Damen i svart

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.

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.

Freddy was super annoying, but everything else good

In 1958, the Swedish director Arne MATTSSON (1919-1995), who won the Golden Bear at the BERLINALE 1951 with SIE TANZTE NUR EINEN SOMMER / SHE DANCED ONLY ONE SUMMER, started a five-part film series with crime stories about the private detective John Hillman (Karl-Arne HOLMSTEN). . In the first film WHEN THE MISTS FALL (The Lady in Black) Annalisa ERICSON was also there as his wife Kajsa, who does the more effective investigative work. The Hillman couple are on holiday at the estate of a beautiful friend (Anita BJÖRK), where a mysterious lady in black is soon up to mischief...

Nostalgic, beautiful crime thriller fun from Sweden that scores with the outstanding camera images by OSCAR winner Sven NYKVIST (OSCARs 1974 (Screams and Whispers) and 1984 (Fanny and Alexander) / OSCAR nomination 1989 (The Unbearable Lightness of Being)). . Sven LINDBERG and Ake LINDMAN can also be seen in other roles.

NETFLIX has thankfully included this pleasantly creepy horror story in its program. Other parts of the series are: Mannequin in Red (1958), The Countess with the Whip (1959), The Lady in White (1962) and The Yellow Car (1963).

Husband and wife private detectives John and Kajsa Hillman are visiting friends in rural Sweden. They soon learn of an intriguing mystery; a woman has disappeared and the locals seem to suspect 'The Lady in Black'; a ghost who has apparently been haunting the area for a hundred years! In what follows a local man has a riding accident... that was no accident then disappears presumed murdered. There are plenty of suspects but evidence seems to point to one in particular.

I thought this was a fun murder mystery. The plot may seem like something from an episode of 'Scooby Doo' but to be fair this was made ten years before that show started. Excluding the possibility that the ghost did it there are a good number of suspects. The tone of the film is fairly light with humorous moments that keep it from ever getting dark. Most of this humour is provided by Freddy Sjöström, he Hillman's somewhat bumbling assistant who appears far more interesting in an attractive young model that his job. The cast is solid; especially the leads and the location suits a murder mystery; fairly remote and without too many people. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of classic mysteries looking for something a little different.

These comments are based on watching the film in Swedish with English subtitles.