A costume drama by Alfred Hitchcock (!!!). Henrietta Flusky (Ingrid Bergman) has a cruel husband (Joseph Cotten) and a vicious maid (Margaret Leighton) who verbally tear her apart and make her feel worthless. Handsome Charles Adare (Michael Wilding) is attracted to her but she's married...and might be going crazy...
Hitchcock was NOT the right director for this. He didn't know how to do a costume drama and it shows. But I give him credit for trying and it's really not that bad ("The Trouble With Harry" is his worst film). I was lucky enough to see a vault print in IB Technicolor so that helped. The picture was crystal clear and the colors strong and vibrant. It is (of course) well directed but the acting is all over the place. I've never liked Cotten and this movie doesn't change my mind. He's dreadful-- very stiff and wooden. Wilding is given little to do but stand around looking handsome--which he pulls off. Bergman is very good--but she had done this role before (Anybody remember "Gaslight"?). And Leighton was just great. Cruel and evil and she has a great scene at the end. She should have at least received an Academy Award nomination for this...but she didn't.
So, it's far from great but it's not the disaster everybody says it is.
Hitchcock was NOT the right director for this. He didn't know how to do a costume drama and it shows. But I give him credit for trying and it's really not that bad ("The Trouble With Harry" is his worst film). I was lucky enough to see a vault print in IB Technicolor so that helped. The picture was crystal clear and the colors strong and vibrant. It is (of course) well directed but the acting is all over the place. I've never liked Cotten and this movie doesn't change my mind. He's dreadful-- very stiff and wooden. Wilding is given little to do but stand around looking handsome--which he pulls off. Bergman is very good--but she had done this role before (Anybody remember "Gaslight"?). And Leighton was just great. Cruel and evil and she has a great scene at the end. She should have at least received an Academy Award nomination for this...but she didn't.
So, it's far from great but it's not the disaster everybody says it is.