User reviews

It's a little quaint by today's standards, but the writing is witty and the cinematography is excellent. More than that, it's an opportunity to see a 36 year old James Mason acting in a role where he ages 25 years. This was the one Gainsborough film he actually wanted to make, although he had hit the top of the charts with other Gainsborough Gothics such as The Wicked Lady and The Man in Grey. I was rather astonished at his ability to transform his extraordinary brooding good looks into those of a kindly, elderly gentleman with a twinkle in his eye. His gait, voice, and body movements so fitted the role of the elderly man, I believe he could have fooled me without all the makeup.

I should caution anyone that may be slightly impatient that you'll have to stick with this one for awhile before the story kicks into gear. Over the course of the first forty minutes or so it's a story focused on two elderly people and their young helper who meets a boy she falls in love with. This is all enjoyable enough, if a bit dull, depending on one's tolerance for such stories in older films. There's a sprinkling of mysterious goings-on building to what's to come later, but just a sprinkling. This isn't to discourage anyone from trying the movie. I just want to prepare you to view this when you aren't watching a clock. The pace does pick up midway through and here's where the mystery elements of the film really come into play.

All of the actors are good, particularly Margaret Lockwood. As others have pointed out, James Mason and Barbara Mullen are playing characters twice their age for some inexplicable reason. But they do well, with the usual "old people are kind and sweet and amusingly cantankerous" trope that permeated movies of the time. Ernest Thesiger has what amounts to a brief cameo (where he's dubbed, oddly). The role is important to the plot but given how little of his face you see, the part really could have been played by anybody. One more note: this is in no way a scary film. Some of the characters in the story may become frightened or bewildered but to the audience this is more of a mystery film with some supernatural overtones. This is worth pointing out for those expecting something akin to The Innocents or The Haunting. Still, it's a good but not great mystery film with some nice heart-warming humor and sentimentalism. Added points if you like British films of the period where everyone speaks and acts quite properly, except for the servants who add touches of color and comedy relief.

An old house, which has a terrible story behind it. Is taken over by an elderly couple, and the spirit of a murdered girl possesses the mistress's young companion from time to time. But it takes awhile for the occupants of the house to pick up on it, as they think that the strange happenings are caused by their staff and don't think too much of it. That's until they learn more about the tragic history of the house and come to accept that they share the estate with a depressed spirit.

RKO studios turn out a nicely made ghost story, which holds a certain amount of charm, and on show is a beautifully elegant production. Although saying that, it not terribly thick in depth. A lot of things are totally glazed over, with certain plot details being pushed aside or briskly concluded. Meaning it does lack tension in parts and the mystery of the house does get rather bogged down to be totally effective. It leans more towards drama/mystery and adds a romance story, than really showing anything horrifying or drumming up suspense. Although there's one scene that stands out from the rest towards the end… it's a neat twist to end it off with. But nonetheless it's a family drama with light touches of horror, where the awkward love sub-plot seems to make the ghost story play second fiddle to it. Which is too bad, as there's a mystery around every turn with the strange occurrences building up slowly from our mysterious ghost. I just wished it shared a bit more focus on it.

Overall, it's a polished effort with the house being the centrepiece, (sometimes you could easily tell it was small model) and the disquieting nature of the building fills the atmosphere. There's no real score other than for the thriving one in the intro and ending credits. Well, you got one of your characters playing the piano in the film. But I thought it benefited from not having one run throughout the film. The photography was rather outstanding, especially the moving angles throughout the house.

Bernard Knowles directs a simple, but yet slightly engrossing picture that has a solid plot (if rather slow going), with a tight script and exceptional performances from the likes of James Mason and Barbara Mullen.

I enjoyed this the latest addition to my Margaret Lockwood collection of films.It was filmed the same year,(1945) , that she produced her most famous role of the evil, beautiful, Lady Barbara Skelton in "The Wicked Lady".In "A Place of Our Own" she looks her dark, ravishing best in the "good" role of Annette, the lady companion to Mrs Smedhurst, (Barbara Mullen).

