limsgirl

Thrilled to see this available on demand as had never seen it, but heard about how haunting, gripping, amazing a film it is. Imagine my surprise after a promising first 5 minutes when it descended into a weird combo of badly acted "suspense" generated by the behaviors of the fey islanders (with Sgt Howie looking like a cross between a grouchy policeman and your most disapproving nun at parochial school) and schlocky soft porn masquerading as art. Thoroughly slimy AND boring. Didn't finish it, would rather take out the trash or darn socks. The location and plot line could have been amazing, but they are wasted in this miasma of self indulgent and muddled storytelling. Avoid this like the plague...actually, the plague would be easier to tolerate.

I had heard this film highly recommended on the Classic Movies website, so, after checking out the IMDB notes as well, I was able to obtain it for viewing. The warped scenario deals with the fates of two women when their respective visits to meet the "in-law" (Laura Hope Crews in a tour de force surprising from the woman best known as Aunt Pittypat) turns into the horrifying recognition of the ultimate "out-law". There's little time to spare before we get a good idea of why there is no father figure in the picture. At times, the obsessive nature of Mom's voracious emotions toward her sons suggests an incestuous factor that only a precode film could feature. An absorbing, and sometimes frankly disturbing, film which is hard to obtain but worth a look.

When Scott Henderson quarrels with his wife on the night of their anniversary, it seems like a shame to let his theatre tix go to waste. So he shares drinks and a show with a lonely lady who insists on two-ships-in-the-night anonymity in order to go along as his companion. When he returns to his home and finds police waiting to question him regarding a violent crime, the nameless nature of his evening encounter lends desperation to his situation. How can he prove his alibi knowing only the last place he saw her? Could the elaborate hat she wore be an identifying feature? His loyal secretary "Kansas" (the gorgeous Ella Raines) proves her unrequited love by taking off like a terrier on the trail for clues exonerate him....but can she do that in time? Will his friend Jack Marlow, just returned from south of the border, be able to help him? The fog-encircled city streets play a supporting role themselves as "Kansas" forges deeper and deeper into her own investigation, and so into danger...This film is enjoyable despite the leaden acting of Franchot Tone as Jack Marlow. It is (luckily) available on VHS and is quite good taken with a large bowl of popcorn on a gloomy night.