The Passing of the Third Floor Back reviews
Review by on 25 Sep 2010
Not only a gem of any festival, but of British cinema as a whole, the Revivals section has attempted to exhibit films that wouldn’t otherwise be part of a usual ‘classics’ list. THE PASSING OF THE THIRD FLOOR BACK is a prime example; remembered in its time, yet now virtually unknown.
In a London hotel, a number of guests stay on a long-term basis. Of these, the most influential is Mr Wright, and through his money and status the others follow his example of superiority and exclusiveness. One evening a stranger calls, and his arrival signals a change in the tenants - by his attitude and charisma, he encourages them to be good people. But Wright has other plans, and the two men wait to find out which of the two sides of human nature will triumph.
Like a parable, the film eventually becomes a battle of good vs. evil, in the form of the stranger and Mr Wright respectively; the other characters like pawns in their struggle. In many ways Capra-esque in its defence of the poor man, and certainly biblical in its themes and approach, the film also has an air of AN INSPECTOR CALLS – the stranger almost portraying a manifestation of the guilt of the tenants.
Crackling with a witty and smart script, magnificent performances and solid filmmaking, it is a real shame that this film seems to have unjustly disappeared into that mysterious void which holds the films that could have been one of the greats.
Mike Boyd
In a London hotel, a number of guests stay on a long-term basis. Of these, the most influential is Mr Wright, and through his money and status the others follow his example of superiority and exclusiveness. One evening a stranger calls, and his arrival signals a change in the tenants - by his attitude and charisma, he encourages them to be good people. But Wright has other plans, and the two men wait to find out which of the two sides of human nature will triumph.
Like a parable, the film eventually becomes a battle of good vs. evil, in the form of the stranger and Mr Wright respectively; the other characters like pawns in their struggle. In many ways Capra-esque in its defence of the poor man, and certainly biblical in its themes and approach, the film also has an air of AN INSPECTOR CALLS – the stranger almost portraying a manifestation of the guilt of the tenants.
Crackling with a witty and smart script, magnificent performances and solid filmmaking, it is a real shame that this film seems to have unjustly disappeared into that mysterious void which holds the films that could have been one of the greats.
Mike Boyd
Review by on 22 Sep 2010
A 1935 British film which was very enjoyable. Good cast, particularly Conrad Veidt
Film details
The Passing of the Third Floor Back
REVIVALS
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
United Kingdom, 1935.
90 mins. English
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