered if Hitchcock had seen this movie when he planned "Strangers on a Train" and the eerie carnival and island sequences of that movie? In one scene Victor is in a mist enshrouded park with a naïve Irish girl but just after he kills her an American serviceman and his girl come across them. With the deepening fog he is able to shield his identity while offering the asked for matches. Then there was the orderly view of police procedure - Stanley Holloway in a rare straight role as the constable who makes the connection between Colebrook and his notorious father!!

With a climax resembling "The Blue Lamp" - the police pinpoint Colebrook and his next victim in Hyde Park and begin a no-nonsense public exodus of the grounds.

Dulcie Grey who had scored a critical success in her last film "They Were Sisters" was amazed to find herself dropped after the studio felt her portrayal was too realistic!! Soon after Eric Portman requested her to co-star with him in "Wanted for Murder" and, according to Miss Grey, he was a "darling"!!

Highly Recommended.

Distinctly British

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 29 October 2018]

WANTED FOR MURDER is a distinctly British spin on the film noir genre, with an oldy worldy feel and some interesting characters, but it's never quite as engaging or as spooky as I hoped. Eric Portman plays the son of a hangman who ends up haunted by his father's profession and driven to the extreme. The horror aspects of the story are present but kept mostly off-screen, making this tame and dated for the most part; the best elements are those in a grisly wax museum with a delightful Wilfrid Hyde-White cameo. The film does well to cast strong character actors in support, including Kathleen Harrison and Stanley Holloway, but is otherwise a middling experience.

A very watchable film noir.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 29 May 2016]

I love the fact that there is a wealth of unseen movies out there to discover, sometimes you unearth diamonds, sometimes you just find rubbish. Wanted for Murder is a worthy discovery, it begins very slowly, but opens up nicely, the real mystery being which planets some of the accents hail from, this era loved the terribly proper English accent, and the extreme working class alternative. I find the camera work ad filming very appealing, it somehow feels quite crisply put together,quite slick. Accents apart, it's very well acted, Eric Pittman is fantastic, brilliantly menacing, a huge on screen presence.. Roland Culver and Stanley Holloway are excellent, a great double act, with Holloway injecting a dash of humour. Some great cameos, Wilfred Hyde White and the lady purchasing a record, great fun. The audiences of the forties had a definite taste for mystery, and thank goodness for it. A gem, 8/10.

Unknown

[brislack · 10/10 · 18 September 2022]

What a terrific thriller this black and white film was. An excellent cast followed the serial killer through a taut plot with many twists and turns. The plot is the thing! But I would say it could do with a remake.

Watching a black and white film does not make it less exciting than watching a colour film with wide screen. The acting by the murderer was particularly good, and the young hero, a bus conductor, came to the fore near the exciting end. I don't recall seeing the actress who played the murderer's mother before, but she was also very good.

One thing - where did they get all those hundreds of policemen from? And didn't London look very different in those days!

Staid and lacking in suspense

[mformoviesandmore · 5/10 · 4 December 2022]

A group of wooden characters appear in a low budget movie.

If you are interested in what London looked like in those latter years of WWII then there is plenty to watch out for.

Unfortunately this is a movie where we know 'whodunnit' early on and the police chase is no Columbo.

It does portray that stiff-upper lip and 'keep calm and carry on' persona that the British of the era so valued. That also means that the acting is rather wooden, apart from the Mother who perhaps was used to making silent movies.

If you watch to the end your mind will have wandered off to think of something exciting such as what to have on that piece of toast.

All in all an interesting idea buried within a limited budget.

A Voice in the Night

[richardchatten · 8/10 · 16 September 2022]

Researchers into Powell & Pressburger habitually overlook the latter's solo credits, which are actually quite numerous and reveal that a romantic fascination with abnormal psychology was not exclusive to Powell.

Although Pressburger later admitted that he never actually saw Powell's later 'Peeping Tom' this has definite marked similarities, including the depiction of the activities of a homicidal killer accompanied on the soundtrack by an tingling piano score. It also contains a powerful performance by Eric Portman who had already starred in three previous films for The Archers, most notoriously as the 'glue man' in 'A Canterbury Tale'.