It is a pity that in the eyes of the general public "The Wicked Lady" has crowded out from their conscience her other "good" roles.Most notably, apart from this film, was "The Lady Vanishes" and "Bank Holiday" both from 1938 and "Girl in the News" and "Night Train to Munich" both from 1940 also "Love Story" (from 1944).James Mason for once puts aside his usual sophisticated and sadistic role (such as he played in "The Man in Grey"(1943) with Margaret, Stewart Grainger and Anna Neagle) and plays a sympathetic man twice his age at the time.He plays a plain speaking Yorshireman, Mr Smedhurst, who has spent his entire working life as a draper and now wishes to settle into retirement living in an old house the estate agent had difficulty selling.This role presumably caused James Mason no problems seeing as he was born in Huddersfield.("We're plain speaking folk up there").This is the third film where I've seen Margaret Lockwood "play" the piano well.For other films see "Love Story" and "Inspector Trent's Last Case" (1952).Was that devine music I heard a Chopin prelude? Being a period piece and ghostly it is quite interesting and held my attention to the end.I agree here with another reviewer, it could have been directed with slightly more tension and hence it has only a touch of Gothic suspense.I wonder what Hitchcock would have done with the direction but he was firmly established in Hollywood at the time.I gave it a rating of 6/10.

James Mason and Barbara Mullen have "A Place of One's Own" in this 1945 film also starring Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price. The only problem is, someone else owns it, too - the ghost of the former owner, which Mr. and Mrs. Smedhurst (Mason and Mullen) discover when they move in. When they hire a companion for Mrs. Smedhurst, the beautiful Annette, things become very strange indeed. The more they learn about the former owner, the stranger it gets.

Mason for some reason, at the age of about 36, plays an elderly man; Barbara Mullen was a little older, but not by much. I immediately thought the story would be told in flashback, with Mason playing a younger man, but no. He does an excellent job. He has the walk and the voice of an old man. Lockwood creates a wonderful character, very sweet and genuine. She had a very wide range as an actress, as she proved in one of her best roles,in Wicked Lady, and years later, in Cast a Dark Shadow.

"A Place of One's Own" is slow and, for this writer anyway, totally predictable. If I had seen it in 1945, I might have felt differently. Despite good performances, it didn't really hold my attention. If you're not familiar with this genre, you will undoubtedly enjoy it more than I did. I came away feeling it was just okay.

A PLACE OF ONE'S OWN is about Mr. And Mrs. Smedhurst (James Mason and Barbara Mullen) who move into an old mansion, only to find that it could be haunted by its former occupant.

Mrs. Smedhurst's companion, Annette (Margaret Lockwood) soon begins to exhibit odd behaviors, as well as talents that she never had before.

This all has to do with something that occurred in the past that won't stay buried.

If you enjoy tales of the supernatural, seasoned with mystery and suspense, then you should love this movie. The tension builds to a nice, shivery event near the end.

A very well-made ghost story...

It's turn of the century England and retired couple – the Smedhursts - James Mason and Barbara Mullen buy a large manor house in the countryside at a good price. A companion for Mullen arrives in the form of Margaret Lockwood (Annette) and we get the developing of a romance when Lockwood meets Dennis Price (Dr Selbie) at a dinner party at the house. However, there is a reason why the house was sold at such a cheap price to Mason and everyone soon finds out this reason. We have a spirit still in residence. It's the spirit of a woman who was murdered and she starts to take over Lockwood's character. This possession needs to be resolved.

I like this type of film but I have to say that there are quite a few irritations with this offering that bring down its overall effect. I wanted to like it but here is what is wrong - the casting of Mason and Mullen as elderly people. This may have been OK if we were to dissolve to a flashback story, but this doesn't happen. They are two main characters who remain this way for the duration of the film. Two problems lead on from this, firstly, your face totally changes as you get older. I no longer look anything like the gorgeous specimen I was in my early 20's – my gorgeousness now looks totally different – I've still got it, though. So, it's not good enough to apply a bit of makeup onto a younger actor and believe that is the job done to portray the same person in old age. They should have just cast 2 older actors. Secondly, there seems to have been no lines applied to the face of Mullen so she just looks young and therefore cast wrong as Mason's wife. With portraying an older character comes the trap of hamming things up – you know, start shaking your hands a bit, over-exaggerated sitting down and walking, a bit of forgetfulness, etc. All totally crap and I'm afraid Mason hams it up on this front to my great annoyance. This is not a good performance by him. And stop calling your wife "Mother"!

Sticking with these two main characters, what is going on with their accents? Terrible attempt by Mason at a Yorkshire accent and he sticks with it for the whole film. You expect Mason to speak like Mason – don't change a winning formula. You'd never guess that he was actually born in Yorkshire – it's a disgraceful attempt. And as for Mullen's accent – where is she from?

