"Gaslight", directed by George Cukor

Movie, 1944

Grisly psychological study of a husband's mental greed and cruelty, with enough melodrama to send anyone into a spin. The overall look and feel of the film are both superb, although the build up and back story feel laboured and unnecessary, with an immediate degree of malice in the husband instantly decoupling some of the narrative tension. Still, some of the photography is breathtaking and moody, with the acting split between the vital hysterics required from the leads and one or two redundant, overblown characters. 

"Hotel Reserve", directed by Lance Comfort, Mutz Greenbaum and Victor Hanbury

Movie, 1944

Movie dramatisation of Eric Ambler's Epitaph for a Spy, whose departures from the book rather let it down. A young James Mason is good value, but a little switched on and glamorous as the bungling 'hero' Vadassy and the amateurish antics in the novel, which give it its tension, are rather smoothed out. Still, there's a dreamy interplay and set and some great support acting in a film which is still curious and well worth watching. Possibly ripe for a remake, but still colourful enough and with a contemporary resonance. 

"Murder My Sweet", directed by Edward Dmytryk

Movie, 1944

Cracking film noir, with all the wise cracking, brooding shadows and compromised characters you could ask for. While this isn't quite up to the standard of Bogart's Marlowe, this is an entertaining film all the same and moves along at a decent pace. The character of Moose Malloy brings a measure of humour with the cruelty and brutality, while the action scenes are well played and understated. There's possibly some missing spark which means this film isn't an absolute classic, but it's excellent entertainment all the same.