Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Scott LeBrun Laird Cregar stars as George Harvey Bone, a turn of the 20th century London composer. He's busy working on a concerto, but gets distracted by a chanteuse named Netta Longdon (Linda Darnell). He gets his heart broken by this self-serving lady, who's only interested in what he can do for her. Meanwhile, he keeps suffering prolonged "episodes" - brought on by loud, discordant noises - and he can't remember what he does or where he goes during these periods. As it turns out, he becomes impulsively murderous."Hangover Square", named for the London address at which Bone resides, was scripted by Barre Lyndon, based on a novel by Patrick Hamilton. Sadly, it would turn out to be the final picture for Cregar, who suffered the ill effects of an attempted crash diet. But he certainly goes out in style, creating a vivid character who's far more sympathetic than the character he played for director John Brahm in "The Lodger". While the other cast members are good, this largely remains his show - one that his character sees through to the bitter end.Darnell and the equally lovely Faye Marlowe are intoxicating as the women in his life. One does feel disgruntled on Bones' behalf when Netta reveals her true colours. George Sanders is his typical classy, dapper self as an analyst working for Scotland Yard. Glenn Langan is amusingly smarmy as Bones' rival for Nettas' affections. And Alan Napier, Michael Dyne, and Frederic Worlock lend able support in various other roles.While the excellent black & white cinematography by Joseph LaShelle is definitely a key element, the film works best as a marriage of image and music. Bernard Herrmann is one of the most valuable assets that the film can boast, as his lush score & concerto provide the perfect accompaniment for these melodramatic goings-on.One clever highlight: Bone taking advantage of a fiery Guy Fawkes celebration night.Eight out of 10.

seymourblack-1 Murder and madness loom large in this Gothic melodrama which is loosely based on Patrick Hamilton's 1941 novel and features a very unusual kind of serial killer. Set in the often fog-shrouded London of 1903, it tells the story of a classical musician who's aware that he has periodic blackouts and starts to become increasingly concerned because, after they've passed, he can never recall what has happened.The man in question is well-respected composer and pianist, George Harvey Bone (Laird Cregar) who's working on a new concerto that has been commissioned by Sir Henry Chapman (Alan Napier). Sir Henry is a famous conductor who says that George's new work (which he would like to debut at one of his upcoming soirees), has every chance of turning the composer into an international success and so George has to work hard to be able to produce a concerto of the required quality by the deadline that Sir Henry has set.After reading a newspaper report about an antique dealer in Fulham who was stabbed to death and had his shop set on fire, George becomes alarmed that the timing of the crime coincided with one of his blackouts and to make matters worse, he also has a dagger in his possession and the coat he was wearing that night is blood-stained. After speaking to his girlfriend Barbara (Faye Marlowe), who's Sir Henry's daughter, the couple go to see Scotland Yard psychologist, Dr Allan Middleton (George Sanders), who after having some forensic tests carried out, assures George that there is no evidence to link him to the Fulham murder. He also offers the view that George's blackouts are probably caused by overworking and suggests that he should relax more and get out and meet some ordinary, everyday people.Following this advice, George visits a local music hall where he enjoys a performance by a sexy singer and later, when he meets Netta Longdon (Linda Darnell), her pianist/manager Mickey (Michael Dyne), who's one of George's friends, tells the singer about George's talent as a composer and they spontaneously write a song together. This proves to be such a money-spinner that the singer, who previously had no interest in George, immediately starts flirting with him and does everything she can to get him to write more songs for her act. George tries to concentrate only on his concerto but is won over by Netta's charms and thinking that she's attracted to him, writes further songs for her. When he realises how deceitful she is, George attempts unsuccessfully to strangle both Barbara and Netta's fiancé before he succeeds in strangling Netta and disposes of her body on a Guy Fawkes Night bonfire. As the net eventually starts to close in on him, George's only remaining priority is to ensure that he manages to perform his completed concerto at Sir Henry's soiree and this leads to the movie's spectacular finale.In 1944, 20th Century Fox had scored a big hit with "The Lodger" which was a "Jack the Ripper" film and so, in an effort to repeat that success, studio head Darryl F Zanuck brought cast members, Laird Cregar and George Sanders, director John Brahm and screenwriter Barre Lyndon together again to produce the same magic with a "Jekyll and Hyde" type story. This ploy worked perfectly by enabling budget savings to be made by using some of the sets from the previous movie for this one and also because "Hangover Square" was regarded as the better film by many fans.The serial killer in this movie whose blackouts are triggered by discordant sounds, is a sympathetic and tragic character because he's a victim of both a mental condition over which he has no control and a scheming femme fatale whose actions precipitate a great deal of the mayhem that he causes. Laird Cregar, in a fine performance, portrays the two very different sides of a man who, in his rational state is gentle, polite and friendly but when unbalanced becomes a crazed killer and a pyromaniac. With strong supporting performances from Linda Darnell and George Sanders, some exceptional expressionistic cinematography and a top class score from Bernard Herrman, this movie provides a great deal to enjoy plus a crazy climax that brilliantly incorporates flashbacks, hallucinations and the movie's fire motif, all accompanied by a fantastic rendition of George's powerful "Concerto Macabre".

