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A prominent neurosurgeon (James Mason) investigates the death of his lover (Rosamund John) in "The Upturned Glass" from 1947.

Mason plays Dr. Michael Joyce, an unhappily married man. He tells his students the story of a doctor who, after helping a young girl regain her sight, falls in love with the girl's mother, Emma (Rosamund John). Her husband is away; they decide never to see one another again.

Soon after, he learns that Emma has fallen out a window to her death. Michael doesn't believe it's suicide and sets out to find the killer. One way he does this is by getting close to her sister-in-law (Pamela Kellino).

Kellino in reality was Mason's wife, Pamela Mason, who co-wrote an excellent script. It has the perfect British atmosphere - dark, foggy, and mysterious. Kellino's role (no surprise) is an especially good one, that of a mean-spirited, uncaring woman interested only in money. Mason is terrific.

Highly recommended. An absorbing film.

One of the earlier reviewers suggested that the film takes "the easy way out." I partially agree, but think that the real reason for the disappointing finale was the censors. They, in their moral righteousness, did their very best to ruin any number of UK and American films. In this case, the ending makes little sense. Otherwise, a very satisfying early addition to the film noir genre. The photography and pacing are perfect and carry the bleak mood. A minor quibble is that the notion of the lovers breaking off wasn't totally credible, but then, perhaps it was a different moral universe in the 1940s. Mason, as always, is excellent to the point that the viewer cannot take his eyes off of him (not that one would want to). Pamela is a hateful character, as from all reports, she was in real life.

James Mason's final Gainsborough melodrama before packing his bags and leaving for Hollywood is a good-looking psychodrama produced and written by it's stars, sleekly crafted by it's director (with whom Mason had already established a good working relationship a few years earlier) and with a flavourful score by Bernard Stevens.

The inscrutable title is the result of a last minute change from a film about the Brontes to a replacement retaining the title but substituting an entirely different plot.

James Mason in one of his last British films before accepting that contract with MGM and leaving for America plays a doctor who may have become too detached from life. A prominent brain surgeon he accepts the case of young Ann Stephens whose eyesight he saves with a delicate operation. In the process he falls in love with Ann's mother Rosamund John.

Both Mason and John are separated from their respective spouses and we never meet either of them in The Upturned Glass. But their relationship contains a mixture of guilt for both of them. Shortly after they end things, Mason hears that John falls to her death in her own home.

Mason had already met Pamela Kellino and formed a bad opinion of her almost immediately. She's Rosamund's sister-in-law and Stephen's aunt and she's a selfish materialistic woman, a regular Cruela DeVille in real life. She's easy too hate and Mason courts her to get close.

The film is told about 2/3 of the way in flashback as Mason lectures to a university class on the atypical murderer, the sane and logical one which he naturally takes himself to be. The rest of the film is a revealing portrayal of how Mason should be seen.

The Upturned Glass is a nice bit of melodramatic noir with Mason really carrying this film. His perfect performance makes The Upturned Glass seem far better than it really is.

The Upturned Glass is really good, up until the ending, so if you like suspenseful, tense thrillers and don't mind lukewarm endings, rent it during your next movie night with the girls. It's not the best movie to rent with your sweetie pie, since you'll spend the entire time sighing over James Mason!

James stars as a brain surgeon and professor. He tells a story to his students about how, in theory, someone can get away with murder. Of course, the story is much more than a hypothetical, and soon the audience is treated to the wonderful world of flashbacks. In the past, James Mason operated on a young girl and fell in love with her mother, Rosamund John. They're both married, and after a tearful goodbye, they agree not to see each other anymore. Then, the unthinkable happens. . .

James's at-the-time wife Pamela Mason costars as Rosamund's sister-in-law, and it's always fun to see the Masons acting together. Pamela plays a great "bad girl," doesn't she? If you like James Mason, this is a great movie to watch, since he's the hero with a bit of a villainous streak hiding underneath. Plus, since so often his handsomeness was ignored by Hollywood, it's nice to see him as a romantic lead!

In this suspenseful movie, we meet James Mason as he lectures about crime to a group of students. He is an eminent neurologist. In flashback, we learn of the girl whose eyesight he's saved. In the course of doing this, he fell in hove with her mother.

It's a murder-mystery; so that's as much plot as I'll give. Pamela Mason is appropriately unappealing as the woman's nosy sister-in-law. Mason, one of my favorite actors, is very good.

