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"The Madonna's Secret" is a noir starring Frances Lederer, Gail Patrick, Ann Rutherford, Linda Stirling, Leona Roberts, and John Litel.

Frances Lederer plays tortured artist James Corbin, who moved to America after being accused of the murder of one of his models. He was acquitted, but found it best to start over. He works with a model named Helen North, but he doesn't paint her face. Her face is that of his dead love, Madeline.

Helen, under pressure from a boyfriend, decides to quit working for Corbin. Part of the reason is that she is falling for him, and it's not going anywhere. Five minutes after she quits, Corbin declares his love for her and wants her as part of his life.

Well, that doesn't last long. Helen is soon murdered in the same fashion as Madeline. A newpaper publisher who recognized Madeline's portraits knows who Corbin is and exposes him to the police. He's arrested for Helen's murder, but they have to release him because he has an alibi.

The police send in Helen's sister Linda (Rutherford) to model for him and to get any information that she can. Along comes a wealthy woman, Ella Randolph, who wants to buy the Madonna's Secret, one of Corbin's portraits of Madeline. She flirts outrageously with him and soon, she sees herself as a competitor for Linda.

Corbin is a chick magnet, and Linda has fallen for him as well. She is devastated when Ella says she and Corbin are going to be married (which isn't true). Then Ella winds up dead. Corbin is slapped in jail.

So what gives here? This is an atmospheric film with a good performance by the handsome Lederer, who really keeps you guessing, as does the script.

It's a good mystery, although I can't see all these women, particularly a victim's sister, falling for this guy. Francis Lederer is one thing - the character is another!

By the way, Lederer founded a drama school and was still teaching the week of his death at age 101. A remarkable man.

Not sure if this strictly a noir film as it runs as a mystery as well. Some evidences of film noir would be the dramatic cinematography, a character that is somewhat of a Femme Fatale, a feeling of hopelessness in the current status quo, and of course, the criminal element that pervades most scenes. Against it being noir would be that this film is not about the average man, but a well to do artist. Also, the fate angle doesn't seem quite pronounced here. The acting is great throughout with special kudos for Francis Lederer and his creepy accent. The cinematography is uniformly superb. Of course, any film shot by John Alton is special. This is a rare film and currently only shown at film festivals. Hopefully it will show up on DVD someday.

The Madonna's Secret (1946)

A psycho-mystery that broods and clunks along pretty well but too much a twist on a twist kind of movie. In fact, it's so obvious that the main character, a tortured artist, is suspected from the first minute, you know something else is up. What you don't suspect is what, and so by the end there is that final twist. I suppose this should or could have been a Vincent Price Gothic chiller, but in the hands of the leading man, Francis Lederer, it's a dark and serious affair. No camp allowed.

This comes near the end of director William Thiele's B-movie career (followed by a slew of Lone Ranger t.v. episodes and then, a step sideways for 36 shows of Cavalcade of America, a staple of 1950s American middlebrow normalcy). So we might be glad the movie is as good as it is, and I think the main reason is ace cinematographer John Alton. There are subtle movements of the camera that make an ordinary conversation take on depth, at least in terms of mise-en-scene. And the truly dramatic lighting (including some obvious back projection stuff of Lederer speeding in a boat at night) is great just to watch.

The series of women who pose and/or get themselves killed is curious--they do all look the same at a glance--and might have been more fun if extended a bit more. That is, they are all relatively cardboard characters, including the main character, who can't get out of his angst filled cliché, and so we can't really get involved emotionally in their fates. We just watch. And so thank you Mr. Alton for making that watching worth the ride. If you don't give a hoot about lights and camera, give this a by.

The Madonna's Secret (1946)

** (out of 4)

Artist James Corbin (Francis Lederer) has his latest model murdered and it strikes one man (Edward Ashley) strange that a previous model died the same way. The second victim's sister (Ann Rutherford) decides to go undercover as a model to try and prove that the artist is the murderer. THE MADONNA'S SECRET features some good performances and nice cinematography but that's about it as the story itself is rather tiresome and director Wilhelm Thiele just doesn't add too much suspense to the material. In fact, I'd say that the entire film has a very weak energy level that really keeps the viewer from getting too caught up in the material. The screenplay itself really doesn't have too much going for it as there are way too many long dialogue sequences that just go no where and end up hurting the film more than helping. As I said, the performances are actually pretty good and they help keep the film moving. Lederer was very believable as the troubled artist and I really liked how the actor could make you not trust him one second but then change your mind the next. Ashley makes for an entertaining good guy and Rutherford gets to shine in a role away from Andy Hardy. John Litel is good as the main cop on the case and Leona Roberts is also good as the artist's mother. I will admit that the final twist in the story is a good one and something that I didn't see coming.

Ambience Provided by Top-Notch Film-Noir Cinematographer John Alton.

The Film is Painted with Diagonals and Shadows.

It's a Melodramatic Mystery about a Successful Painter that has His Models being Murdered One After Another.

He has Bouts of Amnesia and Other Mental Problems and He Can't Remember if He's Responsible or Not.

Somewhat Far-Fetched and Contrived Story to Fit All the Murders into an 80min Time-Frame and it Mostly Works with some Good Acting.

The Film Reeks of Melancholia and Frank Lederer in the Lead is a Gamut of Gaunt Features and Droopy Demeanor.

One of the Suspects Completely Disappears in the Third-Act. Playing an Important Role in Acts 1 & 2, and then He just Vanishes.

Such are the Pitfalls in the B-Movie World of Programmers where it was a "Just Get It Done" Attitude for the Most Part.

A Surreal Night-Club Scene in "The Village", with a Knife-Throwing Act is Bizarre.

This One Rises Above its Pedigree because of Alton's Images, Lederer's Laconic Portrayal, and a Good Twist.

Above Average.