Mantrap (1953 film)

Mantrap
Mantrap
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Terence Fisher
Written by	Terence Fisher; Paul Tabori
Based on	the novel "Queen in Danger" by Trevor Dudley-Smith
Produced by	Michael Carreras; Alexander Paal
Starring	Paul Henreid; Lois Maxwell; Kieron Moore; Hugh Sinclair; Kay Kendall
Cinematography	Reginald H. Wyer
Edited by	James Needs
Music by	Doreen Carwithen
Production; company	Hammer Film Productions
Distributed by	United Artists (USA); Exclusive Films (UK)
Release date	10 March 1953 (UK);
Running time	73 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Mantrap, released in the United States as Man in Hiding, is a 1953 British second feature^[1] whodunit directed by Terence Fisher, starring Paul Henreid and Lois Maxwell.^[2] It was written by Fisher and Paul Tabori based on the 1952 novel Queen in Danger by Trevor Dudley-Smith.

Plot

A falsely convicted murderer escapes prison to seek out the real killer and to clear his name.

Cast

Paul Henreid as Hugo Bishop
Lois Maxwell as Thelma Speight
Kieron Moore as Speight
Hugh Sinclair as Maurice Jerrard
Lloyd Lamble as Inspector Frisnay
Anthony Forwood as Rex
Bill Travers as Victor Tasman
Mary Laura Wood as Susie Martin
Kay Kendall as Vera Gorringe
Conrad Phillips as Det. Sgt. Barker
John Stuart as doctor

Production

The film was made by Hammer Films and shot at the Bray Studios and on location in London, mostly near St Paul's Cathedral.^{[citation needed]}

Paul Henreid previously starred in Stolen Face (1952), also directed by Fisher, for similarly low salary and royalties.^[3]

Critical reception

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Good cast adrift in an archly contrived thriller."^[4]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Paul Henreid, that oily smoothie from Casablanca [1942] and Now, Voyager [1942], here washes up in the torrid, tawdry, cheapskate world of the British quota quickie. Lois Maxwell plays a wife who changes her name and begins a new life after her husband is convicted of murder. When he escapes, she goes to private detective Henreid for help. Maxwell later found fame as Miss Moneypenny in the Bond films."^[5]

References

^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
^ "Mantrap". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
^ Henreid, Paul; Fast, Julius (1984). Ladies man : an autobiography. St. Martin's Press. p. 200.
^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 344. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 590. ISBN 9780992936440.

External links

Mantrap at IMDb

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[Chibnall-1] Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.

[BFIsearch-2] "Mantrap". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 11 November 2023.

[paul-3] Henreid, Paul; Fast, Julius (1984). Ladies man : an autobiography. St. Martin's Press. p. 200.

[4] Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 344. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.

[5] Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 590. ISBN 9780992936440.

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