Hidden Room, The

2604. THE HIDDEN ROOM (Obsession) (1949-England). With ROBERT NEWTON, SALLY GRAY, NAUNTON WAYNE. Directed by EDWARD DMYTRYK. This extremely well-handled suspense thriller tells the story of a cheated-on husband who goes about exacting a curious revenge against his wife and her most recent lover. From the moment you first meet him, Dr. Clive Riordan (superbly played by Robert Newton, the great British character actor) appears to be an intensely troubled man. He is deep in thought and oblivious to everything around him. That is because he is well aware of his wife’s never-ending duplicity. Mrs. Riordan’s latest paramour is an American, Bill Kronin. The doctor has a revolver in his possession. Will he use it and put a swift and bloody end to his trouble? Or will he concoct a more elaborate and sinister vengeance? Dr. Riordan catches his wife and Kronin in a lie. “You’re not going to take a harmless flirtation seriously?” Kronin asks him. “There have been so many harmless flirtations,” is the fed-up doctor’s response. “You’ve heard of the last straw, haven’t you…Well, you’re it.” Several days later, Kronin’s mysterious disappearance is reported in the newspapers. The doctor has set into motion his devilish scheme, which is at once clever and shocking. We don’t want to say anything more about it, except that it involves the title chamber. So sit back, relax and enjoy! 96 minutes. Crime Mystery Suspense