Sound cinema's greatest cad George Sanders does a 180 as Uncle Henry, a shy, retiring much put upon brother in this charming and malevolent Robert Siodmak light noir.
Cloth designer Harry Quincy lives a quiet life in servitude to his two needy sisters in a New England town. Sister, Lettie is particularly demanding feigning constant fragility that calls for a lot of Henry's time. When a visitor comes on strong at the office his life is transformed much to the dismay of his possessive sister who now turns on the full court press to abort his intended marriage.
It's odd and vastly entertaining to watch Sanders defer to physically delicate harridan Geraldine Fitzgerald. Sanders pulls off his grand stretch with room to spare, garnering our sympathy and passive support for offing the monstrous Lettie; convincingly played by Eileen Fitzgerald firing off a combo of cutting remarks and hateful glances. Moyna Magill as sister Hester whines as well but transitions at times to the the most logical person in the room. As the love interest Ella Raines comes on as a man eater full steam to Henry but is no match for sister Lettie.
This is director Siodmak's last light film before delving into the darkest (and some of the best) noir in history and while cannot be argued that Henry is a well paced suspense thriller along with the fact it is a given if ever their was a man with original sin it was Sanders the film sells out and while some may be disappointed by this ending you'll never stop pulling for George for a change.
Cloth designer Harry Quincy lives a quiet life in servitude to his two needy sisters in a New England town. Sister, Lettie is particularly demanding feigning constant fragility that calls for a lot of Henry's time. When a visitor comes on strong at the office his life is transformed much to the dismay of his possessive sister who now turns on the full court press to abort his intended marriage.
It's odd and vastly entertaining to watch Sanders defer to physically delicate harridan Geraldine Fitzgerald. Sanders pulls off his grand stretch with room to spare, garnering our sympathy and passive support for offing the monstrous Lettie; convincingly played by Eileen Fitzgerald firing off a combo of cutting remarks and hateful glances. Moyna Magill as sister Hester whines as well but transitions at times to the the most logical person in the room. As the love interest Ella Raines comes on as a man eater full steam to Henry but is no match for sister Lettie.
This is director Siodmak's last light film before delving into the darkest (and some of the best) noir in history and while cannot be argued that Henry is a well paced suspense thriller along with the fact it is a given if ever their was a man with original sin it was Sanders the film sells out and while some may be disappointed by this ending you'll never stop pulling for George for a change.