Poison Pen

Slight but likeable, cusp of the War, b&w 'B' movie made in Elstree, almost entirely in the studio but creating a believable enough feel of that archetypal English village of the period. The warm glow of the recognisable and friendly shopkeeper, priest and neighbours. But also the claustrophobia and the restrictions as the values and values of the many that can restrict the behaviour of the few. Here all is exasperated by the vindictive actions of the writer of poison pen letters. I have no idea whether Clouzot saw this before he made his classic Le Corbeau during the ensuing War but whilst this does not have quite the same sinister undertones of the French film this is still powerful enough with what one reviewer describes as 'several disturbing incidents'. The direction and acting are solid with plenty of recognisable old favourites but Flora Robson is particularly effective and if I have never understood the appeal of Robert Newton, he is prominently billed and certainly had his fans. It is interesting to see Ann Todd holding her own amidst distinguished company and about to become a star herself. A pleasant enough and very English watch.

A cozy English village can pride itself on being a well-knit community where most people get along well with each other. But the peaceful life of the village in 'Poison Pen' is disrupted by a spate of spiteful letters written to the inhabitants. Trust in their fellow-villagers is broken even though there is no proof that the letters are just rumor-mongering mischief. The women of the village band together led by the plain-speaking ringleader played by Marjorie Rhodes. But the situation gets worse and lead to a grisly suicide and a revenge killing. The police are called in to monitor the village mail. And to closely question the inhabitants. The village vicar and his charitable spinster sister are the pillars of the community. They try to help the police to track down the malicious culprit. Flora Robson leads the cast as Mary Rider who is the vicar's sister. She questions whether there may be some truth in the accusations that the poison pen writer is spreading. This film's popularity was initially marred somewhat by the negative Spectator review written by Graham Greene. But I think that mystery fans will probably like this movie because Agatha Christie covered the village 'poison pen' subject in 1942. That was in the Miss Marple mystery called 'The Moving Finger.' Also the same sort of scenario was done in the 1951 mystery film called 'The Thirteenth Letter' which starred Michael Rennie.

More stars just for the star quality of the cast.

Enjoyable 'who-dunnit-' featuring some very well known faces from UK's stage and screen. Even a young Roddy McDowall sneaks into shot, as an un-credited choirboy! Other minor roles include Kenneth Conner connecting with the audience as a local telephone receptionist.

Even the delightful comedienne Esma Cannon has a small part (Mrs. Cannon). Don't know the name? Google it, you'll know exactly who I mean.

In fact, anyone who had any kind of contact with this movie went on to have successful acting careers.

By today's story-telling standards, the outcome does seem a bit obvious but that minor flaw is over-ruled by the magnificent performance of the guilty party.

Some fun moments include when the whole nosy crowd of villages gatecrash the post office and gather round to listen in on a phone call all the way from... Australia!

There is also some sharp dialog shared between the dancers at the charity shindig in aid of church restoration.

A must for film buffs but probably not so much for casual film watchers.

Who is writing 'poison pen' letters to residents of a quaint, small village in the English countryside. It has to be someone immersed in village life as there seem to be detailed accusations across a wide spread of the local population. This leads to a crowd mentality trying to solve the mystery as well as friction between couples and a couple of tragic episodes.

I guessed who it was pretty quickly. If you are familiar with the cast, you might also get there. It's a British film, and whilst not, thankfully, completely in that tedious comedy oom-pah-pah music genre, it does drag a little until the ending section which is quite memorable.

Ann Todd (Ann) plays a naïve young teenager and her diction is terrible. She puts on a terrible upper-class British accent which nobody speaks in - not even the Queen - and she just sounds comically stupid. For a couple of better films with her, check out "So Evil My Love" and "Daybreak" both from 1948. So, she improved as her career progressed. Reginald Tate and Flora Robson (Mary) are both ok in the main 2 roles as the Vicar and his sister. The film should have been more interesting and we needed the tension to be cranked up by factor 10.

After watching this film, I've had an idea. I've just found some Basildon Bond writing paper and my neighbours are pissing me off a bit. I know what I'll do......

Flora Robson was always magnificent on screen, especially since she never repeated herself but always created new characters by her formidable art of acting, always with an integrity exploding within the character. This role was unique in her repertoire, she made Queen Elizabeth, she made a widow of Malta, she made the nun Philippa, she made the dowager empress Tzu Hsi, never beautiful but always prominent and striking. You will be surprised by her acting here, the ideal vicar's sister, taking tender care of everyone, protecting victims of persecution, while her double character fools everyone. She never gives herself away until at the crucial moment when Ann Todd's betrothed comes home from Australia, and it becomes clear that she will leave the vicarage. But only her face betrays her, no matter how stiff the poker face is. Reginald Tate is the reverend brother, who will face the most difficult crisis of his life, when truth breaks into his vicarage with devastating ruthlessness. The novel was written by Richard Llewellyn, and there you find all the terrible shattering psychology of the film. The best scene is in the beginning, when David phones his sweetheart all the way from Australia, and all the village gathers around the sensation of his coming home to marry Ann Todd. It's one of her earliest great roles, the same accounts for Robert Newton going on the rampage already here, and Wilfrid Hyde-White as the inimitable postman. No matter how shocking the cruelty of the story, it's a very enjoyable film for its excellent acting, its wonderful rendering of English village life and all the wonderful characters.