Review of Number 17

Like 1948's Rope, I personally feel that Number Seventeen would probably have worked better as a play, in this case as originally intended. It's interesting to see that Leon M. Lion (who I remember from The Amazing Quest Of Earnest Bliss) is credited as the main star even though he plays a secondary character, although he is probably the best thing about this film with plenty of comedic appeal. Similarly to Rope again, this film is technically brilliant with atmospheric, shadowy, brilliantly lighted opening scenes as well as a thrillng climatic chase between a train and a bus, but the story itself is relatively simple but very effective. In fact a lot more effective than Rope. John Stuart, despited being a Scotsman, plays a typical cinematic English gentleman of the era and Ann Casson overplays her role but is nice enough before being put to one side when Anne Grey enters the picture. The fight scene near the middle of the film, is still pretty damn good, although it begins to drag and in doing so, the sped up film becomes more noticeable and rather dated.
A minor but entertaining Hitchcock thriller.