Man in the Attic (1953)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Hugo Fregonese

Writers:

Marie Belloc Lowndes (novel)
Barré Lyndon (writer)

Release Date:

23 December 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The Life...The Loves...The Crimes of Jack the Ripper!

Plot:

London, 1888: on the night of the third Jack the Ripper killing, soft-spoken Mr. Slade, a research pathologist...

Plot Keywords:

Jack The Ripper | Pathologist | River | Period Piece | Doctor

Cast

Jack Palance	...	Slade
Constance Smith	...	Lily Bonner
Byron Palmer	...	Insp. Paul Warwick
Frances Bavier	...	Helen Harley
Rhys Williams	...	William Harley
Sean McClory	...	Constable #1
Leslie Bradley	...	Constable #2
Tita Phillips	...	Daisy (the maid)
Lester Matthews	...	Chief Insp. Melville (as Lester Mathews)
Harry Cording	...	Detective Sgt. Bates
Lisa Daniels	...	Mary Lenihan
Lilian Bond	...	Annie Rowley
Isabel Jewell	...	Katy

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Unrated (DVD) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #16755) | Sweden:15

Company:

Panoramic Productions

Quotes:

Slade: Sometimes I walk close by the river. The river is like liquid night flowing peacefully out to infinity.

Movie Connections:

Remake of The Lodger (1944)

Soundtrack:

COME AND DO THE NEW PARISIAN TROT

Neat take on The Lodger

This is a very well-made stylized thriller starring Jack Palance as Slade, the soft-spoken, quiet man (a research pathologist) staying up in the Harleys attic who is suspected by Mrs. Harley of being Jack the Ripper..Mr. Harley meanwhile thinks this is all nonsense caused by all the media attention caused by the recent Ripper murders. Palance is really quite good in this role as one never feels really certain of his character's intentions. There are times he seems quite normal and ordinary..simply a quiet lonely man but he does have some odd quirks such as a dislike of actresses and strong feelings of resentment towards his mother, a former actress, for leaving his father. Constance Smith is very charming in the role of Lily Bonner, the leading stage star of the local Parisian theater...a woman whom Mr. Slade soon finds himself unexpectedly involved with as she finds him to be quite interesting and attractive. While this is not quite as good as 1944's THE LODGER, it is nonetheless engaging entertainment.