Hangover Square

Passion and obsession are deadly partners.

This is the story of George Harvey Bone who resided at number 12, Hangover Square. London S.W. in the early part of the Twentieth Century. The British Catalogue Of Music lists him as a Distinguished Gentleman...

1944 saw producer Robert Bassler, writer Barré Lyndon, director John Brahm and leading actors George Sanders and Laird Cregar, make the terrific and atmospheric The Lodger. Here just one year later all parties are back for this loose adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's novel of the same name. Hamilton was the guy who gave the world Angel Street (Gaslight) and Rope's End (in film form it became Hitchcock's experimental Rope). Much like The Lodger, Hangover Square is a thriller set in a f...

Laird Cregar is on great form here as the increasingly maniacal composer "George Harvey Bone". He is having a bit of a mental block composing his concerto and suffering from worrying blackouts that his doctor (George Sanders) thinks might improve if he takes some time for diversion. To that end he heads to a music hall where he encounters the manipulative "Netta" (one of my favourite performances from Linda Darnell) and her smarmy friend "Carstairs" (Glenn Langan). Quickly he falls for this lady and equally quickly they realise that his musical skills can net them a small fortune. She teases and tantalises him, he writes her songs - he believes the relationship is much more than it is and she's quite happy to indulge him. The blackouts? Wel...