As a suspense movie -- a noir, of sorts -- it is excellent. It positions itself as more, unfortunately. Initially, it's intriguing to realize that the central figure in the case history Mason's reciting is himself. But there are red herrings. More distracting, there is philosophizing -- not to mention a most unsatisfactory final scene.

That's the advice that doctor Brefni O'Rorke (Dr Farrell) gives to surgeon James Mason (Joyce) when giving an analogy comparing insanity to an upturned glass balancing on a mantelpiece. So, that's exactly what Mason does! The film is told in flashback as Mason narrates a lecture to students on the topic of the criminal mind. He presents a case of a sane man committing murder. It's no revelation to the film audience that he is recounting his own story. What is interesting in this technique is that we realize he hasn't actually carried out the act and we then find ourselves in real time at the end of the lecture as he goes ahead with his plan after what can be seen as his confession to the students.

The root of his problem is a love affair with Rosamund Wright (Emma) which cannot be. The ending of the relationship coincides with some tragic news and Mason then turns to Pamela Mason (Kate) to discover the truth and exact revenge. The real events of the tragedy are never fully confirmed and so Mason's actions are very suspect. Is he insane? He certainly seems to be acting on a whim. Pamela Mason is excellent in her role and certainly had me rooting for her. I'm not sure this was the intention, though!

The young girl whose sight Mason saves at the beginning of the film is played by Ann Stephens who died aged 35 in 1966. I can't find any details on how she died. Can anyone help on this? It would be interesting to know. She delivers some amusing dialogue about not liking her hair and Pamela Mason's dialogue regarding her is flippantly wonderful – I'll send her boarding – ha ha. The best of us have all spent time boarding as a child. As for the film's title, I still don't know what an upturned glass means? Which way?

James Mason is a consummate actor. He always made you believe every word of whatever character he played. This role was no exception. You thoroughly bought into his character of a lover who will go to any lengths to gain vengeance for the murder of his beloved. This film contains one of the greatest prolonged sequences of cat and mouse techniques in film. That is what gets the film rated above average. The ending is extremely unsatisfying, in my opinion, is anti-climatic and unjustified. But then again, life is incongruent. A film to be savored, despite its fatal flaw.

True story from 1948. This film and another "Dark Passage" were playing at a second run theater on 42nd Street, when a terrible storm blew off three letters off of the marquee. Two letters from The Upturned Glass, and one letter from Dark Passage. Attendance for the evening show increased by 300% over the afternoon matinee.

This is a very unusual and intelligent thriller, like most thrillers involving doctors usually are. It is the first of James Mason's very few own productions and features his own wife, Pamela Mason, here Pamela Kellino, as the second of the two ladies he is involved with, both of them leading to disaster. The intrigue cleverly leads astray at times while at the same time it sharpens as the doctor (James Mason) finds his own case constantly more crucial. He stages a kind of mock trial with himself by giving a lecture at the medical theatre with all rows filled with young attentive students, and one student almost sees through his show and sharpens his case even further. Is he in control or is he not? Has he the right to judge what's right or wrong or has he not? The film poses many questions, and the questioning becomes increasingly more critical, until in the end he is faced with the final trial as a doctor, when an emergency calls on him to perform one more brain surgery. It's the doctor who assists him who puts him to the final test, and these scenes are the most interesting and important in the film. James Mason as the doctor has no other choice than to be consistent with his own argument and conclude his own case after having received an understated sentence by his elderly colleague. It's a remarkable film, not for its direction, which could have been better, but for its very thought-provoking story with the presentation of a case which not even doctors could in any possible way be called upon to give a fair judgement of. The tragedy of this case is that James Mason, one of the best actors ever, a constantly brooding romantic hero, more Hamletian than Byronic, has no other choice, which probably no one could reasonably disagree with.

In addition, you can't help recognizing some details here from other, later films, that boast its influence, especially Hitchcock's "Vertigo", displaying the identical problem of a man's involvement in two women related with each other, Hitchcock much developing the theme to an equally crucial crisis but in another direction, while the very vertigo scenes Hitchcock must have got the idea of from here.

It should also be noted, that John Monaghan, the script writer, appears as an extra (the truck driver), He made some similar appearances in some films, but this is the only film he wrote, with Mrs Mason as co-script writer. The intrigue with its complications and arguments is so psychologically interesting, that you find more in it each time you see it. For that reason, in spite of its flaws, I will give it a full 10.

