THREE CASES OF MURDER [1955]

 THREE OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES BY THREE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST WRITERS! 

A little bit of hyperbole from the movie poster for this film but 3 CASES OF MURDER is still a worthy anthology film with just enough spooky goings on to make it count as a horror film.  A decade after the stone-cold classic DEAD OF NIGHT, 3 CASES also has a different director for each of the film's three segments:  the phenomenal Wendy Toye directs the film's first and best segment "IN THE PICTURE", David Eady directed "YOU KILLED ELIZABETH" and George More O'Ferrall directed (maybe) the "LORD MOUNTDRAGO" segment.  I say maybe because apparently there's some talk of Orson Welles taking over and directing most of the segment himself.  

Wendy Toye is a director whose work I very much want to search out after seeing her featured time and again in the WOMEN MAKE FILM documentary series.  Here she proves herself a master at mood and atmosphere with "IN THE PICTURE".  A rather odd art museum patron points out a spooky painting to a museum worker and, before you know it, the two men have walked right into the painting.  Turns out the odd museum visitor actually lives inside the painting and, once inside, the museum worker may not ever be able to emerge from it again.  Firstly, the painting itself is magnificently spooky and I want it hanging on my wall!  Toye directs this segment with a superb feel for the macabre activities which are taking place and, as I said, it is the finest of the three segments in the film.  Also, it's the most supernatural/horror of the three.

Secondly, "YOU KILLED ELIZABETH" is a solidly-director non-horror/supernatural entry which examines the friendship of two lifelong friends who happen to be in love with the same woman.  Unfortunately, she ends up murdered and, as the two friends are the most likely suspects, they agree to provide alibis for each other.  But who killed Elizabeth?  As you can tell, this is a crime/mystery thriller storyline without any real spooky goings-on and David Eady directs it with a sure hand.  While not what we horror fans are looking for, this segment is nevertheless entertaining and well-worth watching.

Lastly is the "LORD MOUNTDRAGO" segment nominally directed by George More O'Ferrall which finds the eponymous Secretary for Foreign Affairs Lord M. viciously and arrogantly trashing a young politician.  The young man seeks revenge on the pompous old Lord by manipulating Mountdrago's dreams/nightmares until he manages to break the old politician.  This segment, probably the most well-known adaptation in the film as it's based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham, is kinda supernatural and provides some creepy moments.  Apparently, Patrick Macnee (who also appears in this segment) has stated that Welles slowly took over the direction of the piece and I'm inclined to think that's probably true.   There are definitely some Wellesian shots here and there and, regardless of who directed it, the third segment of the film is effectively helmed.

There really aren't any "weak" segments in THREE CASES OF MURDER; probably owing to the fact there are only three segments instead of 5 or 6.  I was quite pleasantly surprised on first watch that the film, previously unknown to me until I saw it featured in the aforementioned TALES OF THE UNCANNY documentary.  While no challenger to the magnificence of 1945's DEAD OF NIGHT, Wendy Toye's "IN THE PICTURE" segment would be the one which would fit right in amongst the earlier film's stories!  And that's some high praise from yours truly!