The late Edwina Black was a nasty, sick woman. She is never seen, but we can guess what she was like. Like the unseen Rebecca of Daphne du Maurier's classic which became an Academy Award winning Hitchcock film, Edwina left her mark behind her. She even has a devoted housekeeper in Ellen (Jean Cadell) who hates the fact that her mistress's widower (David Farrar) openly cavorted with fellow servant Geraldine Fitzgerald. Traces of arsenic in Edwina's system leads to a murder investigation by Scotland Yard investigator Roland Culver who cleverly begins to put the pieces together. This leads to a cat and mouse game between Ferrar and Fitzgerald, and at times it seems that one of them thinks that the other is guilty of murder.
Reminding me of the later "Footsteps in the First" with Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger because of its similar scenario (with a surprisingly different outcome), this grabs you from the very start. Cadell, whose Ellen is much older than the sinister Mrs. Danvers of "Rebecca", is just as bitter and conniving, biding her time before she snaps. When she does, the gloves are off for a battle of wits between her and the star-crossed lovers who are having their own issues trusting each other. The spirit of the late Edwina seems to be lingering around too, and her ghostly presence is sure to make the guilty party crack.
All four actors give excellent performances, but it is Jean Caddell and Roland Culver who will be remembered when this film is talked about. Unfortunately, it is still obscure 70 years later, and should be made as a part of festivals of British Cinema history and gothic melodrama of which it is a superb example of. The script is captivating and the physical look of the film superb. Under the direction of Maurice Elvey, this is not just your ordinary gothic melodrama. It is a work of art with a brilliant conclusion that will have you dropping your jaw.
Reminding me of the later "Footsteps in the First" with Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger because of its similar scenario (with a surprisingly different outcome), this grabs you from the very start. Cadell, whose Ellen is much older than the sinister Mrs. Danvers of "Rebecca", is just as bitter and conniving, biding her time before she snaps. When she does, the gloves are off for a battle of wits between her and the star-crossed lovers who are having their own issues trusting each other. The spirit of the late Edwina seems to be lingering around too, and her ghostly presence is sure to make the guilty party crack.
All four actors give excellent performances, but it is Jean Caddell and Roland Culver who will be remembered when this film is talked about. Unfortunately, it is still obscure 70 years later, and should be made as a part of festivals of British Cinema history and gothic melodrama of which it is a superb example of. The script is captivating and the physical look of the film superb. Under the direction of Maurice Elvey, this is not just your ordinary gothic melodrama. It is a work of art with a brilliant conclusion that will have you dropping your jaw.