Busman's Honeymoon (1940)

Fresh and Exciting

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Quite similar to the The Thin Man series, a witty married couple bands together to help solve a murder in Haunted Honeymoon. Robert Montgomery, a man who solves crimes as a hobby, and Constance Cummings, a crime novelist, are married and vow to give up that part of their lives. However, as soon as they arrive at an English cottage for their honeymoon, a man is murdered! There are an abundance of suspects, from the niece who was to inherit the deceased's money, Joan Kemp-Welch, to the poor handyman, Robert Newton, to the corrupt policeman, James Carney. Their friend, Leslie Banks, is the detective assigned to the case, and he continually tries to goad them back into their greatest hobby. "You know where to find us?" Robert Montgomery asks as he and Constance physically leave the room to avoid the temptation. "I know where to find you," Leslie replies. "We won't be there!" Robert quips back before exiting. The chemistry between the three leads is very funny, as is the chemistry between Robert, Constance, and their butler, Seymour Hicks. Fans of Jeremy Swift, one of the butlers from Downton Abbey will see an uncanny likeness in Seymour's performance, from the facial expressions to the delivery of his lines.Parts of Haunted Honeymoon are very funny, but parts of the crime-solving methods are a little far-fetched. If you like comedy better than sleuthing, you'll probably like this one. And if you're curious to hear Robert Newton sneaking in a pre-pirate accent, which was based on his natural accent, you'll get a kick out of his rough, bad-boy role. If you don't end up liking this movie, you can always take Robert Montgomery's advice after an unpleasant experience: "Don't mention it. Don't talk about it. Don't think it."

For me, "Haunted Honeymoon" was a perfect follow-up (although it was made almost half a century earlier!) to the Edward Petherbridge - Harriet Walter / Lord Peter Wimsey - Harriet Vane films; in the first one of those three films he meets her, in the second he courts her, in the third he finally wins her heart....and in this one they get married! They go to the country in search of a peaceful honeymoon, but encounter murder instead. And it is done by an ingenious murder trap - one that will be revealed only in the last 3 minutes of this fast-paced film (it may, in fact, be so fast-paced that some aspects of the mystery can be sketchy and confusing on the first viewing). Robert Montgomery may not be aristocratic (or British) enough for the role of Lord Peter Wimsey, but otherwise he is fine, and there is something pleasingly offbeat and idiosyncratic about his chemistry with the gorgeous Constance Cummings. On the whole, if you are a fan of the genre, this movie should be a part of your collection. Funny ending, too. **1/2 out of 4.

This was one of the MGMfilms made at Denham studios prior to the construction of their studios at Boreham Wood.Probably made in the UK to take advantage of the me quota requirements introduced by the 1938 act.This gave double quota for more expensive films.Michael Balcon was briefly in charge till he clashed with Louis B Mayer and left for Ealing.The problem with this film is that it is far too long.It spends the first 20 minutes without starting to advance the plot.The result being that by this time you have lost all interest in the film and therefore by the time the film really starts you could not care less.Looking at the credits 3 writers get credit but it probably had the input of many more.So. it becomes something of a dog's dinner.Any thriller made at Merton Park is better than this

This film has the makings of a good mystery film -- detective hubby marries mystery-writer wife, and move into the house where the wife was born.Unbeknownst to them, the last owner of the house was murdered the night before!This film relies HEAVILY on "local color" and the "local characters" to keep it going. (The mystery is a flop). It's overlong (you wonder WHEN it will end!) and the title is misleading -- there's no "supernatural element" in it whatsoever. Recommended for insomniacs!Norm