The Last Man to Hang Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

The Last Man to Hang Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 30, 2026

Terence Fisher's "The Last Man Standing" (1956) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman; vintage newsreel; collection of vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The love that wasn't meant to be.

Someone should have mentioned to Terrence Fisher the unmissable -- his film The Last Man to Hang has a serious problem with logic. It treats it as an annoying distraction, which is bizarre, to say the least, because the entire story it tells is about different types of it. In it, supposedly very intelligent people constantly use logic to argue their favorite version of a tragic event that may or may not have been a carefully planned murder. However, the more they do, the harder The Last Man to Hang works to discredit them.

The story moves between the present and the past. At London Airport, Sir Roderick Strood (Tom Conway), who has been on a business trip to America, is arrested by the authorities. Shortly after, he is accused of murdering his wife, Daphne (Elizabeth Sellars), whom he had been planning to divorce. It appears there is enough solid evidence that Strood is indeed a killer. During an intense dispute before his trip to America, Strood’s wife pulls his gun and attempts to commit suicide. He successfully recovers the gun, but not before his wife fires it, bringing their elderly maid, Mrs. Tucker (Freda Jackson), looking perplexed and utterly terrified. Strood gives his wife sleeping pills, with Mrs. Tucker still in the room, and later she dies.

A series of flashbacks reveals why Strood had planned to divorce his wife. In a recording studio, he meets Elizabeth (Eunice Grayson), a gorgeous soprano singer, who instantly steals his heart. The two begin seeing each other and, initially reluctantly, Strood decides to part ways with his wife and start a new life with his mistress. Then, he makes plans to divorce his wife the right way. For this, and plenty more, it is revealed that Mrs. Tucker can barely tolerate Strood’s presence.

After the murder trial begins, Strood’s entire persona is reexamined from different angles. The jurors who are supposed to determine his fate cannot agree whether he is a very intelligent, cold-hearted killer or an innocent man with terrible luck. Eventually, virtually all of them come to believe that he is the former, but one vehemently disagrees with the logic behind their arguments. Then, an unexpected reset forces everyone to see the final moments of Strood’s wife from an entirely new angle.

Several developments leading to Strood’s arrest are improbable. However, several others suggest that an entirely believable mosaic of events may be on the horizon and, at the right time, Fisher will reveal it to the audience. It is not what happens. As the resolution nears, The Last Man to Hang does not miss a good opportunity to hurt the integrity of its story, almost as if to prove that court cases where the Stroods of the world are judged by supposedly intelligent and unbiased jurors are nothing but a public circus. In this context, the resolution makes some sense, but it is easier to describe as a piece of parody.

The Last Man to Hang could have been a fabulous film, easy to link to Sidney Lumet’s masterpiece 12 Angry Men. Instead, it is the kind of film that can be referenced to highlight material that proper legal dramas should avoid.

The Last Man to Hang Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.75:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Last Man to Hang arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an older master. However, it is a good master that produces good visuals with pleasing organic qualities. Sone inconsistencies are easy to spot. For example, in a few places, density fluctuations create softness and even a bit of flatness. Also, grain exposure can be a bit uneven. Still, there is plenty to see, and all visuals maintain a very fine grayscale. I did not see any traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is good. From time to time, small blemishes can appear here and there, but there are no large and distracting surface imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Last Man to Hang Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

John Wooldridge's score creates some excitement. However, The Last Man to Hang is not a film that attempts to impress with great dynamic variety. The dialogue is clear and easy to follow, but in several areas, some unevenness can be noticed. As far as I can tell, it is inherited. A bit of extremely light hiss ocasionally sneaks in, but there are no distortions, pops, cracks, etc.

The Last Man to Hang Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critics Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman.

• Films Fanfare No. 5 (1956) - presented here is a British Pathe newsreel, showing a lucky competition winner spending a day with the cast and crew of The Last Man to Hang. With music. (5 min).

• The Guardian Lecture with Ivor Montagu - presented here is a recorded audio program from "Lenin on Film", an event held at the National Film Theater in London, in April 1977. In English, not subtitled.

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for The Last Man to Hang.

• Book - a 120-page book with new essays by Jonathan Bygraves, Andrew Spicer, Pamela Hutchinson, Robert Murphy, Chloe Walker, and Bethan Roberts; an archival on-set report for A Prize of Gold; extracts from The Last Man to Hang's pressbook; collected archival interviews with Wicked as They Come director Ken Hughes; an American Cinematographer report on The Long Haul; a reprint of a Films and Filming article on Fortune Is a Woman filmmakers Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder; new writing on A Test for Love and This Little Ship; and film credits.

The Last Man to Hang Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Apparently, The Last Man to Hang was supposed to be a messenger at a time when an important legal issue was debated in the United Kingdom. I cannot see how this is a good excuse for its ridiculous resolution, plus half a dozen other developments that are allergic to logic. It is a very strange film, inviting speculations that it may have been worked on by two different directors. Also, it is incredibly difficult to describe as a film noir. It is included in Indicator/Powerhouse Films' Columbia Noir #7: Made in Britain six-disc box set.