Hatter's Castle is a 1942 British film noir based on the 1931 novel Hatter's Castle by A. J. Cronin, which dramatizes the ruin that befalls a Scottish hatter set on recapturing his imagined lost nobility.[2] The film was made by Paramount British Pictures and stars Robert Newton, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, and Emlyn Williams.[3] It is believed to be the only film that depicts the Tay Bridge disaster.[4]
| Hatter's Castle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Lance Comfort |
| Written by | Rodney Ackland (additional dialogue) |
| Screenplay by | Paul Merzbach Rudolf Bernauer |
| Based on | novel by A. J. Cronin |
| Produced by | Isadore Goldsmith |
| Starring | Robert Newton Deborah Kerr James Mason Emlyn Williams |
| Cinematography | Mutz Greenbaum |
| Edited by | Douglas Robertson |
| Music by | Horace Shepherd |
Production company | Grafton Films |
| Distributed by | Paramount British Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $320,000[1] |
It was shot at Denham Studios with sets designed by the art director James A. Carter.
Cast
edit- Robert Newton as James Brodie
- Deborah Kerr as Mary Brodie
- James Mason as Dr. Renwick
- Emlyn Williams as Dennis
- Henry Oscar as Grierson
- Enid Stamp-Taylor as Nancy
- Beatrice Varley as Mrs. Brodie
- Anthony Bateman as Angus Brodie
- June Holden as Janet
- George Merritt as Gibson
- Laurence Hanray as Dr. Lawrie
- Claude Bailey as Paxton
- Ian Fleming as Sir John Latta
- Mary Hinton as Lady Winton
- Roddy Hughes as Gordon
- David Keir as Perry
- Stuart Lindsell as Lord Winton
- Aubrey Mallalieu as Clergyman
- Brefni O'Rorke as Foyle
- Vi Kaley as Old Lady In 'The Winton Arms'
- John Slater as Card Player
- Robert Brooks Turner as Engine Driver
Box Office
editThe film was a surprise hit.[1] According to Kinematograph Weekly the film was one of the most popular at the British box office in 1942, after Mrs Miniver, First of the Few, How Green was My Valley, Reap the Wild Wind, Holiday Inn, Captains of the Clouds, Sergeant York, One of Our Air Craft is Missing and before Young Mr Pitt.[5]
Critical reception
editVariety wrote, "Here is a film, if ever there was one, that is best indicative of one player’s superlative performance. The player, Robert Newton, disregards tradition and enacts the featured male role without bombast or any sort of vocal pyrotechnics. There is little in the picturized version of A.J. Cronin’s bestseller that is not already stale and the plot travels along stereotyped lines to an obvious conclusion. It is, however, artistically produced, photographed and acted...The leading lady is Deborah Kerr, lovable and sincere as the daughter; the juvenile lead of Doctor Renwick is restrainedly played by James Mason."[6] while more recently, Time Out called it "An entertaining slice of Victorian melodrama adapted from AJ Cronin's novel. Not quite Gothic, but edging that way through Newton's performance (one of his more controlled efforts) as the social-climbing Glasgow hatter...Damped down by flat direction, but the sets and camerawork are excellent."[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "'Hatter's Castle' Surprise Smash Hit in England". Variety. 13 May 1942. p. 13. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Hatter's Castle (1941) - Lance Comfort - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie".
- ^ "Hatter's Castle (1942)". Archived from the original on 14 March 2017.
- ^ Brandon, David; Brooke, Alan (26 December 2010). Blood on the Tracks: A History of Railway Crime in Britain. History Press. ISBN 9780752462295 – via Google Books.
- ^ Lant, Antonia (1991). Blackout : reinventing women for wartime British cinema. Princeton University Press. p. 231.
- ^ "Review: 'Hatter's Castle'". Variety. 1 January 1941.
- ^ "Hatter's Castle".
External links
edit- Hatter's Castle at the TCM Movie Database
- Film synopsis and images
- Hatter's Castle at BritMovie (archived)
- Noir of the Week blog[usurped]
- Hatter's Castle at IMDb
