Review of Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) by Joe M — 11 Mar 2018

Character actors Cook Jr, Halton, & our hero McGuire really fill out this film admirably. Tallichet also seems to hit her marks and deliver charming nuances for her role. The cinematography & editing certainly seem to deliver a product the close to what any director should be happy with.

While this is sometimes touted as the first Film Noir, I would say this is a progenitor of the genre. The streets are dim echoes of fritz Lang's M (which also starred Lorre) in which an all night search miraculously uncovers a psychotic - who doesn't scream "Hilfe!" in this film. And a few scenes show a strong influence of German Expressionist cinema - not quite the archetypal American Noir yet. While Lorre does an excellent job once more, it's a shame he took so long to break out of this stereotype. A shame he was ever locked into a stereotype as Lorre was a great character actor who could do everything... except dance.