I suspect that most film fans are familiar with Ethel Barrymore's portrayal of the
rich spinster woman whose house is taken over by a gang of grifters. This earlier
version with Aline McMahon in the title role is not that often shown. That is a
pity because McMahon is just wonderful in the role. It also apparently set a
pattern for her playing woman older than herself.
In the tradition of no good deed goes unpunished McMahon finds a starving a pitiful artist on the doorstep of her London townhouse. That is Basil Rathbone who presents such a pitiful figure that she takes him in. Pretty soon he's got himself a wife and baby there and gradually takes over the running of the house. A whole bunch of others move in to take over the various servant positions including Dudley Digges, Murray Kinnell, Eily Malyon, Justine Chase, and Barbara Shields.
It's alluded to, but never rightly said that this group has worked this game before of systematically looting a place and then moving on. We know that these people are not above murder to achieve their ends.
The women of the group are a low class group of scavengers, the men however Rathbone, Digges, and Kinnell exude an air of menace in their performances. They've really covered all bases, keeping McMahon a prisoner in her own home with no contact with the outside world. To the outside world the story was given out that she had gone to America.
Sometimes a film like this even with no unearthly creatures in the story can step over into the horror film genre. This is what Kind Lady does, these grifters are not lovable con artists, they are more frightening than any kind of ghoul because they are real.
Fans of Aline McMahon and Basil Rathbone should catch this one.
In the tradition of no good deed goes unpunished McMahon finds a starving a pitiful artist on the doorstep of her London townhouse. That is Basil Rathbone who presents such a pitiful figure that she takes him in. Pretty soon he's got himself a wife and baby there and gradually takes over the running of the house. A whole bunch of others move in to take over the various servant positions including Dudley Digges, Murray Kinnell, Eily Malyon, Justine Chase, and Barbara Shields.
It's alluded to, but never rightly said that this group has worked this game before of systematically looting a place and then moving on. We know that these people are not above murder to achieve their ends.
The women of the group are a low class group of scavengers, the men however Rathbone, Digges, and Kinnell exude an air of menace in their performances. They've really covered all bases, keeping McMahon a prisoner in her own home with no contact with the outside world. To the outside world the story was given out that she had gone to America.
Sometimes a film like this even with no unearthly creatures in the story can step over into the horror film genre. This is what Kind Lady does, these grifters are not lovable con artists, they are more frightening than any kind of ghoul because they are real.
Fans of Aline McMahon and Basil Rathbone should catch this one.