Lennox Berkeley: Film Music for Hotel Reserve

Hotel Reserve was an RKO production British spy film set just before the outbreak of World War II. The film follows Peter Vadassy, an Austrian medical student and refugee, who is vacationing at the Hotel Reserve on the French Mediterranean coast. His holiday takes an unexpected turn when he is accused of espionage after some photographs developed from his camera reveal images of French military installations. It turns out that while the camera is the same make as Peter’s, the serial number is different, leading to the discovery that someone else at the hotel must have a similar camera.

Vadassy is released by French naval intelligence on the condition that he identifies the real spy among the hotel guests. His investigation leads him to eavesdrop on suspicious conversations and search guests’ rooms, uncovering multiple passports and a web of deceit. The story escalates with threats, bribery attempts, and a dramatic police chase, culminating in the revelation of the true spies and their motives.

The script was based on Eric Ambler’s 1938 novel Epitaph for a Spy. James Mason stars as Peter Vadassy, “delivering a compelling performance that captures the tension and intrigue of pre-war espionage.” Other actors included Herbert Lom, Lucie Manheim and Raymond Lovell.

Tony Scotland (Lennox and Freda, Michael Russell, 2010, p.341) explains that due to “the difficulties of getting his…work broadcast, encouraged [Berkeley] to look elsewhere for commissions, and like Walton…turned to films.” He was asked “at very short notice” to compose the score for Hotel Reserve.

The music for the film was recorded on 28 October 1944, by the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Muir Mathieson. The movie was directed by Victor Hanbury, Lance Comfort and Max Greene.

The stylistic impact of the score is very much of its time. It balances suspense and drama with the occasional romantic overtones. A large orchestra was used, allowing the composer to create a score that contributes to the film’s overall anxiety and atmosphere.

The critic John Huntley (British Film Music, Skelton Robinson, 1947, p.67) considered that “the music was better than the film.”

Sadly, the holograph is missing. A short extract from the film score has been preserved on YouTube, here. The entire movie can be viewed on the Internet Archive, here.