This movie rather takes its good ol' time to go anywhere; pacing and plot development can perhaps best be described as meandering for much of the length. In a runtime of under 90 minutes, it's within only the last 20-25 minutes that an especial air of tension rockets to the fore. The payoff is that the advancement of the narrative feels very natural and fluid, and as suspense rears up its head, it's all the more meaningful. This isn't the most gripping and essential of thrillers, but 'The upturned glass' is suitably enjoyable.

It also strikes me that while this feature fits the bill after a sort as a psychological thriller, it's quite unlike many of its brethren insofar as it's not particularly bothered about its central focus. The narrative is more or less built around emphasis on Michael's thoughts, and increasingly on his mental state. However, like the plot development and general atmosphere, it doesn't seem like this core conceit is specifically drawn forth in the writing until the last quarter or so of the movie. To be sure, it's present throughout, but mostly with a distinct nonchalance as a mention rather than an intrinsic trait - "Oh, yah, we got that, it's right over there abouts!" I don't think the casual approach to this aspect of the movie works as well as the other bits, but that's a question of personal preference.

Maybe it seems like I'm more down on 'The upturned glass' than not; in fairness, out of exhaustion I did pause and pass out for about 40 minutes when I was only partway through, and upon rousing debated how much I cared about resuming. Take that as you will. But I do like it, really I do; I think it's duly entertaining. I think the screenplay could stand to be more actively engaging, but it's solid in the broad strokes, and is marked with like intelligence in some of the finer points. The then-married stars, James Mason and Pamela Kellino, give strong, nuanced performances that are the chief highlights of the picture, and I relish the idea of seeing them both in more titles. All the contributions of those behind the scenes are swell, including Lawrence Huntington's direction, Alan Osbiston's editing, and Reginald H. Wyer's cinematography.

I guess I'm just in the position of thinking that the potential isn't fully borne out, and 'The upturned glass' doesn't readily stand tall next to its contemporaries. There are elements of this that are super, or at least highly enticing, yet when all is said and done I don't feel fully satisfied and I'm left wanting more. It's worth a look if you come across it, and is a decently good way to spend 80-90 minutes, with the reflection that there are plenty other films that are more deserving and rewarding.

Stars husband and wife james and pamela mason. Michael joyce is lecturing on the methods of sane murderers. He relates the story of a doctor operating on a young girl with medical issues in her eyes. And ends up spending quite a bit of time with the child, the (married) mother of the child, the mother's sister. So when tragedy strikes, doctor joyce vows to get to the bottom of the mystery. And get revenge on the person who committed the crime. Very effective music; it really relays the suspense and drama that is happening on screen. A funny party scene where the guests keep trying to avoid the gossips who only want to talk about the tragedy. About halfway through, some odd angles, where the camera is behind doctor joyce, peering around him to the person in front of him. Directed by lawrence huntington. Based on the story by jno monaghan.

James Mason plays a Harley Street brain surgeon who falls in love with the mother (Rosamund John) of one of his young patients. When she apparently commits suicide, he investigates and plans to take revenge upon the sister in law who he is convinced murdered her. To do this he romances her to get closer.

Odd little thriller helped along by the presence and acting of the great James Mason. The first half is frightfully proper, with clipped English and stolid English characters delivering the core background with the second half more enjoyable and pacy - the scene where he confronts the sister in law is really quite brutal. Thereafter it goes on some form of existential journey for Mason delivered by a number of rather unlikely characters and plot devices. Allright.

James Mason is both measured and potent in this crime story of a brain surgeon "Michael Joyce" who performs a life-saving operation on a young girl. He falls in love with the girl's (married) mother "Emma" (Rosamund John) and when she is found dead at the foot of her bedroom window one day, he begins to question the verdict of suicide and determines to get to the bottom of what really happened. It's told by way of a retrospective - he is lecturing his students about a "fictional" case of murder where the killer is sane and calculating - and that gives the story quite a bit of pace and menace. The plot isn't complex and the audience is left in little doubt about what happened/is going to happen - but Mason along with Pamela Mason as "Kate" - the rather odious sister-in-law, manage to create quite a cumulative effect as the story develops that left me in no doubt that right was done!