Originally a play, the director has chosen not to open it up, so that the story is housebound and, by the standards of 63 years later, hokey - I mean, 40% of American children are born out of wedlock today, yet back in 1952, when that figure was no more than 6 or 7 percent, the subject could hardly be mentioned in American films. One assumes more or less the same percentages in England, yet over there they could meet the challenge head on and actually make a film in which most of the female characters are unwed mothers, some expecting to be wed in time, others having given up hope, still others benefiting from the Total Woe. If that sounds unpromising, watch this film, for it is an object lesson in fine acting by (mainly) postwar British actresses (the only male role in the film with more than a few lines is Lawrence Harvey's), and despite the high theatrics, you may be riveted for its running length. It boasts some incredible talent, actresses who rarely crossed the ocean, so to speak (only Lois Maxwell, later of James Bond fame, would be well-known outside Britain, but she was Canadian and had her acting chops honed in Great Britain, too). Maxwell is fine, but there are several other actresses who were practically English stage, screen and variety royalty - and I do mean the ever-bonkers Freda Jackson (see her steal "Brides of Dracula" from Peter Cushing and Martita Hunt, if your heart can stand it); the greatly talented Rene Ray, the erstwhile 'young' star of the film, who by this time was past 40 (and looked it) and had been a star for 20 years in film, on stage, and as a singer (and would shortly go on to great success as a science fiction writer!); Vida Hope as Jackson's venomous assistant, exuding pure vitriol much of the time; and the ever-delightful Dora Bryan, who rather than being considered simply a British Institution was surely recognized as a National Treasure. Add to them the tragic Joan Dowling (a suicide at 26) as the Giggling One, Barbara Gordon as the Mad One, etc. and you have a feast of high-powered acting to wallow in. If you are not predisposed to such wallowing, this may not be your cup of tea, but it is the kind of film that could have been made (had they all been of the proper age at the same time) with Katina Paxinou in the Jackson role, Bette Davis in the Ray one, maybe early Eleanor Parker in the Maxwell role, maybe Shirley Maclaine as a good substitute for Bryan, Goldie Hawn in the giggling Dowling role, and Sandy Dennis as Gordon's Mad One. Or, given today's computer graphics, you could have had Glenn Close in her best FATAL ATTRACTION mode replacing Freda Jackson, and Meryl Streep playing everybody else! It's that kind of ensemble acting film, but Streep is an ensemble all by herself. Anyway, enjoy the wallow. Otherwise, pass it by. (But, if you do, you'll really be missing something!)
PS: IMDb gives Lois Maxwell's height as 5'8", but in every scene in this film in which she is standing with any or all of the acting ensemble, she seems to be a foot taller than anybody else in the room!
