Alex da Silva Joan Fontaine has 2 men on the go when she decides to pursue a third – wealthy Herbert Marshall (Rushworth) who doesn't have either looks or age on his side. However, his bank account is most attractive. So, Joan has a problem because she is married to uninspiring Richard Ney (Jervis) and he completely loves her. No divorce on the horizon, there, I'm afraid. She also has a lover – doctor Patric Knowles (Roger). This is convenient because doctors have access to poisons. Do you get the idea? This is a costume drama with a murder plot that Police Inspector Cedric Hardwicke (Orpington) is determined to solve. Fontaine is very good in the lead role and can carry the film on her facial expressions alone. There is a spooky fortune teller Una O'Connor (Matilda) who appears at the beginning of the film to give Fontaine a reading whilst accompanied by a piano playing little man to provide some atmosphere. It's an interesting set-up. Pity it doesn't happen today like that.We have clandestine meetings, a grandfather clock that stops ticking, an expensive purse with a secret compartment and lots of glamour not to mention an abrupt ending that works quite well.

spotted-owl Ivy (1947) is an excellent "gaslight noir" film, with elements of Hitchcock and Victorian Gothic. Joan Fontaine is superb as the beautiful villainess Ivy. The film is visually stunning, with a suspenseful storyline. This rare gem deserves more recognition. Ivy is a beautiful blonde woman with a soft voice and elegant manners. She wears gorgeous Edwardian fashions, and extravagant hats with veils. However, beneath the alluring exterior is a cold hearted woman who is obsessed with having beautiful things, such as gowns, jewelry and opulent apartments. She is ruthless in her pursuit of beautiful items, to the point of murder. Ivy spent all her husband's money, and her lover is a doctor who cares for the poor. Neither man can give Ivy the beautiful things she craves.When Ivy meets the much older multimillionaire Miles Rushworth, she plots to scheme her way into his heart.There is a dramatic scene on Rushworth's yacht where Ivy tries to seduce him. Ivy appears in the doorway, looking gorgeous in a low-cut evening gown. Rushworth is tempted, but tells her that he does not become involved with married women.When Ivy's husband refuses to divorce her, she resorts to poisoning him, and then frames her lover for the murder. Suspense builds as the police try to determine who murdered Ivy's husband.Ivy hides her poison in a black purse with a strange clasp in the shape of a woman's face. The female face clasp is symbolic, as poison was a woman's weapon in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, because it was secretive and nonconfrontational. This is a "gaslight noir" film, set in Edwardian England, but with 1940s noir light and shadow, including the iconic noir slatted shadows. The movie has some Hitchcockian elements, such as a cool blonde, a man wrongfully accused, mirrors, and a build up of suspense.Victorian Gothic elements include the spooky clairvoyant woman, and her assistant who plays an eerie tune on the piano. The eerie music recurs throughout the film, and adds to the atmosphere. Legendary art director and producer William Cameron Menzies gave the film stunning visuals and atmosphere. The sets are lavish. Ivy's costumes are gorgeous confections of lace, chiffon and glitter. This film has a suspenseful storyline, excellent performances, lavish sets and costumes, great atmosphere, dramatic noir lighting, and a beautiful villainess. Hopefully a DVD will be released soon.

peter_puppet Does anyone happen to know where this film was shot? The aviation scene on the cliff is beautiful. It appears to be England. However, Ivy's apartment building certainly looks like the Brill Building, with its fascinating elevators.Charles Mendl is listed as playing "Sir Charles Gage". Maybe I blinked, but I never saw him. Perhaps he was the husband's lawyer, but, again, I don't recall that character being in the film, other than being mentioned as having made a phone call. Perhaps he was in the aviation scene? Or the ballroom scene? Did anyone spot him?Herbert Marshall was 57 years old when he shot this film.

Neil Doyle 'Ivy' was originally intended to star Olivia de Havilland in the title role until the actress rejected it at the last moment over a contract dispute. Costumes were all ready and Joan Fontaine stepped in for her sister with rather moderate results. Under Sam Wood's direction, Fontaine never makes Ivy seem capable of the evil deeds. In other words, she's an interesting replacement but only partially successful, depending on a coy and flirtatious manner to carry the role. It seems too much a surface portrait of evil but Fontaine manages to be very fetching as a Victorian lady.IVY is a beautiful woman unhappy with her marriage to a weak husband (Richard Ney). To improve her status she seeks the attention of a wealthy man (Herbert Marshall) and decides to rid herself of her husband by poisoning him. She also has a lover on the side (Patric Knowles) and isn't above framing him for the crime. Fontaine plays the character in a sly and cunning way but never convinces us that her wicked woman is more than a pose. Herbert Marshall--usually a very fine actor--but here trapped in a role for which he is too old and has neither the charisma nor the romantic charm the part requires. Other performances in a largely British cast are excellent--Patric Knowles, Una O'Connor, Lucille Watson, Sir Cedric Hardwicke. Nice settings and interior art direction under the talented hand of William Cameron Menzies. A very effective opening with Ivy going to a fortune-teller (Una O'Connor) who sees only too well the future awaiting the heroine. A rather abrupt ending comes as somewhat of a surprise. Summing up: a handsome and atmospheric Victorian melodrama flawed by miscasting, particularly Marshall (too old for the part) and Richard Ney, woefully wooden, as the poisoned husband. All the elements are here for suspenseful treatment, but Sam Wood's direction is too tepid and slow-paced to make this anything more than an average Victorian melodrama.