Robert J. Maxwell This historical mystery/drama is set in the 1860s in England and we see Sidney Greenstreet writing with a quill pen, although metal nibs were first manufactured in England in 1822 and the quill pen had been largely replaced.The viewer will most likely put more effort into untangling the various intrigues and plots than the director put into bothering about pens. And it does take effort to untangle those intrigues and plots. There are mysterious clues all over the place, popping up here and there, in a suspicious glance, a resigned tone, or a slight stiffening of the body. There is a solution, but it comes all atumble at the very end, from one of the characters, just before he gets a tough love version of retributive justice, namely a dagger in the back. It seems to startle him.The performances are okay. The best is the outrageously overacted role of Frederick Fairlie by John Abbott. He's a peremptory hypochondriac, constantly browbeating the ever faithful servant Louie and making imperious demands on everyone around him. The other characters seem like mannequins compared to old Fred.To be honest, I found it a long hard trundle. The adaptation is clumsy, really. Gig Young, the protagonist, and Eleanor Parker, the heiress, have exchanged one or two words before Young falls deeply in love. I've never read the novel but I would guess that the happy ending was tacked on by Warners for commercial reasons, but maybe not.

LeonLouisRicci This Novel by Wilkie Collins (1860), was Considered by Most as the First Detective/Mystery , but the Work of Edgar Allan Poe Could Also be a Contender Depending on the Parsing. This was a Time when Words Were the Imagery of the Day. A Pre-Mass-Media Era When People Spoke and Writers Wrote in Long Elaborate Sentences Punctuated With Particulars, Endless Descriptives, and a Sort of Flowery Wit that has been Overcome by a Transference in Time of that Method, Style, and Tradition.This Tale has been Told a Number of Times. In This One, the 600 Page Gothic Novel was Produced as a Less than Two Hour Film from WB. it Features a Good Cast with Eccentric Characters in Ominous Surroundings.It was Also a Time when Men Awarded the Honorific "Sir" were Able to Control, Manipulate, and Otherwise Move Women About Like Chessboard Pieces to Fit Their Nefarious, Greedy, and Lustful Needs. A Time of Arranged Marriages and the Weaker Sex Could be Hauled Off to Asylums if They Got in the Way or were Any Kind of Hindrance for the Patriarchy. Hypnotism is an Easy Hollywood Contrivance for This Type of Man's Manipulation, Mostly Because it Can be a Visual Venting of the Psychological Games Being Played and is a Convenient Time Compressor for the Maddening of the Mind that Might Take Years. Sydney Greenstreet Plays the Heavy, Eleanor Parker in a Dual Role, and Agnes Moorehead Barely Shows Up, but Scorches the Screen in Her Few Scenes.Alexis Smith is Beautiful and John Abbott as a Hypochondriac Blue Blood Also Stands Out and Adds a Bit of Comedy Relief, Max Steiner's Heavy Score is Prevalent. But it is the Domination Factor and Mood of it All that Gives the Film its Awe. Pay Attention to the Wordy Script for it Contains a Reflection of the Kind of Thing that Mid-Nineteenth Century Readers Paid to Participate.

Hitchcoc I love these old spooky classics. This one has all the elements of the Gothic novel. It has the forced marriage, the mysterious woman in the woods, the young lover who has to go, and some great villains. At the top of the list is one of the greatest character actors ever, Sydney Greenstreet. Did he ever make a bad movie? He has total control of every scene in which he appears. One of my favorite scenes is when they are at dinner and the young count is eating with Greenstreet's monkey on his shoulder. Greenstreet throws his wine at him. It is to say, "I'm the boss of everyone here. Don't forget that." Otherwise, with some pretty dramatic silliness involving women and Gig Young's sort of dull character, it comes out quite well. It contains suspense and darkness and a satisfactory conclusion. it has some very nice camera work, and the house is quite magnificent.

edwagreen Miserable film showcasing 2 excellent acting performances. John Emery, as Percival, a nervous wreck is simply marvelous here. He can't take any noise and I wonder how he could have taken any of this miserably crafted and written film.Sydney Greenstreet is so good here because the part of being so sinister was made to order for him.Eleanor Parker has the pleasure of have a dual role here, as one woman, victimized by a fortune hunter and another, dressed in white, who is absolutely off her mind. Speaking of off, Agnes Moorehead looks like a mannequin here. She is totally off the wall and is a perfect foil for "husband" Greenstreet.The writing is simply awful and dull. The film is a period piece taking place in Victorian England of 1851. The dark, somber mood is befitting here.