The Madonna's Secret

"The Madonna's Secret" is a noir starring Frances Lederer, Gail Patrick, Ann Rutherford, Linda Stirling, Leona Roberts, and John Litel.

Frances Lederer plays tortured artist James Corbin, who moved to America after being accused of the murder of one of his models. He was acquitted, but found it best to start over. He works with a model named Helen North, but he doesn't paint her face. Her face is that of his dead love, Madeline.

Helen, under pressure from a boyfriend, decides to quit working for Corbin. Part of the reason is that she is falling for him, and it's not going anywhere. Five minutes after she quits, Corbin declares his love for her and wants her as part of his life.

Well, that doesn't last long. Helen is soon murdered in the same fashion as Madeline. A newpaper publisher who recognized Madeline's portraits knows who Corbin is and exposes him to the police. He's arrested for Helen's murder, but they have to release him because he has an alibi.

The police send in Helen's sister Linda (Rutherford) to model for him and to get any information that she can. Along comes a wealthy woman, Ella Randolph, who wants to buy the Madonna's Secret, one of Corbin's portraits of Madeline. She flirts outrageously with him and soon, she sees herself as a competitor for Linda.

Corbin is a chick magnet, and Linda has fallen for him as well. She is devastated when Ella says she and Corbin are going to be married (which isn't true). Then Ella winds up dead. Corbin is slapped in jail.

So what gives here? This is an atmospheric film with a good performance by the handsome Lederer, who really keeps you guessing, as does the script.

It's a good mystery, although I can't see all these women, particularly a victim's sister, falling for this guy. Francis Lederer is one thing - the character is another!

By the way, Lederer founded a drama school and was still teaching the week of his death at age 101. A remarkable man.

"The Madonna's Secret" is a pretty good film. Had it offered more red herrings and possibilities, it would have been even better.

James Corbin (Francis Lederer) is a famous painter who is hiding out in America. Why is he hiding? Because back in Europe one of his models was murdered and he was tried for this crime. Although acquitted, his reputation has been ruined. He is still painting however and once again he's fallen in love with his model...and she soon is found dead!! Once again he's arrested but they have to release him because he had an alibi. But a reporter insists that Corbin in guilty and convinces the recently murdered model's sister (Ann Rutherford) to become the next model to get the goods on Corbin. However, she and another model both soon fall in love with the guy! Are they destined to die as well? And, most importantly, who is doing this and why?

I think the plot was very, very clever and I enjoyed the movie. But it had a few things that should have been done a bit better. First, having Rutherford's character fall in love so easily, considering her sister just died and he might have done it, seemed unbelievable. Second, there just weren't many possible killers introduced during the course of the movie and I correctly guessed their identity almost immediately. A few red herrings definitely would have added to the suspense. Still, despite a few problems here and there, a dandy picture.

The Madonna's Secret (1946)

** (out of 4)

Artist James Corbin (Francis Lederer) has his latest model murdered and it strikes one man (Edward Ashley) strange that a previous model died the same way. The second victim's sister (Ann Rutherford) decides to go undercover as a model to try and prove that the artist is the murderer. THE MADONNA'S SECRET features some good performances and nice cinematography but that's about it as the story itself is rather tiresome and director Wilhelm Thiele just doesn't add too much suspense to the material. In fact, I'd say that the entire film has a very weak energy level that really keeps the viewer from getting too caught up in the material. The screenplay itself really doesn't have too much going for it as there are way too many long dialogue sequences that just go no where and end up hurting the film more than helping. As I said, the performances are actually pretty good and they help keep the film moving. Lederer was very believable as the troubled artist and I really liked how the actor could make you not trust him one second but then change your mind the next. Ashley makes for an entertaining good guy and Rutherford gets to shine in a role away from Andy Hardy. John Litel is good as the main cop on the case and Leona Roberts is also good as the artist's mother. I will admit that the final twist in the story is a good one and something that I didn't see coming.

This is one of these murder mysteries where we, the audience, are clued in from the start. It's up to the stars to decide whether or not tortured artist "Corbin" (Francis Lederer) is responsible for a murder in Paris (for which he was acquitted) and another in the US. Both women had been his model as some stage, so the finger well and truly points in his direction. It falls to the murdered girl's sister "Linda" (Ann Rutherford) to pose as his latest model whilst he paints both her portrait, and that of the wealthy "Ella" (Gail Patrick) - who might be next for the chop? It's actually quite a wordy exercise, this, with no stand out efforts and little by way humour or jeopardy. Moves along quickly though, and the production is pretty competent. Not a film you'll remember but not one you're likely to hate either.

The Madonna's Secret (1946)

A psycho-mystery that broods and clunks along pretty well but too much a twist on a twist kind of movie. In fact, it's so obvious that the main character, a tortured artist, is suspected from the first minute, you know something else is up. What you don't suspect is what, and so by the end there is that final twist. I suppose this should or could have been a Vincent Price Gothic chiller, but in the hands of the leading man, Francis Lederer, it's a dark and serious affair. No camp allowed.

This comes near the end of director William Thiele's B-movie career (followed by a slew of Lone Ranger t.v. episodes and then, a step sideways for 36 shows of Cavalcade of America, a staple of 1950s American middlebrow normalcy). So we might be glad the movie is as good as it is, and I think the main reason is ace cinematographer John Alton. There are subtle movements of the camera that make an ordinary conversation take on depth, at least in terms of mise-en-scene. And the truly dramatic lighting (including some obvious back projection stuff of Lederer speeding in a boat at night) is great just to watch.

The series of women who pose and/or get themselves killed is curious--they do all look the same at a glance--and might have been more fun if extended a bit more. That is, they are all relatively cardboard characters, including the main character, who can't get out of his angst filled cliché, and so we can't really get involved emotionally in their fates. We just watch. And so thank you Mr. Alton for making that watching worth the ride. If you don't give a hoot about lights and camera, give this a by.