To my great embarrassment, I knew nothing about Director Irving Rapper until I watched ANOTHER MAN'S POISON - and what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be! Since watching, I have learned that Rapper lived to the age of 101 and was a particularly gifted dialogue director.
In this film he gets superior assistance from Robert Krasker behind the camera - superlative photography, especially with the evocative bursts of rain and the brooding atmosphere surrounding the house - and from Bette Davis and Gary Merrill, who had just come from featuring together in ALL ABOUT EVE, the year before, and show continued excellent form. Emlyn Williams as Dr. Henderson, Anthony Steel as Davis' young lover, and the rest of the British supporting cast are also top notch.
While direction, acting and photography deserve the highest plaudits, the single most impressive aspect was the screenplay by Val Guest off the play by Leslie Sands. Not only does it successfully skate over the thin ice of credibility and keep you riveted with many twists and turns, with the two leading characters selfishly pursuing their own interests to the point of killing man and beast, there is a Romeo and Juliet kind of ending that works extremely well, and posts more than a nuance of dark and ironic humor. Davis laughing wildly at her own demise offers a truly unforgettable sequence.
Recommended viewing. 9/10.
In this film he gets superior assistance from Robert Krasker behind the camera - superlative photography, especially with the evocative bursts of rain and the brooding atmosphere surrounding the house - and from Bette Davis and Gary Merrill, who had just come from featuring together in ALL ABOUT EVE, the year before, and show continued excellent form. Emlyn Williams as Dr. Henderson, Anthony Steel as Davis' young lover, and the rest of the British supporting cast are also top notch.
While direction, acting and photography deserve the highest plaudits, the single most impressive aspect was the screenplay by Val Guest off the play by Leslie Sands. Not only does it successfully skate over the thin ice of credibility and keep you riveted with many twists and turns, with the two leading characters selfishly pursuing their own interests to the point of killing man and beast, there is a Romeo and Juliet kind of ending that works extremely well, and posts more than a nuance of dark and ironic humor. Davis laughing wildly at her own demise offers a truly unforgettable sequence.
Recommended viewing. 9/10.