Hangover Square

Great thriller--kind of sad, but with great actors and cinematography, and beautiful music. I wonder if Laird Cregar is actually playing the piano? If not, he's one of the few actors who can effectively pretend to be playing :-)

Doesn't hold a candle to 'The Lodger', but Cregar is almost as good as in Brahm's previous film. And wIth future stalwarts like Joseph LaShelle and Bernard Herrmann involved, there's enough to appreciate to make up for the curious fact that 77 minutes feels pretty long.

A fantastic companion piece to The Lodger. I liked this one better in large part because Cregar's character here is a bit more complex and we get to participate in his internal struggle first hand. He's genuinely sympathetic, which makes it an emotionally resonant film even when he goes beyond the bounds of acceptability. The pacing is also incredibly strong, building up like a great symphony putting elements together piece by piece and then exploding with an exceptional climax.

It all builds to the finale. The great, stunning, horribly melodramatic and hilarious finale.

Musical version of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde style film with old school drama.

A follow-up to The Lodger -- same director, writer, producer, star and setting. But there are some differences. Cregar here is less sinister, but a more nuanced character. The tone is closer to melodrama than thriller. The story doesn't allow for as much gloomy, gothic atmosphere, although there are some remarkably evocative sequences. The main drawback is that the film is rather slow-moving, at least for the first half. But it has a lot going for it, especially Herrmann's magnificent score.

Concerto Macabro tinha sua première há 75 anos em New York. Se não tem outro motivo para ver esse filme, considere os 10 minutos finais solidificados pela música de Bernard Herrmann, toda a sequência do concerto é brilhante. Box Versátil Filme Noir Volume 12.

Has one of the best endings of its era, and overall beautifully shot. Sound design and Hermann's score live up the the film's demands. Didn't enjoy the first half that much, but a steady improvement saved the experience.

Guys like Argento and De Palma has to have been greatly inspired by this film (first person-killings and masterful crane shots comes to mind...) The final sequence is sooooooooooooo great.

A good portion of this is only pretty good, but there are three great scenes: the first scene, the Guy Fawkes Day stuff, and the finale, which is stunning and has an awesome minute and a half tracking shot and brilliant camerawork. The ending scene tends a bit toward melodrama, but is thrilling in the way of a good Hitchcock set-piece or something. It elevates what comes before. The only other flaw is that the "rules" of Cregar's condition seem to possibly change a bit. Criminally underrated.

The amazing finish of Laird Cregar. He came when the war started and was gone by the time the war ended. He was truly one of the greatest things to happen to Hollywood during those depressing years, and by the time Hangover Square (1945) was released he was already dead. Such a gifted actor and this magnificent performance, movie, murder symphony, was a testament of what energy he brought to the silver screen. Rest in peace big man.

Two piano scenes at the finale reminded me of Shine and Titanic. Don't forget Guy Fawkes and Mr Hyde. Great ending.