Missing, Believed Lost - Two Crowded Hours
From Missing, Believed Lost, BFI Publishing, 1992
Michael Powell's first film as a director, this murder mystery featured
John Longden (the policeman from
Blackmail) as a detective seeking an escaped convict, with
Jane Welsh as the tec's girlfriend who is in danger because it was her
evidence that put the criminal behind bars. Jerry Verno scored a hit
as a taxi driver with a line in Cockney wit and caustic repartee. After
one of his fares is murdered, he helps the detective in his search
The film was shot in twelve days in April 1931 and Powell enlivened the
story with carefully chosen locations - including a taxi driver's shelter
in North London and street scenes in Upper Rathbone Street near Oxford
Street - scheduling filming for when the natural light was most suitable.
[Note: He also filmed in Rathbone Street for Peeping Tom]
In his autobiography, A Life in Movies, Powell recalled:
'Two Crowded Hours was obviously influenced by Continental films.
There were lots of clever angles and quick-cutting, but it was also
obvious that the director meant to entertain first and foremost.
The shocks and suspense were of the most primitive kind, but they
worked ... The climax of the film comes when the villain tries to murder
the heroine, who is rescued by John Longden in the nick of time. The
villain runs out into the road and is run down and killed by
Jerry Verno's taxi. John Seabourne and I, working hand in hand,
achieved a bang-up finish with a kaleidoscopic montage of images
inspired by the Soviet cinema.'
Two Crowded Hours was well-received. 'This little picture is
a skilful blend of tragedy and comedy.' declared The Bioscope.
'Just a quota quickie, but much better than many more ambitious
pictures turned out this side,' reported Variety's London
correspondent. The film ran six weeks in the West End, supporting
one of Fox's big Hollywood films at the Tivoli in the Strand.
For Powell, this was an encouraging start to a succession of low-budget
pictures, including several with Jerry Verno.
[Jerry Verno's last appearance for Powell was as the stage door
keeper at Covent Garden in The Red Shoes]
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