Signpost to Murder

source: Signpost to Murder

Trailer—Signpost to Murder

Signpost to Murder

This is based on a play and it shows :all the action tales place in the heroine's house , in a stifling atmosphere in which the ceaseless turning wheel lapping creates a tension ; it is sometimes slow-moving ,but a little humour gets into the lugubrious atmosphere (the gossip woman who phones ; the vicar and the incongruous little help he provides ) and acting is excellent : you can't be wrong with Joanne Woodward ,a character actress who portrays a hostage ,a victim of an escapee from a mental hospital ; little by little ,doubt creeps into one's mind : is she so innocent?Stuart Whitman is credible as well as this lunatic who's seeing things (a dead body on the wheel)and who perhaps might not be really guilty :the circumstances of the crime which sent it to the asylum remain mysterious. There's of course an unexpected ending ; although it's not as strong as such "in camera " thrillers as Levin/Lumet 's "death trap" , it is an unqualified must for people fond of suspense films.

I saw a Law And Order episode that had a similar theme to Signpost For Murder in which a psychiatrist played by Robert Foxworth was able to manipulate his patient in the way Edward Mulhare was doing with Stuart Whitman in this film. The Law And Order episode was infinitely superior. I think Paul Newman was shooting Lady L in Europe at the time and Joanne Woodward got this film to do probably to keep herself busy. She plays the owner of a house where escaping mental patient Stuart Whitman takes refuge. Later on her husband turns up very dead, first for Whitman privately and then very publicly. And who's going to believe Whitman who is in the insane asylum for strangling his wife. Mulhare, Whitman, and Woodward have all seen better films than this one. Definitely subpar for all of them although being the professionals they are they give the film there all. It just ain't enough.

I also give this b/w thriller high marks. The story is good and as mentioned in another comment, the set is terrific and the atmosphere of suspense and intrigue sustains your interest. You begin to suspect that something's not quite right, but you're still surprised when it is revealed. One of my favorite actors, whom I had the pleasure of knowing briefly, was Edward Mulhare, and this is one of the few chances he was given in this country to show his appeal. Whitman reaffirms that he was a very underrated actor, despite his Oscar Nomination for "The Mark", having ultimately been relegated to B-Westerns and some unexceptional, though frequent, TV guest appearances. All in all, a very well-spent 74 minutes or so.