The Mantrap (1943)
Henry Stephenson stars as a retired Scotland Yard detective. He is regarded as an icon because he has written volumes of books on the art of detection. While Stephenson is being honoured for his past successes, he senses modern detectives, particularly the current District Attorney, look at him and his methods as outdated. This spurs the old man out of retirement to prove himself to the know-it-all modern detectives.
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Such a frustrating disappointment
Admirable film.
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
really a hidden gem.While main character Humphrey Quilp was only a pupil of Holmes, the plotting and dialog are pure Holmes/Conan Doyle. Pretty funny and clever script by Curt Siodmak. Jam packed with dialog and scenes, like a 90 minute mystery condensed into a 60 minute time slot. As such, it's never dull and keeps your attention. The modern police humor him and his "prehistoric" methods (such as noticing subtle yet simple illogical discrepancies), while he humors their total blindness to the details. The actual humor in the film is never broad but usually circumstantial- people getting annoyed with each other, or Quilp's friend (a Watson stand-in) who worries about his health and pulls cigarettes or drinks out of Quilp's hand when he isn't aware. Interestingly, Quilp drives (and advocates) an electric car. Certainly ahead of his time.Don't want to say more and spoil your experience.
Henry Stephenson stars as a retired Scotland Yard detective. He is regarded as an icon because he has written volumes of books on the art of detection. While Stephenson is being honoured for his past successes, he senses modern detectives, particularly the current District Attorney, look at him and his methods as outdated. This spurs the old man out of retirement to prove himself to the know-it-all modern detectives.As fate has decreed, there is a modern murder case that has stumped the District Attorney's office. Lloyd Corrigan, playing his usual amiable eccentric, is Stephenson's aid in sleuthing. This film is a very gentle and unusual mystery that was a welcomed diversion for this veteran mystery lover.