Hatter's Castle
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Lance Comfort
Robert Newton
James Mason
Deborah Kerr
Emlyn Williams
Enid Stamp-taylor
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In Scotland, in 1879, James Brodie, a wealthy hatter, has built a mansion known disparagingly in the town as "Hatter's Castle." Although his wealth makes him powerful, Brodie, a brutal tyrant, is widely disliked. Claiming to be related to the local peers, Brodie pins his hopes for social advancement on the academic success of his frail son Angus. When Dennis, a former lover of Brodie's mistress Nancy, arrives in town, she persuades Brodie to hire him as a clerk. Behind Brodie's back, his daughter Mary asks young Dr. Renwick to treat her mother's serious illness. Brodie returns home while Renwick is there and angrily orders him out, but not before the doctor reports that Mrs. Brodie is extremely ill, and Angus is anemic from overwork. Later, Brodie scolds his wife for sending for Renwick instead of their usual doctor and urges Angus to study harder. One day, Grierson, who owns the store next to Brodie's, tells the hatter that he is putting his shop up for sale and suggests that Brodie buy it and extend his business. After Brodie scathingly rejects the proposal, Dennis secretly offers to put Grierson in touch with a buyer in Glasgow for a percentage of the profits. Later, Mary brings Brodie's top hat to the shop, and Dennis flirts with her. Before she leaves, Renwick comes to purchase a hat and gloves to wear at an upcoming ball, and Mary promises to see him there. The night of the ball, Brodie catches Mary giving pain medication prescribed by Renwick to her mother and forbids the girl to attend. When Dennis overhears Brodie tell Renwick that Mary will not be coming, he immediately takes champagne and cakes to the Brodie house, then worms his way inside and seduces Mary. Mrs. Brodie collapses at the ball, and Renwick reveals that she has cancer. The next day, Renwick waits until Brodie leaves the house, then apologizes to Mary for inadvertently keeping her from the ball. He then proposes marriage, but Mary, who loves him, turns him down because of what transpired the previous night with Dennis. On the day that the new owners of Grierson's store, a large hat company from Glasgow, hold their grand opening, Mary tells Dennis that she is pregnant. Thinking he will get money from her father, Dennis tells her his plans for opening a shop in London, but he soon learns that Brodie is deeply in debt from the expense of building Hatter's Castle. Dennis then decides to ask Nancy for the money. Brodie walks in on the couple and angrily accuses Dennis of stealing from him. In retaliation, Dennis reveals Mary's condition. Brodie orders Dennis to leave town and later sends Mary away in a raging storm. She joins Dennis on the train, but when he makes it clear that he has no intention of marrying her, she leaves the train, which soon is destroyed in a wreck. Some time later, Mrs. Brodie tells Renwick that she has received a letter from Mary, disclosing that her baby died and that she is now living on a farm. As his wife gets weaker, Brodie brings Nancy into the house as a housekeeper. The loss of her daughter and Brodie's callous treatment are too much for Mrs. Brodie, who dies. Most of the townspeople have transferred their business to the new shop, and in despair, Brodie begins to drink heavily. After Nancy leaves him, Brodie's only hope is that Angus will win a scholarship. The intense pressure of his father's desires drive Angus to cheat. He is disqualified from the competition, and knowing that he has disappointed Brodie, kills himself. Blaming the house for his ill fortune, Brodie sets fire to it, burning Angus' body and himself. Mary returns for the funeral and finds Renwick faithfully waiting for her.
Director
Lance Comfort
Cast
Robert Newton
James Mason
Deborah Kerr
Emlyn Williams
Enid Stamp-taylor
Beatrice Varley
Henry Oscar
Lawrence Hanray
Brefni O'rorke
Claude Bailey
George Merritt
Roddy Hughes
Stuart Lindsell
David Keir
Aubrey Mallalieu
Mary Hinton
Ian Fleming
Anthony Bateman
John Slater
D. J. Williams
June Holden
Crew
Rodney Ackland
R. Bernaur
James Carter
I. Goldsmith
Max Greene
E. J. Holding
Paul Merzbach
V. Permane
Douglas Robertson
Horace Shepherd Mus. Bac.
C. C. Smith
A. W. Watkins
Douglas Woolsey
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Hatter's Castle was produced by Paramount's British company in 1941, but was not released in the United States until 1948. According to Los Angeles Times, the picture was held back until its stars were better known to American audiences. The same article names David E. Rose as producer, but he was the managing director for Paramount in Great Britain and Eire.
