The Case of the Frightened Lady

Intriguing romanticism in an old noble castle with an ancient history and a brilliant pianist and composer as the last baronet in the line of a dying family, whom his mother (Helen Haye) keeps insisting on getting married to keep the family going, which doesn't quite turn out as she had wished. Some weird butlers with too much knowledge of what is going on and an old doctor (Felix Aylmer) with a doubtful past as a practitioner in India plus a few murders makes up a dire soup of great thriller suspense. The young baronet is Marius Goring, who must have loved playing this debatable genius, while Penelope Dudley-Ward provides the necessary beauty as the frightened lady who has reason to be frightened indeed. It's a brilliant thriller by Edgar Wallace, and if you like beautiful music, romantic settings, exotic intrigue and horrific murders, you should not miss this film.

One of the several adaptation of the Edgar Wallace play is a typical, but unfortunately quite imperfect old dark house mystery about the last members of the once wealthy and prestigious Lebanon family. The family's head is Lady Lebanon, who rules the house with an iron fist and her sinister looking servants follow all her orders, that include keeping and eye on everyone, especially her only son, who is the last bearer of the name. She wants him to marry Isla Crane, her secretary, who also happens to be his cousin, but that seems to be no problem for Lady Lebanon, on the contrary actually, as we learn that it's been an on-going habit to marry family members.. which somewhat foreshadows the later turn of events.

A young lad called Richard Ferraby arrives to the house to discuss renovation plans and him and Isla, who is not too keen on the marriage idea anyways are immediately attracted to each other. Soon, the family's chauffeur gets killed, strangled with a scarf and Lady Lebanon's plan start to fall apart even further. It becomes obvious that she has many things to hide, including a locked room upstairs, some secrets with the family's doctor called Amersham and also, a scarf, that she tries to burn when police starts to investigate. While Lady Lebanon does everything to stop the investigation or at least make it as difficult as possible, both Ferraby and Lord Lebanon (who is clearly more interested in composing music than in the future of the family) try to help the rather incompetent police officers, but they can not prevent another murder from happening.

The film has everything that could make it a good old dark house mystery: family secrets, an old mansion, locked rooms, sinister butlers, secret passages and more-or-less likeable heroes, but it just does not work out at the end. The story has potential but it is heavily handled, dialogues are often awkwardly badly written, the acting isn't much better for the most part and director George King does not do a very good job either. He is well-known for his horror movies starring Tod Slaughter, so he should know a thing or two about scares and how to create a threatening atmosphere, but still, this movie completely lacks suspense.

And a friendly warning: if you watch this on Odeon Entertainment's Best of British DVD (that was actually the first time the film was made available for the public since its initial theatrical run), do not look at the photos on the cover unless you don't mind spoilers, as they give away both the movie's final plot twist and ending.

Penelope Dudley-Ward (Isla) is the frightened lady of the title. From the first shots of the film when she screams at the shadows that are following her in the house, you can't help but laugh and fear for your oncoming experience. It doesn't say much when the comedy detectives are the best thing about the film. It is woefully acted by all the main players who deliver their lines in that clipped English which is just plain fake – the word "exactly" becomes "exectly" – it's just nonsense. The film does keep you watching to see how things pan out but it ends just as badly as it started with some laughably crass dialogue being spouted by the appalling Helen Haye (Lady Lebanon) accompanied by a hysterical closing head shot of her. It's not meant to be funny, though. A nice, spooky venue is wasted in this badly acted effort.

Another lively potboiler from George King, in which the absence of Tod Slaughter is compensated by some ripe ham from a young and dashing Marius Goring instead.

The picture it paints of a decadent aristocracy on the brink of the cataclysm of a second world war is not a pretty one, with the men neutered by in-breeding (replenished only by strong women marrying into the House of Lebanon) while surrounded by muttering, disrespectful servants.

It is easy to be put off - and mislead - by the first 10 minutes of this wonderful and unusual subtle film. Stiff and haughty Lady Lebanon (Helen Haye), severe mistress of all she surveys, commands one and all. Just a slight first hint that all might not be as it appears is given by the distinct insolence and knowingness of the two footmen. But it is insufficient to disturb the viewer's impression of stifling stuffiness to which the arrival of family doctor (Dr Amersham played by Felix Aylmer - epitome of dull probity) would seem to confirm.

But Helen Haye's brief dialogue with Dr Amersham is very off kilter. Within five more minutes the pace and tone has suddenly stepped up, the film has changed gear entirely; lively and amusing, secrets and odd connections, enough for three or four films, are revealed, any one of which sufficient on its own to drive the plot, even to murder. The air is full of intrigue and possibilities. A handsome young architect arrives to draw up plans for renovation of the rambling ancient house and has caught the eye of the young lady of the house. He will have to stay a week. "Where does this lead to?" asks the sharp-eyed architect after spying an ancient door. "Where does it all lead to?" wonders the audience.

By 60 minutes the developing droll class-comedy between policeman Ronald Shiner and his boss had me laughing out loud and the plot developments came at a bafflingly faster and faster pace. The end itself was an extended nail-biter.

According to a review in BritMovie "The Case of the Frightened Lady" remains a classic for those who enjoy this genre".

Seen on Talking Pictures