Noose (1948)

Director:

Edmond T. Gréville

Writers:

Richard Llewellyn (play)
Richard Llewellyn (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 July 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

Sugiani, a black-market racketeer in London, following World War II, is amassing a vast fortune until Linda Medbury...

Plot Keywords:

Newspaper Reporter | Reporter | American | Racketeer | Black Market

Cast

Carole Landis	...	Linda Medbury
Joseph Calleia	...	Sugiani
Derek Farr	...	Capt. Jumbo Hyde
Stanley Holloway	...	Insp. Kendall
Nigel Patrick	...	Bar Gorman
Ruth Nixon	...	Annie Foss
Carol van Derman	...	Mercia Lane (as Carol Van Derman)
John Slater	...	Pudd'n Bason
Leslie Bradley	...	Basher
Reginald Tate	...	Editor
Edward Rigby	...	Slush
John Salew	...	Greasy Anderson
Robert Adair	...	Sgt. Brooks
Hay Petrie	...	Barber
Uriel Porter	...	Coaly

Also Known As:

The Silk Noose (USA)

Runtime:

76 min | USA:72 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers First National Studios, Teddington Studios, Teddington, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Edward Dryhurst Productions

Soundtrack:

When Love Has Passed You By

Interesting but the inconsistent and poorly handled tone that sinks it

American journalist Linda Medbury may be on the staff of a London newspaper to cover the fashion column but this is not going to stop her covering other stories that she comes across. However when she gets onto the extensive racket run by Sugiani, nobody can convince her of the plain and simple fate that has come to anyone who has gone toe-to-toe with his operation. So while Linda continues to work to expose Sugiani for who he is, her military boyfriend Captain "Jumbo" Hyde gathers many men as he can from his associates to protect her in place of a police force defeated before they begin by corruption.

This summer the BBC delivered a season of British films and, to their credit it was not the usual parade of Dam Busters, Zulu and other Bank Holiday favourites but rather an interesting mix of films that are rarely seen. With 26 votes to its name on this site, it is perhaps fair to say that The Noose was one of these. The style of the film is a bit mixed. At times it appears to be every inch a British version of the American gangster film but then at others it is more of a comedy with cheeky chappy clichés kicking around in the shadows. As a result it doesn't totally hang together and I found myself distracted and my interest broken up by the inconsistent tone.

However it is still of interest and does have scenes of value. We do get moments that are easily comparable with the strongest from American noir and we do get amusing characters that remind us where we are but again, these things seem to be working against one another. Gréville's direction is good in regards working with his cinematographer but in terms of solving the issues over the narrative flow, he cannot. Nor can the cast either, and many of them seem to be in different films unfortunately. Landis is enjoyable in the lead – she has what the experts would call "spunk" and it brought a bit of spark to the film. Farr is no more than serviceable and sadly the film sags when he is the focus. Calleia is a solid villain but the problem is that he isn't playing it straight and tough and he has an air of flamboyance about him. There is nothing wrong with him in this regard it is just that, within this film it is Nigel Patrick that dominates that sort of area with a wonderfully comic caricature that he works well.

An interesting film to see then for its attempts to do what it does within a British context but it is the inability to either hold a consistent tone or blend the different ones successfully that sees it be a lesser film than I would have hoped. I would have liked to be able to praise it on account of it being obscure and thus me looking cool but as it is it is interesting but not all that great.