Aside from these two weak leads, we have a slow moving film. I'm afraid it gets boring despite the interesting premise. There isn't nearly enough tension and suspense and everything is predictable including the ending which is one of the film's standout sequences. Guessed that one a mile in advance. The story is also frustratingly developed as the first thing a normal person would have done would have been to find "Dr Marsham" and find out the cause of death for the woman all those years ago. It takes these clowns 5,000 years to get round to doing the bleeding obvious. Finally, the melodramatic facial expressions of Mullen ruin the film. One example comes when she pulls a face that suggests the she has seen an apparition off camera and we as the audience prepare for the camera to pan round and reveal the vision that she is currently fixated on. Well, she's just messing about, apparently, giving totally misleading facial cues to us. The film also has too much comedy – not another old guy in a pub hamming it up and dragging out a scene as he pretends to have a failing memory – Jeees!

Set against the annoyances as described above, there are good sequences – the night that Lockwood hears the piano and goes to investigate as well as some nice ideas such as the voice over the gardener's shoulder telling him to dig up a section of garden. It would have been more effective to actually see this incident, though. The best in the cast are Helen Hayes (Mrs Tutthorn) and housemaid Dulcie Gray (Sarah). Hayes should have had more of a prominent role.

I'm annoyed and disappointed because this film should have been better.

I just loved this movie. It kept my interest in a most peculiar way, and it took me nearly to the end of the picture before I figured it out. None of the key scenes were ever emphasized with dramatic music swelling up, down, or out....anywhere. In fact, it did not have any music except for the piano playing in one scene. Most unusual. This movie came across almost as "play-like", without the typical "movie" accents. Very different, very good. The only drawback, if you can really call it that, was the distraction of James Mason made up to be a man much older than his original years when he made this. The make up artist utilized a lot of "spirit-gum" that was used around his face, and unfortunately, it is noticeable in many scenes. But don't let that deter you from seeing this wonderful film!

The movie begins as an elderly couple close the deal on a beautiful house. That's one of the meanings of the title: The wife has always wanted a beautiful house of their own.

But ah! Villagers very soon start talking: The couple got it at a good price because it is haunted and no one else has wanted to touch it.

James Mason plays the old gent. He is made up and dressed to seem at least twice the age he was. The voice is recognizable, though. Even without knowing the cast in advance, I'd have known his voice. He does a good job, not overacting or hamming up the idea of playing old. (I don't think he in fact did age in this way, but who could have known?) Something about playing older characters fascinates actors. Robert Donat won an Oscar for it in "Good-bye, Mr. Chips." The first time I saw that movie, in a revival theater, I was knocked out by it. But I have to say that Mason overplays a little less than Donat, as far as playing an older man.

Mason's wife engages a companion. In a way this is a plot device. We're never completely sure why she has done this. The companion is the lovely Margaret Lockwood. Soon she is saying things she doesn't understand and playing pieces she's never played before on the piano in the house.

Beyond that I will not go. All this happens early in the movie.

The smaller roles are beautifully cast. It has an elegant look. I wouldn't call it a great movie but it certainly held my interest.

Slow-moving, old-fashioned and offering nothing new in the way of ghost stories, circa 1900. It seems that an elderly couple (JAMES MASON in age make-up) has moved into an old house that hasn't been lived in for forty years. Rumors persist that the place is haunted by the ghost of a young girl. When the couple hires a companion (MARGARET LOCKWOOD), the young woman feels as though someone else is taking over her personality at times. She gives a rather overwrought performance when under the influence.

One can't help noticing how the make-up artists failed to do anything about James Mason's hands--which are quite obviously the smooth, unwrinkled hands (often shown in close-ups) of a thirty-year old.

It's a good 45 minutes before the film picks up the atmosphere of a real ghost story--but even then it fails to deliver the appropriate chills.

Summing up: All the ingredients for a good ghost story are wasted on a tedious script that never rises above the ordinary. The story, sluggishly directed, simply lacks vitality despite Mason's good performance as an elderly man and competent performances from the British cast.

Although it could have done with a larger dose of atmosphere, and much less comic relief and romance, this is still a highly engaging classic film, with a number of thrilling moments and interesting ideas to keep it moving along. James Mason is excellent, even if sometimes a bit over-the-top, convincingly playing a character twice his age in real life. The photography is quite magnificent, with glides and pans effectively distributed throughout. The characters are generally good too, and in fact, there is little to complain about with this production. Lockwood's performance does lack conviction though, but almost everything else is great in this film about life, death, superstitions and more.

A Place of One's Own (1945)

Well, there are some things here that will enchant a movie lover already in love with old movies. For one, James Mason pulls off an old man brilliantly. You hardly know it's him, and he has the poise and delivery that make him always impressive. And then the story itself, about a ghost of sorts who has unfinished business in a house that Mason and his wife have moved into, is charming and given some nice complications (existential ones, in a way).

