Although Hammer Film Productions became almost synonymous with British horror during the sixties and seventies, the company had a long history dating back to 1934, and the crime drama "The Last Page" from 1952, released in the United States under the more lurid title "Man Bait", is an example of their pre-horror work. (It was directed by Terence Fisher, later to become their leading horror director). John Harman, a manager in a small London bookshop, is blackmailed by his attractive co-worker attractive young Ruby Bruce after he tries to kiss her. (Or possibly after she tries to kiss him- it is never entirely clear who is the kisser and who the kissee).
Diana Dors, who plays Ruby, certainly had the looks to be a film noir femme fatale, Britain's answer to Lizabeth Scott or Gloria Grahame, and did indeed play such characters in films like "Tread Softly Stranger". Ruby, however, does not really qualify as a femme fatale; the real villain is homme fatal Jeff Hart, Ruby's boyfriend and a petty crook who has just come out of jail. Ruby (to adapt the title of another Dors film) is more one of the weak than one of the wicked, and would certainly not have come up with the blackmail scheme, let alone gone through with it, without Jeff's influence. When Ruby tries to hide part of the proceeds of their crime from Jeff, he kills her and suspicion falls upon Harman.
"The Last Page" was made under a deal between Hammer and the American company Lippert Pictures, and Lippert insisted upon the use of established Hollywood stars to boost the film's appeal in the American market. This was a common practice in British films of the fifties, but I feel that sometimes Hollywood took advantage of this arrangement by dumping upon us stars for whom they had no more use. Marguerite Chapman as Harman's secretary Stella, who helps him clear his name, is not too bad, but George Brent as Harman is dreadful.
Brent was Irish by birth, but had lived in America since his childhood, and his attempt at a British accent always seems stuck in mid-Atlantic, even though Harman is supposed to be an Englishman with no American associations. (Stella, we learn, is an American who stayed in England after working as an Army nurse during the war). A much bigger fault than his accent, however, is his lack of emotional range; he seems incapable of expressing any feelings, even when he is suspected of murder and even when his invalid wife dies. (She suffers a heart attack after Ruby sends her a letter revealing what her husband has allegedly done). Brent had once been a big Hollywood name- he had supposedly been the favourite leading man of Bette Davis, with whom he made eleven films, but by the fifties his career was in decline- which should come as no surprise if this performance is a typical one.
The best acting contribution probably comes from Dors; she is not quite as good as she was to be in "Tread Softly Stranger" several years later, but she is always very watchable and seems to be throwing herself wholeheartedly into her role, something that cannot be said of Brent. A shame that her character had to be killed off quite early on. The film confirmed my theory that Dors was actually at her best in serious dramas, even though she was most often cast in comedies, probably because her voluptuous figure and blonde looks reminded producers of Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield. Had she been born a slim brunette (like, say, her contemporary Jean Simmons) she might have had a more satisfactory acting career. Strangely enough, she received an "introducing" credit for "The Last Page", even though it was the seventeenth movie in which she appeared.
The plot is an ingenious one- it was based upon a play by James Hadley Chase- and there are enough twists and turns to keep even a modern audience watching. The film would, however, have been greatly improved by a better leading man. 6/10.
Diana Dors, who plays Ruby, certainly had the looks to be a film noir femme fatale, Britain's answer to Lizabeth Scott or Gloria Grahame, and did indeed play such characters in films like "Tread Softly Stranger". Ruby, however, does not really qualify as a femme fatale; the real villain is homme fatal Jeff Hart, Ruby's boyfriend and a petty crook who has just come out of jail. Ruby (to adapt the title of another Dors film) is more one of the weak than one of the wicked, and would certainly not have come up with the blackmail scheme, let alone gone through with it, without Jeff's influence. When Ruby tries to hide part of the proceeds of their crime from Jeff, he kills her and suspicion falls upon Harman.
"The Last Page" was made under a deal between Hammer and the American company Lippert Pictures, and Lippert insisted upon the use of established Hollywood stars to boost the film's appeal in the American market. This was a common practice in British films of the fifties, but I feel that sometimes Hollywood took advantage of this arrangement by dumping upon us stars for whom they had no more use. Marguerite Chapman as Harman's secretary Stella, who helps him clear his name, is not too bad, but George Brent as Harman is dreadful.
Brent was Irish by birth, but had lived in America since his childhood, and his attempt at a British accent always seems stuck in mid-Atlantic, even though Harman is supposed to be an Englishman with no American associations. (Stella, we learn, is an American who stayed in England after working as an Army nurse during the war). A much bigger fault than his accent, however, is his lack of emotional range; he seems incapable of expressing any feelings, even when he is suspected of murder and even when his invalid wife dies. (She suffers a heart attack after Ruby sends her a letter revealing what her husband has allegedly done). Brent had once been a big Hollywood name- he had supposedly been the favourite leading man of Bette Davis, with whom he made eleven films, but by the fifties his career was in decline- which should come as no surprise if this performance is a typical one.
The best acting contribution probably comes from Dors; she is not quite as good as she was to be in "Tread Softly Stranger" several years later, but she is always very watchable and seems to be throwing herself wholeheartedly into her role, something that cannot be said of Brent. A shame that her character had to be killed off quite early on. The film confirmed my theory that Dors was actually at her best in serious dramas, even though she was most often cast in comedies, probably because her voluptuous figure and blonde looks reminded producers of Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield. Had she been born a slim brunette (like, say, her contemporary Jean Simmons) she might have had a more satisfactory acting career. Strangely enough, she received an "introducing" credit for "The Last Page", even though it was the seventeenth movie in which she appeared.
The plot is an ingenious one- it was based upon a play by James Hadley Chase- and there are enough twists and turns to keep even a modern audience watching. The film would, however, have been greatly improved by a better leading man. 6/10.