Agatha Christie had a hard time with the movie adaptations of her works. Prior to the astounding success of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS in the 1970s, only two film adaptations of her works had been done well: the 1944 version of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, and (beyond that) the 1957 version of WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. The former was done by the French film director Rene Clair, and the latter by Billy Wilder, and both were well cast. But those were like exceptions to the general rule. WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION had a memorable performance of Charles Laughton as the cagey old barrister Sir Wilfred Robarts (ably assisted by his nurse, played by Laughton's wife Elsa Lanchester). But in the early 1930s an early English talkie was made of ALIBI, a play based on THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD. Laughton had made a name for himself on stage as Hercule Poirot in that play, and was repeating the role for film. Christie saw the finished result and wondered if she should allow her other stories to be made into movies! In 1937 Christie allowed a play she wrote, "Philomel Cottage" to be made into a film. The film was retitled LOVE FROM A STRANGER, and starred Ann Harding as a lonely young woman who wins a fortune in a lottery. Soon she meets a fascinating, sophisticated gentleman played by Basil Rathbone, who sweeps her off her feet and marries her. But his charms begin to frazzle after marriage - he insists on them moving to the cottage (of the play's title) which is in an out-of-the-way location, and he slowly drives away all her friends. As she realizes how isolated she is, she begins to wonder what is the real personality of the man she has married: is he moody or is he actually planning to murder her for her money.
Although not handled by a director of the caliber of Clair or Wilder (or of ORIENT EXPRESS' Sidney Lumet), LOVE FROM A STRANGER benefited from the hand of Rowland Lee, an expert director of melodrama and detective films. Lee wisely kept to the story, and allowed Rathbone to play one of his best villains. Basil is a fortune hunter and "Bluebeard" like Henri Landru or George Joseph Smith. He has more polish than the average killer: witness his abilities to order a first rate dinner early in the film for Harding and himself, including choosing the fine wine involved. He also is quite in love with his accomplishments. When the neighborhood doctor and he are discussing murder cases the former mentions one in South America where the killer defended himself and got off, and left the jurisdiction just before the evidence that would have convicted him turned up. Rathbone says that killer was brilliant, and was really something else. Of course, as it turns out, that killer was Rathbone.
Harding balances him, trying to keep her suspicions under control and trying to counter all of Rathbone's various schemes so that she can stay alive. It becomes a literal battle to the death between the two of them.
LOVE FROM A STRANGER lacks the production values of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, but it has two sturdy performances and good directing behind it. It is the best of the pre-1944 Christie films. In 1947 it would be remade (with the same title) with John Hodiak and Sylvia Sidney and John Howard, although no longer treated as a modern story but set back in the 1890s.
One final point. The supporting cast included David Calthrop (who frequently was in British movies in this period), and Jean Cadell. But one name in the cast is rather ironic. Joan Hickson had an early role in this film. In the 1980s the B.B.C. discovered in Ms Hickson the first woman to play the role of Miss Jane Marple (pace Margaret Rutherford and Angela Lansbury) as Christie had written the role. Hickson would appear in nearly a dozen small screen multi-episode productions in the 1980s and 1990s before her death in 1998. Her performances as Miss Marple remain a standard to match all others in that role.
Although not handled by a director of the caliber of Clair or Wilder (or of ORIENT EXPRESS' Sidney Lumet), LOVE FROM A STRANGER benefited from the hand of Rowland Lee, an expert director of melodrama and detective films. Lee wisely kept to the story, and allowed Rathbone to play one of his best villains. Basil is a fortune hunter and "Bluebeard" like Henri Landru or George Joseph Smith. He has more polish than the average killer: witness his abilities to order a first rate dinner early in the film for Harding and himself, including choosing the fine wine involved. He also is quite in love with his accomplishments. When the neighborhood doctor and he are discussing murder cases the former mentions one in South America where the killer defended himself and got off, and left the jurisdiction just before the evidence that would have convicted him turned up. Rathbone says that killer was brilliant, and was really something else. Of course, as it turns out, that killer was Rathbone.
Harding balances him, trying to keep her suspicions under control and trying to counter all of Rathbone's various schemes so that she can stay alive. It becomes a literal battle to the death between the two of them.
LOVE FROM A STRANGER lacks the production values of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, but it has two sturdy performances and good directing behind it. It is the best of the pre-1944 Christie films. In 1947 it would be remade (with the same title) with John Hodiak and Sylvia Sidney and John Howard, although no longer treated as a modern story but set back in the 1890s.
One final point. The supporting cast included David Calthrop (who frequently was in British movies in this period), and Jean Cadell. But one name in the cast is rather ironic. Joan Hickson had an early role in this film. In the 1980s the B.B.C. discovered in Ms Hickson the first woman to play the role of Miss Jane Marple (pace Margaret Rutherford and Angela Lansbury) as Christie had written the role. Hickson would appear in nearly a dozen small screen multi-episode productions in the 1980s and 1990s before her death in 1998. Her performances as Miss Marple remain a standard to match all others in that role.