''Obsession'', released in the USA as ''The Hidden Room'', is a 1949 British crime film directed by

Edward Dmytryk Edward Dmytryk (September 4, 1908 – July 1, 1999) was an American film director. He was known for his 1940s noir films and received an Oscar nomination for Best Director for '' Crossfire'' (1947). In 1947, he was named as one of the Hollywoo ...

, based on the 1947 book '' A Man About a Dog'' by

Alec Coppel Alec Coppel (17 September 1907 – 22 January 1972) was an Australian-born screenwriter, novelist and playwright. He spent the majority of his career in London and Hollywood, specialising in light thrillers, mysteries and sex comedies. He is best ...

, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. ''Obsession'' was entered into the

1949 Cannes Film Festival The 3rd Cannes Film Festival was held from 2 to 17 September 1949. The previous year, no festival had been held because of financial problems. Like in 1947, the entire jury for this festival was made up of French persons, with historian Georges ...

Plot

Clive Riordan, a wealthy London psychiatrist, learns that his wife Storm is cheating on him with an American, Bill Kronin. He resolves to get his revenge on both of them by committing the perfect murder of Kronin. Kidnapping Kronin at gunpoint, Riordan keeps him prisoner for months in a hidden room while authorities mount a search for the missing man. Riordan reveals to Kronin that he plans to kill him and dissolve his corpse in an acid bath to ensure no evidence remains to be found. Riordan's plot appears to be succeeding until a superintendent from Scotland Yard, Finsbury, visits the doctor's office enquiring about the case and hinting that he knows what Riordan is up to, having been tipped off by an anonymous letter (from Storm, it seems) to the Yard. A three-way battle of wits ensues, with Finsbury trying to solve the case by fundamental police work and psychological tactics (claiming that a "professional," such as himself, has the advantage over the cleverest murderer, who is nearly always an "amateur" and will make mistakes), and Kronin desperately seeking ways to save himself. In the end, a stray cat and Storm's dog, Monty, both play key roles in bringing Riordan's diabolical scheme to its conclusion.

Cast

Robert Newton Robert Guy Newton (1 June 1905 – 25 March 1956) was an English actor. Along with Errol Flynn, Newton was one of the more popular actors among the male juvenile audience of the 1940s and early 1950s, especially with British boys. Known for h ...

as Dr. Clive Riordan * Phil Brown as Bill Kronin * Sally Gray as Storm Riordan *

Naunton Wayne Naunton Wayne (born Henry Wayne Davies, 22 June 1901 – 17 November 1970), was a Welsh character actor, born in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales. He was educated at Clifton College. His name was changed by deed poll in 1933. Stage actor His firs ...

as Supt. Finsbury *

James Harcourt James Harcourt (20 April 187318 February 1951) was an English character actor. Harcourt was born in Headingley, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire. He started work as a cabinet maker, and drifted into amateur dramatics. He appeared as a stage act ...

as Aitkin (butler) * Ronald Adam as Clubman *

Allan Jeayes Allan John Jeayes (19 January 1885 – 20 September 1963) was an English stage and film actor. Jeayes was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, the son of Isaac Herbert Jeayes, archivist and Assistant Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum. ...

as Clubman *

Olga Lindo Olga Lindo (13 July 1899 – 7 May 1968) was an English actress. She was the daughter of Frank Lindo, a well-known actor, manager and author. She made her stage debut at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 26 December 1913. She later joined her ...

as Mrs. Humphries *

Russell Waters Russell Waters (born 10 June 1908, Glasgow, Lanarkshire – died 19 August 1982, Richmond, Surrey) was a Scottish film actor. Waters was educated at Hutchesons' Grammar School, Glasgow and the University of Glasgow. He began acting with the ...

as Flying Squad detective *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British-Irish actor. His best-known roles were in two major British television series of the 1960s, as the smuggler Orlando O'Connor in '' Crane'' and its sequel ''Orlando''. He als ...

as Club steward

Play and novel

originally wrote the story as a play when living in Sydney during World War II. He adapted the work into a novel while travelling to London. Both play and novel were called '' A Man About a Dog'' (although in the US the novel would be known as ''Over the Line''). The play opened in London in April 1946. The novel was published in 1948. Many critics commented that it felt similar to a play. There was a production of the play in London in May 1949.

Production

Film rights were bought by British producer Noel Madison. He also bought the rights to two other thrillers, '' Four Hours to Kill'' by

Norman Krasna Norman Krasna (November 7, 1909 – November 1, 1984) was an American screenwriter, playwright, producer, and film director who penned screwball comedies centered on a case of mistaken identity. Krasna directed three films during a forty-year ca ...

and ''The Last Mile'' by John Wexley. The director was Edward Dmytryk, who had just left Hollywood following his appearance in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee. He went to England in mid 1948, where he was granted a work permit under the Ministry of Labour – he was permitted the work there under the foreign directors' quota agreement between producers and the local unions. He signed a contract to direct the film with Nat Bronstein of Independent Sovereign Films on 1 October 1948. Filming took place near the house of Alec Coppel, who wrote the script, near Grosvenor House. Coppel's home was turned into a temporary dressing room. The plot involved disposing a body by dissolving it in acid. This had similarities to the

John George Haigh John George Haigh (; 24 July 1909 – 10 August 1949), commonly known as the Acid Bath Murderer, was an English serial killer convicted for the murder of six people, although he claimed to have killed nine. Haigh battered to death or shot his ...

case. Accordingly, the British Board of Film Censors refused to grant the film a certificate for a time and its release was held up.

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that the film is slow-paced at first but becomes suspenseful. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' called it "a first-rate study in suspense and abnormal psychology". Kendal Patterson of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' described it as an early predecessor of '' Fatal Attraction''.

References

External links

* * *
Review
at Variety
Review of May 1949 production of ''A Man About a Dog''
at Variety {{DEFAULTSORT:Obsession 1949 films 1949 crime films British crime films British black-and-white films Film noir Films scored by Nino Rota Films based on Australian novels Films based on British novels Films directed by Edward Dmytryk Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films set in London Films shot in London 1940s English-language films 1940s British films