O Criminoso

Ralph Richardson stars with Dana Wynyard in this 1939 film, "On the Night of the Fire."

Richardson plays a barber, Will Kobling, who walks by an open window, sees some money on a desk and steals it.

His wife, in an attempt to keep up with her wealthy sister, winds up owing money to a local merchant. He is somewhat of a loan shark, but when Kit pays him with stolen money, the police become suspicious due to numbers on the bills.

This leads to a great deal of tragedy, with Kobling wanted for murder and ultimately going into hiding.

Ralph Richardson was such a magnificent actor that a good deal of this film is done in silence. It is enormously effective. On the set of The Heiress, Montgomery Clift complained that Richardson never made a mistake.

Despite all his transgressions, we are sympathetic toward Kobling and his wife, Wynyard giving a beautiful performance.

Definitely worth seeing especially for the performances.