Review of Stranger on the Third Floor

First the good: No one is better than Peter Lorre playing a maniac. Nor is anyone better than Elisha Cook, Jr. playing whatever he always plays. That covers the acting. The photography by Nicholas Musuraca was beautiful moment by moment. He photographed Cat People, The Spiral Staircase, Out of the Past and The Jack Benny Show! The dream sequences were vivid and entertaining. The direction by a director I've never heard of, Boris Ingster, directed only 2 other films - was good often times - although he couldn't get a tumble out of the very handsome and awkwardly stiff male lead, John McGuire, either because of his particular dialogue or his delivery which bordered on absurdity and as often as not delved right into it. Margaret Tallichet, however, had a beguiling look and style. Some other good qualities as well, but...But - the dialogue while amusing at times - except maybe in McGuire's dream horror at what he might have done - went nowhere; the ending was ludicrous - an MGM kind of sappy ending, all but the rainbow - the taxi driver unscathed by his almost death sentence, and the too convenient solutions. All and all - great to look at and absurd to make sense of. Not that you have to. But it is definitely film noir.