Die Strohpuppe

Catherine Arley's novel and the play which followed both used to take place in Germany,just after the war.The nurse character was a survivor who had absolutely nothing left and thus had nothing to lose.She read a "job" advertisement -very special- in a paper and she wound up in a noble's desirable mansion.

Hence the changes:the nurse becomes Italian,and the greybeard and his nephew English.It does not make a big difference,and the movie is entertaining anyway.Too slow in its first part,it gains momentum later,and by the last third he's hit its stride:there are almost scary scenes :the old man's sunglasses,the cigarette in the car,the detective in the dead's wheelchair.Lollobrigida,Connery -at "Goldfinger' time- and Richardson give effective performances and the plot is full of suspense.

The old fogey digs classical music which he keeps listening to all day;it does not soothe the savage breast,as far as he's concerned,but Gina does.

If you can find Woman of Straw, buy yourself a copy. You're going to want to watch it over and over again. This is a romantic thriller with a fantastic cast of Sean Connery, Gina Lollobrigida, Ralph Richardson, and Alexander Knox, that will have you talking about it for days afterwards.

Ralph Richardson is extremely wealthy, and as mean as he is wealthy. He abuses everyone who works for him, and most people, if they can afford to, quit. However, his latest nurse, the beautiful Gina Lollobrigida, stays despite the verbal assaults. Does she have a heart of gold, or does her endurance have anything to do with Ralph's sexy nephew, Sean Connery? That's all I'm going to tell you about the plot, and if you can watch this fantastic drama without anyone telling you more about the plot, take advantage of the opportunity. Yes, this is a short review, but it's one that highly recommends this smart, tense drama. Rent it for the eye candy or rent it for the great story, but whatever the reason, you'll be glad you did.

I must say I have not seen much of director Basil Dearden's work, but this is a real good one. "Woman of Straw" is a classical thriller with a catching plot that turns out very interesting and enjoyable to watch. The film deals with ambition, treason, passion and murder.

Though a bit slow at the beginning, the movie grows in tension and intrigue as it runs. It has good music, perfect settings, visual impact in sequences through a sea cruise and good performances from Sir Ralph Richardson as the old and tyrannic billionaire Charles Richmond, Sean Connery (in his Bond days) as his ambitious nephew Anthony and Gina Lollobrigida as Miss Marcello (the old man's hired nurse) in what is probably her best non Italian role ever. Alexander Knox is there too, reliable as always, as a police inspector.

The already mentioned slow beginning and maybe a 10 minute excess in its running time don't really hurt the film which -in my opinion- is a very good one in its genre.

I had heard of this movie for years, but never saw it on cable TV or on DVD, but did stumble across it on NetFlix. This movie was filmed around the time Connery made From Russia with Love. I had no idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised that it's a pretty good thriller, and a great "Bond" bonus for Connery fans. The character of Tony Richmond has a lot of overlap with James Bond - his wardrobe, looks, association with fancy locales and sports cars, and treatment of women. As you watch Connery in this role, you will not be able to avoid thinking of him as Bond. That's not a bad thing, and doesn't detract from the movie, itself. But rather, I look at it as a bonus Bond movie. Connery was at his physical peak during the filming of this movie. His appearance, vocal delivery, and acting are also some of his best work in a film. I think Connery's physical appearance changed so rapidly between 1962 and, say, 1980, that every year he looked markedly different than the year before. Fans of Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger will appreciate seeing Connery in this movie when all his looks and skills were at their finest. If you have a couple hours to spend watching an older style film, or are a big Sean Connery fan, this is a recommended movie.

This film, one of the earliest starring Sean Connery, has strong and alluring power of its own. The visual settings are magnificent, and Gina Lollobrigida was never more seductive or beautiful than in this motion picture. Connery shows more depth than in many of his later films--one wonders what direction his career might have taken if he had not fallen into the clutches of "Cubby" Broccoli and the whole 007 thing. Sir Ralph is, well, Sir Ralph--imperious, petulant, old school upper class damn-the-servants Brit...This film plays strongly to anyone interested in the psychological stress a crime induces in the various participants, and this is one of the many factors that separate it from the run of the mill police procedural. Finally, it has an evocative and excellent musical score--and no wonder, since Rimsky-Korsakov's Cappricio Espanol features prominently as a mood-setter. Altogether, a good rainy afternoon movie!