THE SNORKEL Icons of Suspense: Hammer Films

U.K. | 1958 Directed by Guy Green Starring Peter Van Eyck Mandy Miller Betta St. John B&W | 90 Minutes | Not Rated Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC | 3-disc set) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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		Review by Troy Howarth Film:6 : DVD:9

NOTE: DVD Rating is for entire 6-film set

Candy (Mandy Miller) suspects her stepfather, Paul Decker (Peter Van Eyck), of killing her mother, but nobody will believe her...

The Snorkel is one of Hammer's earliest psychological thrillers. Unlike the later entries like Paranoiac (1962) or Maniac (1963), it relies less on contrived shocks and plot twists — and this is decidedly to the film's advantage. The opening titles indicate that it was based on a story by Anthony Dawson, and this has been reported to be an early credit for Italian cult filmmaker Antonio Margheriti (Castle of Blood), who often used this nom de plume on his own pictures. However, given that Dawson didn't begin to adopt this pseudonym until Space Men (1960), it seems likely that this could be a case of mistaken identity. It pays to remember that there was also an actor by the same name (best remembered for his appearance as the killer in Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder), and given that he later racked up some writing credits for British TV, it seems more likely that it was he who supplied the story for this picture. That said, it would provide a neat bit of symmetry if it really had been Margheriti, as The Snorkel has elements in common with the later giallo films, a genre to which he contributed with mixed results (Naked You Die, Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye).

The story is a variation on the old "locked room" murder mystery, and it has to be admitted that it is thought out with a certain degree of inventiveness. The screenplay was co-authored by Jimmy Sangster, who would later specialize in the Les Diaboliques-style thrillers produced by Hammer. Yet whereas these later thrillers often forsook logic in favor of shock effects, The Snorkel remains reasonably believable throughout. The emphasis on a preteen protagonist matching wits with a worldly villain gives it something of a Nancy Drew flavor, but fortunately the film stops short of being too precious about it.

Cinematographer-turned-director Guy Green (an Oscar winner for David Lean's Great Expectations, 1946) does a credible job with the material. The pacing is generally smooth, and he makes the most of the film's 'exotic' continental locales. Perhaps not surprisingly — given his background — the film is at its best when its allowed to be purely visual. The opening sequence depicting the murder, for instance, unfolds entirely without dialogue — and it's all the more effective because of it. Things tend to become a bit bogged down during dialogue sequences, but there are a number of effective suspense sequences to liven things up.

Peter Van Eyck (The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, The Bridge at Remagen) is in top form as the villainous stepfather. Van Eyck's extremely Aryan looks and demeanor make him a natural villain, but he is able to work in shadings of sympathy. When he ultimately sets his sights on disposing of his meddling stepdaughter, however, his steely resolve and determination make him a very credible menace. Mandy Miller is also very impressive as the precocious Candy. There are some uncertainties in the characterization, but this is more a fault of the writing than anything else — on the one hand, there's a clear attempt to make her seem wise for her age, but at times she comes off as unusually flighty and borderline irritating. Even so, Miller's performance is believable and unaffected, and she interacts with Van Eyck beautifully. The supporting cast includes Betta St. John (City of the Dead) and William Franklyn (The Satanic Rites of Dracula).

With its stylish black and white photography courtesy of Jack Asher (Horror of Dracula), The Snorkel is an intermittently effective psychological thriller. With a little more work in the screenplay department, it may have measured up to Hammer's better efforts in the genre, but as it is, it's still a well done time-killer.

The Snorkel is yet another obscure title rescued by Sony for their most-welcome Icons of Suspense: Hammer Films collection. The film kicks off Disc 2 of the three disc/six film set, and it presents a crisp and clear 1.66/16x9 transfer. There's a fair amount of grain in the image, but print damage is negligible. Best of all, it presents the fully uncut 90-minute edit of the film — previous editions that surfaced on TV and via the gray market circuit in the U.S. were cut by about 15 minutes; the restored footage isn't of a sensational or salacious nature, but it helps to round out the characters a bit, even if the film ultimately could have pruned a little from its running time. The mono soundtrack is also in very good condition.

The only extra included is an enjoyably lurid theatrical trailer, also presented in 1.66/16x9. 4/13/10

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