La seconde madame Carroll

I love this film, and find any reviews describing the performances or film in general as disappointing to be odd or misinformed. First, the story line is compelling and instructive-playing out the origins, development, and climatic conclusions of domestic abuse. Classically, the man in this case is more verbally or psychically abusive than physically so, at first, but dangerous nonetheless. In fact, the Bogart character as troubled artist plans the deaths of his wives out of a twisted belief he must do away with women who cease to fuel his artistic muse. The anticipated transformation from supposedly loving husband and father to cold-blooded killer features all the characteristics of a psychopath whose pathology is excused by "artistic temperament." That alone is an interesting deviation from the typical domestic abuser portrayal as a obnoxious drunk in an undershirt.

The abuser is also aided by an incompetent doctor more interested in drinking good whiskey than determining the cause of his patient's poor health. And he's so dense he never makes the connection between the similarities between the first wife's condition and why all of a sudden wife number two is now sick.

Also, this is a fine point, but there has never been a film with Isobel Elsom in it that I haven't liked, and she does not disappoint here. Playing the upper crust mother of the "other woman," Elsom makes her character nonetheless relatable and fun to watch.

And then there are the performances of the three main players...Stanwyk is never in a bad movie-her performance alone carries any film at through her presence into the "good" territory. Alexis Smith won me over as Stanwyk"s antagonist. Her cold, cruel cunning is pitch perfect, and yet she's not exactly hatable, either. And Bogart is credible to me as a troubled artist. Not all painters need fill up the screen as if they were Vincent Van Gogh. And little Ann Carter's performance as a reasonable, rational child gives us hope she can survive her father's violent history and go on with her life.

Also, kudos to the finely etched cineamatography and beautiful Franz Waxman score. In short, an excellent one hour and 40 minutes spent.

The Two Mrs. Carrolls is directed by Peter Godfrey and adapted to the screen by Thomas Job from the Martin Vale play. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Alexis Smith, Nigel Bruce, Ann Carter and Patrick O'Moore. Music is by Franz Waxman and cinematography by Peverell Marley.

Completed in 1945 but not released till 1947, The Two Mrs. Carrolls is one of those films that has an abundance of stories to match the abundance of divisive reviews. Various biographers and cinema writers tell a different story about stuff like what Bogart and Stanwyck thought of the movie, why they did it and so on. It's now hard to know exactly what the truth is anymore! So what about the film on its own terms then?

Undeniably the critics of the time were right to point out the similarity of The Two Mrs. Carrolls to such fine movies of the time like Gaslight, Suspicion and Rebecca, in fact the delayed release is thought to be because of Gaslight's success in 1944, while there's even a slice of Dorian Gray about it as well. Having these massively popular films as benchmarks has kind of crippled "Carrolls" reputation, because quite frankly it's not close to being in the same league. However, if one can judge it on its own terms, this is very good Gothic thriller entertainment.

Plot is essentially Sally Morton Carroll (Stanwyck) as a newly wedded wife who comes to realise her husband, Geoffrey (Bogart), is not the charming loving man she thought he was. He's the tortured artist type, who needs his muse to be kinked to produce his best work, thus the thriller conventions do proceed as Sally unearths dark truths and becomes a woman in peril. Various colourful characters are added to the mix; Smith's head turning sex bomb, Bruce's alcoholic doctor, Moore's lovelorn ex boyfriend and Carter's sprightly young daughter.

The Carroll house is filled with many Gothic textures, marking it out as place ripe for dark deeds and the unfurling of sinister secrets. Godfrey, though guilty of letting the pace sag all too often, does insert some great mood accentuating scenes. Episodes with the fearsome paintings strike a chilly chord, a raging storm unloading as the curtains billow has the requisite haunting feel, and Geoffrey finally going over the edge produces a superb crash – bang – wallop scene. Marley's photography is suitably shadowy via lighting techniques, and Waxman provides a typically genre compliant musical score.

On the acting front there's not a great deal to write home about, Stanwyck isn't stretched beyond being just professional, and as committed as Bogart is, he's an odd choice for this type of role. Bruce is typecast as another Dr. Watson character, while Smith is badly underused. The latter a shame as she leaves a favourable mark slinking about like a leopard, in fact it's probably no coincidence that she shows up late in the film wearing a leopard skin scarf! All told it's a little draggy in places and often shows its stage origins, but when it hits Gothic stride it's worthy of viewing investment. And yes, even if Bogart doing Bluebeard isn't the right fit. 7/10

This is a highly suspenseful, almost Hitchcockian tale, with excellent performances from the stars. Barbara Stanwyck was always excellent in this kind of role; she's better here than in "Sorry, Wrong Number". And Bogart seems truly menacing as the psychotic artist. Also noteworthy is the performance of Ann Carter as Bogart's young daughter. She was a child actress with a very mature and sophisticated quality about her, in fact she reminded me very much of Patty McCormack, who would play the evil Rhoda in "The Bad Seed" several years later. There's never a dull moment in this 99 minute thriller.

Vacationing in rainy Scotland, marriage-minded Barbara Stanwyck (as Sally Morton) enjoys her passionate two-week affair with painter Humphrey Bogart (as Geoffrey Carroll). When she accidentally discovers Mr. Bogart is a married man, Ms. Stanwyck is beside herself. Bogart claims his wife is an invalid, but Stanwyck ends the relationship. Back in London, Bogart sends cute blonde daughter Ann Carter (as Beatrice "Bea" Carroll) away to school and presides over his wife's untimely expiration...

Two years later, the widower Bogart has married Stanwyck. She is happy. But, Bogart is grumpy because he has trouble painting. His mood improves when beautiful Alexis Smith (as Cecily Latham) enters the picture. Though Stanwyck and Bogart proved capable in distressed damsel and disturbed psycho roles, they seem to smart for the roles herein. Helping most are precocious young Carter (who is also much to intelligent for the script) and Nigel Bruce as an inept doctor with a fondness for alcohol.

******* The Two Mrs. Carrolls (3/4/47) Peter Godfrey ~ Barbara Stanwyck, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Carter, Alexis Smith

This is one of my favorite bad movies, so bad it's good. A great cast seems to have pulled this baby together in about two days and it's a scream. All of the stars must have owed Warners a film or succumbed to blackmail. It's too bad because it's actually a very neat suspense story starring Humphrey Bogart - without giving anything away, let's just say when he gets a headache, he touches his hand to his head. That's how you know he has a headache. About as organic as a hothouse tomato. Totally worth seeing but not anyone's best work. Watch for the continuity goof with the milk. I can't agree with another poster - I thought Alexis Smith was gorgeous.