The October Man
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Written by Eric Ambler based on a novel by Ambler
1947/UK
Two Cities Films
First viewing/Amazon Prime Instant Video
[box] People get really irritated by mental illness. — Maria Bamford [/box]
I’m glad I made the acquaintance of this unsung British film noir.
Jim Ackland (John Mills) is riding on a bus one rainy night entertaining the child (Juliet Mills) sitting next to him. There is a horrific accident. The girl is killed and Jim is left with a fractured skull and brain damage. Jim spends a year in the hospital, recovering. He has been unstable, even suicidal, and still blames himself for the death of his friends’ daughter. When he is released, the doctor warns him against making any major decisions or changes since there is still the chance of a relapse.
Jim goes back to work as a chemist. His employer puts him up in a truly awful boarding house. At first Jim keeps strictly to himself, which does not endear him to his fellow lodgers. Molly (Kay Walsh), an outgoing young woman who is having an affair with a married man, is trying mightily to avoid the advances of creepy Mr. Peachy in the flat below. She asks Jim into her room for a drink after he helps her mend a fuse. Molly is a fan of astrology and dubs him the “October Man” on account of his birthday.
After several months of relative isolation, Jim finally accepts the invitation of a work colleague to go to a company dance and meet his sister Jenny (Joan Greenwood). The attraction is immediate and they become an item. Finally, Jim is out in the world with Jenny every night.
Then one night Molly comes into Jim’s room begging him for a loan of 30 pounds. He writes her a check. The next thing we know, she is lying strangled in the street with Jim’s check beside her. Jim has no alibi for the time of the murder, having taken a walk after a date with Jenny. He was observed on the couple of occasions he and Molly were behind closed doors. The other lodgers put that together with Jim’s mental and medical history and are soon blabbing all their speculations to the police. Jim becomes the prime suspect. Before long, he is wondering whether he could have actually committed the crime. The rest of the film follows his efforts to find the killer and, more difficult, convince anybody to believe a thing he says.
This is well acted and beautifully shot. The suspense comes less from the mystery than from concern for Jim’s fragile mental state. I was engrossed throughout. Recommended and currently available on YouTube or for free to Amazon Prime members.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQVyOb-4zGA
Clip – first ten minutes