For me this wasn't enough. I found the filming (photography and editing) stodgy, and in this sense all too British. (I know, this is a terrible stereotype, but in fact a lot of British movies have a staged, stiff feel to them, and this doesn't include all the ones that do not, including, for example, the 1949 "The Third Man.") But this is a British movie, a filmed play of sorts, based on a novel with a fixed location (the haunted house). But this isn't a haunted house kind of movie, but rather a literary affair, with lots of talk (another British movie tendency) and some eventual "explanation" (which Mason delivers with ease).

The main idea is a terrific one, a house and then a young woman being possessed, and one doctor and then another drawn into the cure. This second doctor adds a nice twist to it all, which is revealed by the end. It ends up being an archly high romance, and great on that level.

I never thought I'd be saying it after all the stupid blood fests I've sat through in theatres, hoping for a good occult film. But this movie could have used some of that red stuff, both literally and figuratively. In sum, the movie's an over-civilized treatment of a subject that thrives on atmosphere and chills. Too bad, there's neither in this slow-moving, scattered exercise that appears more concerned with James Mason's reactions than the haunting itself. Ordinarily a fine understated actor, his unrelenting bluster here tends to overshadow the weakly worked-out plot. I kept wishing that Val Lewton & RKO had gotten hold of the material first (I Walked with a Zombie, The Seventh Victim, et al). That crew knew how to haunt the imagination with implied images of horror, the essence of a good ghost story. But an effect of that sort requires both the ingredients of atmosphere and suspense, so crucially absent here. There is one scene however that grabbed me. Mrs. Smedhurst and companion Annette are sitting by the piano following an apparent visitation. Suddenly, the-matter-of-fact older lady stares past the camera, into space, as though hypnotized by something beyond her reference and ours. It's a subtly chilling moment. Too bad, the remainder of the tale fails to follow up.

A Place of One's Own is directed by Bernard Knowles and adapted to screenplay by Brock Williams from the novel written by Osbert Sitwell. Out of Gainsborough Pictures it stars James Mason, Barbara Mullen, Margaret Lockwood, Dennis Price and Dulcie Gray. Music is by Hubert Bath and cinematography by Stephen Dade.

Retiring couple the Smedhurst's (Mason & Mullen) purchase Bellingham House and hire Annette Allenby (Lockwood) as a companion for Mrs. Smedhurst. Bellingham House had been empty for a number of years, and soon enough the new inhabitants, especially Annette, find out why.

A gentle Edwardian ghost story that's full of charm and whimsical romance, it's clearly not a film for horror fans looking for a fright night in by candle light. There are a few nice supernatural touches such as hushed voices, the tinkling of the ivories, interior gust of wind, that sort of thing, while the possession angle is nicely handled by Knowles in what was his first major directing assignment.

Gainsborough were hoping to replicate the success of the Man in Grey from two years earlier, which had starred Mason and Lockwood, but A Place of One's Own was a flop, with Mason himself later saying that he dropped the ball with this one. The problem is that the film is often too off-beat, with Mason cast as an elderly man and pretty much hamming it up to the point of detracting from Lockwood's fine work.

Still, it's a very pleasing and harmless picture in spite of the mixed tonality, while having a Ernest Thesiger cameo is always a good thing. 6/10

Set in 1900, after being on the market for 40 years, a mature couple buy a large house but when a young lady joins them as a companion she becomes possessed by the ghost of a tragic former occupant. This is not a horror film as such, rather a drama wit some supernatural element. Some wonderful flowing camera work and great acting (I think that James Mason is one of the best actors to come out of the UK). There's a delightful scene where Dennis Price is taking Margaret Lockwood for a spin in his new automobile, which can reach a dizzy 8mph! A delightful film, perhaps just a tad slow though.