bkoganbing Hangover Square turned out to be the premature farewell performance of Laird Cregar who starred as the mad composer/pianist who both creates beautiful music, courtesy of composer Bernard Herrmann and strangles people who get on his wrong side.The film if it had to be a farewell was a great one as it is dominated by Cregar's performance who like in The Lodger gets both the pity and revulsion emotions going with the viewer. Cregar is all the more frightening because he seems like an overgrown child.Scotland Yard has put an early version of a forensic psychologist in the person of urbane George Sanders on the case. Oddly enough Cregar comes to him to try and find an explanation for the blackouts he's suffering which occur not coincidentally around the time of another strangulation.His last victim is Linda Darnell who is a saucy vixen of an entertainer in need of new material. So Cregar the classical composer goes to work for her giving her music hall ballads for her act. She's stringing him along toying with some very unstable emotions. She comes to a most interesting end.This is also the only film I know which worked the British holiday Guy Fawkes Day into the plot. As you know those across the pond celebrate it with bonfires and it's certainly an interesting way director John Brahm uses it.The famous Hollywood legend about how Laird Cregar endangered his health by trying a crash diet and then going for surgery to shrink his stomach is supposedly because Cregar wanted to get leading man roles, but his big frame and girth worked against that. After Cregar died another actor who embraced his big frame and girth and played a variety of roles that Cregar might have been considered, came on the scene. That fellow's name was Raymond Burr.Still Hangover Square is a wonderful if premature farewell for a great talent who left us at least an appreciable body of work to gauge his talent.

Scarecrow-88 A concert pianist is plagued with a mental illness where a specific sound triggers a murderous impulse, this time when he commits murder remains buried in the back of his mind, not understanding the sequence of events which arise, awakening remembering nothing..fragments emerge as time goes by which leave him puzzled, wondering if he may've committed the murders reported.Laird Cregar's phenomenal performance as the haunted pianist, superb sets recreating the Victorian era of London, sweepingly gorgeous camera-work, and a magnificent score from Bernard Hermann all add to what is another masterwork from John Brahm. 20th Century Fox gave Brahm the right tools to bring to life a time and place that feels so incredibly authentic. Unlike The Lodger, Brahm's other masterpiece(..or in my mind anyway), the film is solely focused on Cregar, he gets the entire film. The Lodger provided the great George Sanders with a more lucrative role, but even in Hangover Square, he still impresses(..when does he not?)as a police psychiatrist who suspects Cregar might be the person responsible for the murder of a crooked antique dealer, and behind an attempted strangling of Barbara Chapman(Faye Marlowe). Linda Darnell has a juicy part as Netta Longdon, a dance hall girl who uses George Harvey Bone's(Cregar)affection for her to gain success, secretly wooing a theater producer, Eddie Carstairs(Glenn Langan). Barbara adores Bone and pleads with him to continue a concerto which could bring him the fame and fortune he deserves, knowing that his talent is better utilized elsewhere besides preparing music for Netta, who doesn't love him. We watch as Netta manipulatively goads Bone into providing her with a concerto that will push her over into stardom, playing on his adoration for her, understanding that once he gives her what she so desires, she can dump him for Carstairs. This will undoubtedly seal her fate, as Bone, after entering into another lapse, strangles her, placing her corpse in a bonfire.I think maybe it's a bit unfair to compare Hangover Square with The Lodger since both are infinitely different films(..and Cregar, to his credit, is able to create two distinctively different characters), but I think what set the latter apart was the star power, with not only Sanders having a much richer part, but the likes of a Merle Oberon and Cedric Hardwicke included, it has advantages in this area alone. I still think Hangover Square benefits because Cregar has the central core of the film based around him, not having to share with other stars. It's a tragedy such a talent as Cregar didn't have longer to live, taken far too early, I can't help but ponder all those future performances we'll never get to admire and appreciate. His overwhelming power on screen, the way he can grip you without uttering a word, this kind of skill isn't manufactured, but a gift so few really have and others covet dearly. And, Cregar had one of the most fantastic voices I've ever heard, and the levels in performance he could achieve with the few characters he presented us before his untimely death will stand the test of time. I consider it a privilege to experience such performances as Cregar gave us in The Lodger and Hangover Square. The fiery finale as the concert hall burns around Bone as he continues to play his concerto is unforgettable, a finale curtain call to an icon.