User Reviews

I sought out this 1949 movie 'The Man from Yesterday' because one of my mentors (the American journalist George Markstein) wrote a novel several decades later with the same title, and I wanted to know if this film was any influence upon him. I doubt it, now I've seen this. Markstein's novel is a taut spy thriller. This low-budget film is a semi-occult melodrama, somewhere in the borderland between 'Dead of Night' and 'One Step Beyond', without being quite so satisfying as either of those. There is a 'twist' ending which reminded me of 'An Inspector Calls (and, again, 'Dead of Night') but which is far more contrived than the ending of Priestley's drama.

SPOILERS COMING. Julius Rickman, who claims to be a psychic, is summoned to the home of Doris Amersley. She hopes Rickman can contact the spirit of her deceased fiancé. In the meantime she has married another man (Gerald) and taken his name, yet she still loves the dead man. Then Doris dies mysteriously, and Rickman accuses Doris's husband Gerald of having murdered his wife and her previous fiancé out of jealousy. Gerald argues the point by murdering Rickman. The whole thing turns out to be (guess what) a dream ... but there's another twist coming.

'The Man from Yesterday' is moderately interesting, but strongly resembles several other dramas which are all better and more original than this one. It doesn't help that none of these actors give especially good performances. I personally liked Gwynneth Vaughan, but she's not for all tastes. In a supporting role, Laurence Harvey seems to be rehearsing for his performance as a zombie in 'The Manchurian Candidate'. We get a couple of interesting camera set-ups on the way to that ending. I'll rate 'The Man from Yesterday' just 4 out of 10.

This is a peculiar film, mainly set in one manor house, where a visitor to the Amersley family disturbs them in various ways. Though it has an interesting atmosphere at times it is dissipated by a talky script and unconvincing acting. Passions should erupt but it is too well mannered and formal. Henry Oscar as the ambiguous guest Julius Rickman looks slightly creepy but it is hard to believe why his effect on the family is so strong. The rest of the cast, including a young Laurence Harvey, are competent but dull.

There are possibly three murders but they are not explained properly and in the end nothing is resolved because (groan...) it all turns out to be a dream. There is a germ of a good film here but unfortunately it doesn't develop into anything.

Now I don't do spoilers often but I have to in this case as I so hate films that end this way.I reckon that the scriptwriter has run out of ideas and can only end the film by reverting to it as having been a bad dream.Laurence Harvey making his third screen appearance looks a bit chubbier than at the height of his stardom. A poor effort.

It's interesting that the character of Julius Rickman (Henry Oscar) speaks in a slow, manipulative manner, much like the characters played by the late Alan Rickman, and it certainly is a role that the late actor could have played. Oscar is a manipulative, rather perverted narcissist, manipulating beautiful heiress Gwyneth Vaughan into thinking that she's in love with him, already having manipulated her spinster aunt (Marie Blake) into believing that he can summon up the ghost of her late lover. Oscar uses the fact that Vaughan can play his favorite piano piece without even knowing the song up to his benefit, and when he confronts her over his claim that she's in love with him, it's a genuinely cringe-worthy moment. That makes his character a fascinating villain, especially with all of the family secrets slowly being revealed.

This fairly short British quota quickie is like one of those old barnstorming gaslight melodramas whee all of the characters had darkness in their hearts and were conjured up with thoughts of Daphne du Maurier, the Bronte sisters and Wendell Willkie as their influence. It's appropriately slow-moving and moody, where one bit of humor is absolutely forbidden. A young Laurence Harvey plays Vaughan's love interest, quite handsome and more worthy of her attention than the fey Oscar who reminded me a bit of Clifton Webb in "Laura". The atmosphere is eerie with the family a very unhappy one, where a death by natural causes seems to be suspicious, and where secrets lurk around every corner. Good for the type of film it is, but overloaded with cliches.