REGENT THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 147, 16 March 1940, Page 16

REGENT THEATRE

A very good film indeed has been made out of Richard Llewellyn's well-known “atmosphere” novel about the terrible effects of anonymous letter-writing in a little English village. It is called “Poison Pen.” and is providing thrills and sus-p-eu.se at the Regent Theatre, where it was released on Thursday. The story has been most effectively built up, as was the novel, out of a mass of details of village life, put together so skilfully that it resembles—and indeed, is— a study in psychology. The letters, alleging the most unpleasant of actions, are sent to various people, some innocent, some not. First a poor woman, Connie by name, comes under the blight, and takes her life. Then a busband is driven distracted by allegations against the fidelity of his wife, and murders the man supposed to be responsible. By this time the police are called in and, following the fragmentary clues, put together with painstaking thoroughness, they track the criminal down in literally unsuspected quarters. The life of an English village has been very well caught, and rendered into an excellent story. The people seem real and convincing—puzzled, gossiping, believing and half-believing the foul lies and accusations which run like wildlire through home after home, leaving their trail of tragedy and despair. The theme, of course, is intensely dramatic, ami full of genuine human interest. Even the dialogue, lengthy as some of it is, is nsed, as it should be. to heighten the effects of camera and direction. There is. in the little village ot Hilldale, the usual amount ol gossip, some of it not altogether lacking m malice, but normally fairly harmless. Jhe vicar, Mr. Rider, his daughter, Ann, am. his sister, Mary, are held in high esteem by the villagers, specially Mary, who has a reputation for kindliness and generosity. Ann's fiance, David, sends word that he is coming back from abroad in order to get married, and shortly afterward Ann receives a horrible letter, blackening David's character. The vicar and his sister pass it off as trivial, though unpleasant. But in other families real tragedies occur because of the letters sent by the “Boison Pen”.; and the vicar calls in the police to stop it. To tell who is the anonymous letterwriter might spoil the story for those who do not know the book. It. is quite enough to say that the answer is logical. but unexpected, and that in the simplest wav the reasons are displayed. In short, “Poison Pen” is a very good film indeed, with outstanding characterizations.