I had always been interested in watching this well-regarded British ghost story – but was still pretty much blown away by it, being generally deemed too low-key for complete success. The film (the U.K. equivalent to THE UNINVITED [1944]) is notable for James Mason's playing of a character role much older than his 36 years; he's fine as always, but is matched by Barbara Mullen as his wife – and the whole proves a nice showcase, too, for the young Dennis Price as a doctor. The latter falls for and eventually treats Margaret Lockwood, Mullen's ingénue companion – who, on the old couple's inexpensive acquisition of a fashionable but notorious country-house, becomes possessed by the spirit of the latest female occupant (she had been ill-treated by both masters and servants and would die separated from her lover, another medic). Directed by a former cinematographer (his debut and unquestionably best effort), the period atmosphere is exceedingly well deployed throughout – thanks to Stephen Dade's probing camera-work and the elegant production design, particularly the mansion's interior. There are few genuine scares, yet the film generates some definite frissons along the way: Lockwood, a mediocre pianist at best, suddenly playing a piece faultlessly in front of guests; the girl's spontaneous quotation from a poem she readily admits to being unfamiliar with; and, especially, her close encounter with an unseen entity (woken up by the piano mysteriously playing at night, we hear its lid being violently shut when she enters the room, followed by the camera's swift panning – suggesting something had gone past her – and then hushed voices plotting murder in the hallway). Also worth mentioning in this regard, however, are the enigmatic 'orders' given to the old couple as well as the gardener (a surprising straight turn from comedian Will Hay's frequent sparring partner Moore Marriott) respectively requesting a certain doctor's presence and the unearthing of a locket (subsequently cleaned just as inexplicably). Eventually, the former lovers do get together one more time – the girl obviously in Lockwood's form and the medic now reduced to an old man (played by none other than Ernest Thesiger, whose entrance here towards the end of the film is almost as impressive as the one in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN [1935]) – but, tellingly, the camera cuts away at this precise moment, as if we what they had to say was meant for their ears only!; following this, there is a twist involving Thesiger's character – which I actually predicted, but it certainly adds to the poignancy of the reunion. All in all, a little gem of a film displaying plenty of brooding style but also surprising warmth (not a feeling one usually associates with ghost stories).

...of countless earlier similar stories.

This unfortunately is just one of many failings which caused a production with a quality cast to fail to impress indeed struggle to hold the viewers attention. As others have already commented, why have a 36 year old James Mason married to a 31 year old Barbara Mullen play throughout an elderly couple more than twice their age? The extremely distinguished Mason comes across as Am-Dram-ham old man. The tone is uncertain - the concluding sudden jollity seems out place. Despite its theme it entirely lacks thrills and chills. Famous character-actors Moore Marriott (usually a querulous toothless side-kick) and Ernest Thesinger, spectacularly slightly other-worldly (his forte), under-exploited by the director who brings wholly unintended dispirited lifelessness to what should have been a lively story about ghosts. The studio lighting was reminiscent of made for TV US comedies of the '50's and '60s - the entire set, cast and walls, flooded with an even light, the same regardless if night or day. The paint on a closing door even briefly reflects the light from a large (2Kw?) studio lamp at about shoulder height.

Throughout it was if some kind of subtle ghostly malaise had affected the entire production or at least its director.

Retired British couple in 1900 Newborough purchase a large estate at a low price and hire a live-in lady companion, who quickly comes under the influence of the previous resident: a young girl who some say was murdered. Osbert Sitwell's book turned into a stuffy costume drama with divergent accents. In 1945, many professional critics found themselves enraptured with the picture, but time has not been kind to it. Other, later films mining this territory have improved upon the ghostly basics. James Mason, too young for his role and heavily made-up, keeps shouting as if everyone else had gone deaf, while the supporting players are equally colorless. *1/2 from ****

Although the house is haunted and the young girl is possessed you will not find this film horror nor is it a comedy-horror - this film is a drama, mystery and a thriller - and quite a good one too.

This is not your modern day possession/haunted house film - if you want that then look elsewhere - you won't see pea soup flying and heads spinning. This one is a love story of sorts (and not like "Ghost" with Patrick Swayze). This is a very tastefully made film and quite different than most ghost stories I've ever seen.

I really enjoyed this one for it's great atmosphere - haunting a times. The cast is good too. I personally did not have a problem with the cinematography nor the directing (I read where James Mason was displeased with the end results of this film although he wanted to do this film).

8/10

James Mason and Margaret Lockwood star in this British film, A Place of One's Own. It centers on a somewhat elderly couple who have bought a new house to live in for their retirement years. They talk throughout the film about always wanting a place of their own. But then the wife hires a companion. It seems also that James bought the house for a really cheap price, due to the fact the house had been on the market for 40 years. No one wanted to live there, because the gossipers say it's haunted by an invalid daughter who had died there. Of course, signs show that it may be true and she seems to have attached herself to the young companion. What begins as a well-made curious little movie comes across, oddly enough, as very subdued and maybe too much so. Instead of going for obvious shock value and a splashy treatment, this film centers on lost love and two old souls wanting to be together in the afterlife. The film is so subdued and low-key that it has a sleep-inducing effect. The fact that the people here speak so proper and British and old doesn't help either. A lot of films seem interesting at the time and later the viewer decides it wasn't that great. This falls in the opposite category. As it goes on in what feels like a no-win situation and ultimately unsatisfying (or aggravating) throughout the film, the ending gives it a good resolution and makes the viewer vindicated for sticking with it. If you can make it through the film, given the slow-talking people, I think you will like it on the whole, but altogether it wasn't as grand as I thought it was going to be, given the presence of James Mason.