Love from a Stranger

Love from a Stranger is the name of two films based on the 1936 play of the same name by Frank Vosper. In turn, the play was based on the 1924 short story Philomel Cottage, written by Agatha Christie, which was included in the short story collections The Listerdale Mystery (1934 in the UK) and Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (1948 in the US). The first film was released in 1937. It was produced by Trafalgar Films in the UK and direc... more

Love from a Stranger is the name of two films based on the 1936 play of the same name by Frank Vosper. In turn, the play was based on the 1924 short story Philomel Cottage, written by Agatha Christie, which was included in the short story collections The Listerdale Mystery (1934 in the UK) and Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (1948 in the US). The first film was released in 1937. It was produced by Trafalgar Films in the UK and directed by Rowland V. Lee. The film starred Basil Rathbone and Ann Harding and remains notable for an early appearance by Joan Hickson in the role of Emmy, the maid. Ms Hickson would many years later play the acclaimed title role in the BBC TV series Miss Marple. The film was known in the US as A Night of Terror. The film was reviewed by C. A. Lejeune in The Observer of January 10, 1937 when he said that it, "was a bit slow in getting started, but once the extra characters of the early scenes are dropped and the film gets the two leading players... less