Damen i svart

Freddy was super annoying, but everything else good

This film is based on an popular series of crime novels written by Folke Mellvig. Mellvig was also one of the screenwriters to this film, and this film was also the first of the so called Hillman detective films.

Just like in Sherlock Holmes, The Thin Man, the Hillman couple would solve crimes together. This one has a generic storyline but have an eerie, darker feel, which sometimes borders on Gothic horror.

The story is simple about a girl that disappears and Hillman and his wife, together with a stuttering, bumbling assistant Freddy tries to solve the case. But it proves to be very hard....

Two main actors Annalisa Ericson(Kajsa Hillman)and Karl-Arne Holmsten(John Hillman) had great chemistry on screen. The same kind of banter, and razorsharp wit that William Powell, Myrna Loy had in The Thin Man (1934).

I don't think this film and its sequels could have been that successful without them. And with supporting comedic relief from Nils Hallberg(Freddy Sjöström) they carry this film with excellence.

Director Arne Mattsson did a great job creating suspense and also adding a very creepy, Gothic horror style to this film. Using a great musical score, and a talented cinematographer Sven Nykvist(who would work with Bergman, Woody Allen among others) he makes a top notch thriller from the 50's.

The problem with film is the very generic storyline, and the problem of clichés that are prevalent in this film. Sometimes it feels like watching any episode of the Scooby Doo series.

But as always it is better then most Swedish crimethrillers made today, this film creates far better atmosphere then Strandvaskaren (2004). Future Swedish genre filmmakers should watch this film for that reason only.

Even though Mattsson did a better thriller later on in his career, Yngsjömordet (1966), this one isn't bad. Anyone interested in Swedish crimethrillers should check this one out.

How can you distinguish the color black in a black and white movie? Well yes you know it isn't a color that will be light on screen, but other than that? Ok all kidding aside, you have to be in the mood for a black and white movie - even if it is a good one like the one right here.

You also have to be down with detective or crime stories - and suspend your disbelief. The story takes its sweet time - but the pacing makes sense. So get on with the program - and enjoy.

First of five film adaptations, between 1958 and 1963, of detective novels by Folke Mellvig and Lars Widding, starring the Hillman couple, private detectives played by Annalisa Ericson and Karl-Arne Holmsten.

The overall tone is light, almost comedic, halfway between the Thin Man couple and Charlie Chan's deductive powers. There's even a clumsy sidekick, Freddy, played by Nils Hallberg.

In this episode, in particular, there is a certain gothic appeal arising from the murderous character of the Lady in Black, a kind of specter, very real, who kills by strangulation.

All in all, a light and enjoyable detective story, with just enough emotion, in the old Agatha Christie way. A formula for success, anywhere in the world.

And by that I mean, some rare creepy moments, a good twist at the end, but generally boredom in-between. As in the other films, of which I have now seen four out of five, Arne Mattsson directs with a lack of imagination and style that makes the proceedings feel more like an ordeal than entertainment. The film is leaden-paced and makes its 105 minutes feel like an eternity. But the finale IS good. I have to admit that Annalisa Ericson is quite stunning as Kajsa Hillman....it's a pity she got sidelined in some of the following entries. Freddy the dimwitted "assistant" is a bit more restrained here than in other entries; we also get to find out how he met Sonja....if you can believe she would fall for him. ** out of 4.