Mantrap
It is a moment of satisfaction which curdles even before the glow has had the chance to settle, beauty editor Gloria Del Rey surveying the newspaper spread advertising her fashion magazine Venus, but across the page the news that Mervyn Speight has escaped from prison, for Del Rey is the pen name of Thelma Tasman, that itself another level of disguise, for her real name is Mrs Thelma Speight.
Her husband found unconscious in the bombed-out wasteland next to St Paul’s Cathedral next to the body of Janet Martin, her neck broken, he claimed amnesia but was convicted of murder two years before, Thelma now convinced that he intends to rack her down, the unfaithful wife, her only hope Hugo Bishop, an ex-military intelligence officer turned unconventional private detective.
A mystery thriller set on the streets of London and directed by Spaceways’ Terence Fisher from an adaptation co-written with Paul Tabori of Trevor Dudley-Smith’s novel Queen in Danger, starring Paul Henreid, Lois Maxwell and Kieron Moore as Hugo, Thelma and Mervyn, Mantrap was originally released in 1953, now restored in 4K from the original negatives as part of the Hammer Crime Files.
A rare lead for Canadian Maxwell, later to find fame in the long-running supporting role of Miss Moneypenny, she is excellent in the early scenes but is later reduced to quivering with fear at the frequent ringing of the telephone, but working in partnership with Lloyd Lamble as Inspector Frisnay and Kay Kendall as his fiance/secretary Vera Gorringe, Now, Voyager‘s Henried is fascinating, openly admitting his reason for helping is curiosity rather than kindness or charity.
Shot efficiently rather than stylishly, Mantrap isn’t as ponderous or pompous as some of Fisher’s later films, and Moore is sympathetic as Mervyn, understandably struggling to trust anyone, but while dramatic Bishop’s contrivance to reveal the real killer is irresponsible and dangerous, and, as many such films are, overly reliant on convenient coincidence and good memories of casual encounters from years before.
Known in America as Man in Hiding and presented in both versions, the new edition of Mantrap is supported by two newly recorded commentary tracks, a discussion on British and American film noir, a look at the book, a tour of the locations as they now appear, archive footage, a gallery of stills and publicity material and a booklet featuring essays on the production, cast and crew and reproductions of original studio paperwork.
Mantrap will be available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Hammer from Monday 13th April
