Acqua alla gola

Although it has been suggested that the premise of Michael Anderson's film is based upon Josephine Tey's 'Brat Farrar', subsequently filmed by Hammer as 'Paranoiac', it actually bears a far greater resemblance to an American radio play from 1948 entitled 'Stranger in the House'.

Be that as it may the plot of this particular opus, although ingenious, is inclined to stretch credibility to the utmost but remains eminently watchable thanks to Mr. Anderson's customary craftsmanship and undeniable skill with actors. The films fabulous 'look' is courtesy of Anderson's favoured cinematographer Ernest Hillier who learnt his trade under Murnau and Lang which is especially evident in the interior and night-time scenes. Although slowly paced the director and editor Gordon Pilkington maintain the tension and during the car ride at high speed along a mountain road, the splicing of back projection and live footage is brilliantly done.

This is Richard Todd's third film for this director and although Mr. Todd is traditionally at his best in uniform he acquits himself well here as a man who is not exactly what he appears to be! Good support from Alexander Knox and Faith Brook whilst the immaculate Herbert Lom is, as always, great value.

As an ardent devotee of Anne Baxter I would have to say that as well as looking good enough to eat her portrayal of gradually mounting hysteria is wondrous to behold. A consummate professional who never gave less than her best, whatever her material.

A few years earlier Michael Anderson had been described by one critic as the most promising British director since Carol Reed and David Lean. Although he may not perhaps have reached the heights of those two, he did, to an extent, fulfil his promise.

Riveting psychological thriller. Kimberley (Baxter) returns to her isolated seaside villa following roadside death of her brother. Trouble is a guy (Todd) turns up claiming he's the dead brother, Ward. It should be easy to expose the imposter, she figures. Except it's not. His face turns up in family albums, while he seems to know all about their past as brother and sister. So what's going on. No matter what she does, even with the police inspector (Lom), she can't disprove his claim. Now she's beginning to doubt her sanity. But who will help her in this isolated seaside spot.

Actress Baxter has a well-known tendency to over-emote. Here, however, she delivers a carefully restrained and shaded performance in the pivotal role. Add British actor Todd as the impassive, slightly sinister, Ward, along with a tight suspenseful script that cleverly unfolds, and you've got a good slice of A-grade entertainment. Those who've noted a resemblance to standard Hitchcock fare are on target.

There're a few tense high spots—the reckless race over the seaside road, the sleight-of-hand with incriminating liquor glasses, Kimberlie's hide-and-seek escape from the house. But just as magnetic is the general mood of subtle menace, as we wonder exactly what's going on. And, oh yes, the twist ending that's something of a stretch, yet satisfying nonetheless. All in all, the movie's a neo-Hitchcock sleeper, well worth catching up with.

"Chase a Crooked Shadow" is a 1958 black and white film starring Anne Baxter, Richard Todd, Herbert Lom, Alexander Knox, and Faith Brook.

Baxter plays an heiress, Kimberly Prescott, living abroad, whose dead brother (Todd) turns up after being killed in a car accident a year earlier. Except he's not her brother.

He brings a woman, Miss Whitman (Brook) with him, sends Kimberly's maid away and brings in his own servants. Kimberly is desperate to reach her architect friend Chandler (Knox) who will know this man isn't her brother, but she can't reach him. And the local chief of police (Lom) seems to side with the fake brother.

Well, after all, he does have the correct ID, and the photo Kimberly keeps by her bed has suddenly turned into a photo of the fake!

The question is, what do these people want? Is she safe with them, or do they plan to get rid of her?

This intriguing, atmospheric drama is excellent, except I've seen so many of these things (it's one of my favorite genres) that I figured the plot out right away. Most people will simply enjoy the ride and the surprises.

Baxter looks lovely as the put-upon, desperate heiress, and the role calls for a gamut of emotions, all of which she delivers. Todd and Lom are terrific as well. Really excellent, with very good performances all around.

Chase a Crooked Shadow is directed by Michael Anderson and written by David D. Osborn and Charles Sinclair. It stars Richard Todd, Anne Baxter, Herbert Lom and Faith Brook. Music is scored by Matyas Seiber, with additional guitar by Julian Bream, and cinematography by Erwin Hillier.

A man shows up at Kimberley Prescott's Spanish villa claiming to be her brother. Trouble is is that her brother, Ward Prescott, died in a car accident a year ago...

The core formula for Chase a Crooked Shadow has been well mined over the years, only recently I myself viewed the quite excellent Hammer Films Production of Paranoiac, which treads the same ground as Anderson's movie, but there's a filmic style here that adds further atmosphere to the moody mysterious tone of the narrative. Thus, in spite of the absurdities and stretching of credulity, this is well worth seeking out.

Anderson carefully builds the suspense, ensuring that what we think we know may in fact not be the case. The twists and jolts are deftly handled and the finale is a delightful bolt from the blue. Along the way we are treated to a noirish canvas, where even though the film is shot on location on the Costa Brava, there's a Gothic sheen pretty much every where you look. The interior of the villa is complete with Grandfather clock, iron gate doors, odd light shades, statuettes and one of those staircases with balustrade, all of which is given maximum shadow effects by Hillier. The outside courtyard also serves the uneasy mood well, as does the stone beach house at the bottom of the hill, it should be idyllic, but fret and discord dwell there as well.

Cast are most effective, some have called Todd too wooden, but he needs to be restrained here, he is after all playing the character's cards close to his chest. Baxter, looking positively lovely, handles the mental disintegration process with great skill, Brook really exudes a Mrs. Danvers like menace purely with cold dialogue delivery and an icy stare, while Lom has authoritative presence as the police man being pulled both ways of the mystery. Top performers doing justice to a fine mystery story that is in turn offering some visual pleasures too. 7.5/10

Chase a Crooked Shadow (1958)

This dives quickly in--an heiress has come to Barcelona and a man who is apparently after her fortune shows up, at night, with cocky assurance. It's evil and it's odd. The woman is played with stern conviction by Anne Baxter, and she holds the whole movie together. The filming is vivid, and dark and shadowy from the get go, in moderately wide screen black and white. When it goes to daylight, the crips, tonal perfection of the image is quite noticeable. That might be an odd reason to like the movie, but it's quite visually beautiful. I suppose the East Coast of Spain gets some credit. Unfortunately, the plot at first comes off as improbable, with a couple of twists at the beginning that left me incredulous. But the acting is so earnest you can put up with it for awhile. When it becomes a kind of mind game between the two leads, it has some reasonable thread (some) and it is only the steely determination of Baxter's acting that keeps it interesting. The plot against this woman is elaborate, and therefore scary, held in check by the upper class politeness of all the characters. I'm sure people would compare this to Hitchcock for its personal suspense, its stylish attempts at mind games, or for echoes of "Gaslight" and "Rebecca." It's a British movie, released by Warner Bros., and it might suffer from a sense of imitating Hollywood rather than making its own mark (as Carol Reed might have a few years earlier). The British director here is Michael Anderson, who left no real imprint on film history, and the leading actor is also British, Richard Todd, and he's more handsome than compelling. So why see the film? The palette of grey tones of the deep focus photography? The torturous plot with too much talking? Anne Baxter, alone, rising above? Maybe, almost. There is enough in these elements to almost work, actually. Convolutions. And Julian Bream's wonderful guitar.