The film soundtrack crackles horribly at the wrong moments, bringing reminders of sharpened fingernails having a scrape at a black board. Screeching musical score intends to capitalise on intense cinematic moments, sending all eighth grade students within the confines of a darkened class room, literally under their desks.
By the viewing of 1950s British films, I believed England had come a long way, after seeing "Black Narcissus" and "Genevieve". Unfortunately, this screen version of an extremely well written play by a George Bernard Shaw-like J.B Priestley does not amount to much good on film. What was a powerful and stirring play in the theatre, seemed to be a light hearted romp about a girl swallowing disinfectant.
It could simply be the actors failed to carry crucial plot elements, even with well-endowed sets in the background, although most of them at least carried their parts in a somewhat competent manner. "Inspector" is supposed to be a moral feasting for the old fashioned type with its piercing social commentary on the rigid social classes in 1912 England, cynical and superior views of the world all in tact.
Despite a solid literary publication to cling to, the screenwriter fails to bring forward some of the most vital turns of the script, by seemingly change parts of the play, probably to please his wife. The strongest element was the use of flashbacks to fill us in on some of the mysteries, although it destroys the exclusive setting within the dining room and the character's feelings of being entrapped.
Unlike in the play, I failed to find my faults within the movie, which was something the play successfully unearthed. The whole point of the play was lost with the changing of the Inspector's last name, which was originally 'Goole' in the play. And instead of realising the translation of this name change had the sounding of the word 'Ghoul', the director seems to happily go along with it, as well as everything else to spoil the entire movie.
Alfred Hitchcock's part talkie experiment "Blackmail", which was later plugged for sound after production began in 1929, looks like a filmic genius in comparison to this. At least the German star spoke better pretense mouthed English than the entire legion of this particular production company.
However, I could have studied the text to the point of seeing the play beyond. In all, it still is an amusing movie, although there is so much of a case of what this film could have been. What a blessing the Americans didn't do anything with it to spoil a purely English exclusive play any further.
Rating: 7/10
By the viewing of 1950s British films, I believed England had come a long way, after seeing "Black Narcissus" and "Genevieve". Unfortunately, this screen version of an extremely well written play by a George Bernard Shaw-like J.B Priestley does not amount to much good on film. What was a powerful and stirring play in the theatre, seemed to be a light hearted romp about a girl swallowing disinfectant.
It could simply be the actors failed to carry crucial plot elements, even with well-endowed sets in the background, although most of them at least carried their parts in a somewhat competent manner. "Inspector" is supposed to be a moral feasting for the old fashioned type with its piercing social commentary on the rigid social classes in 1912 England, cynical and superior views of the world all in tact.
Despite a solid literary publication to cling to, the screenwriter fails to bring forward some of the most vital turns of the script, by seemingly change parts of the play, probably to please his wife. The strongest element was the use of flashbacks to fill us in on some of the mysteries, although it destroys the exclusive setting within the dining room and the character's feelings of being entrapped.
Unlike in the play, I failed to find my faults within the movie, which was something the play successfully unearthed. The whole point of the play was lost with the changing of the Inspector's last name, which was originally 'Goole' in the play. And instead of realising the translation of this name change had the sounding of the word 'Ghoul', the director seems to happily go along with it, as well as everything else to spoil the entire movie.
Alfred Hitchcock's part talkie experiment "Blackmail", which was later plugged for sound after production began in 1929, looks like a filmic genius in comparison to this. At least the German star spoke better pretense mouthed English than the entire legion of this particular production company.
However, I could have studied the text to the point of seeing the play beyond. In all, it still is an amusing movie, although there is so much of a case of what this film could have been. What a blessing the Americans didn't do anything with it to spoil a purely English exclusive play any further.
Rating: 7/10