Submitted by
Nicky Smith
Wednesday August 12 1931
The fact that the film of Miss Janet Gaynor in Daddy Long Legs is being shown
at the Tivoli has somewhat obscured the second picture which is being shown
there, Two Crowded Hours, the work of a young British director, Mr Michael
Powell, whose future will certainly be watched with interest. The author is Mr
J. Jefferson Farjeon, and those who remember Mr Leon Lion's stage production of
his thriller No 17 will recall the skilful way in which he made use of comic
relief at moments when the excitement threatened to become too severe. He has
used the same idea with considerable success in Two Croweded Hours, where the
efforts of a detective to track down a murderer who has escaped from Broadmoor
are aided by a light-hearted taxi-driver with a keen Cockney sense of humour
who might have stepped off any London taxi-rank. Mr Jerry Verno's performance
in the part is so good that his audience have little difficulty in imagining
that they are riding in his cab and sharing with him the excitements of a chase
through some of the busiest parts of London. In the last few minutes of the
film the dramatic situation falls away somwhat- possibly because the one
incident that does not ring true is the fact that the taxi-driver, having run
over and killed the escaped murderer, should think the occasion a good excuse
for a final jest. There are one of two points of production which might have
been remedied. It is difficult to belive that a detective sergeant would have
his name inscribed in bold letters on his raincoat and much more use could have
been made of the time factor. The clock shows that the story begins at 4
o'clock. The audience sees the clock again at 10 minutes past four and
thereafter it is entirely lost sight of. An occasional 'flashback' to it would
have reminded the audience of the high-speed character of the chase.
Sadly Two Crowded Hours is Missing Believed Lost so are we denied the chance to
see John Longden having the longest 43 minutes of his life.
Nicky
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