O Erro de uma Dama

Before watching this movie I had never seen Aline MacMahon in such an important role, 'cos here she's the star of the picture and she really is great...she was such an actress!!! Her acting technique is so contemporary, her playing so sincere....she's lovely.

I must admit that I expected more of the film as whole, from its first half hour, but anyway it's a very good movie, it has an entertaining storyline and excellent performances all around, especially by miss MacMahon and Basil Rathbone, and such a talented large supporting cast! (Dudley Digges, Eily Malyon, Frank Albertson, etc.)

MacMahon plays the endearing Miss Herries, the extremely `kind' and single society lady of the title, who lives alone in her big house in London, surrounded by beautiful objects, who learns the hard way, that one has to be careful of being so kind and generous, in a world like ours..Basil Rathbone's character really deceived me at first, because I had no knowledge of the film's plot whatsoever, so I won't tell you more.

This is a `B' picture, but for sure much more entertaining and fulfilling than many other A pictures of the period..and it has a surprisingly short running time: 76 minutes...but many things happen in such a short period of time!

I suspect that most film fans are familiar with Ethel Barrymore's portrayal of the rich spinster woman whose house is taken over by a gang of grifters. This earlier version with Aline McMahon in the title role is not that often shown. That is a pity because McMahon is just wonderful in the role. It also apparently set a pattern for her playing woman older than herself.

In the tradition of no good deed goes unpunished McMahon finds a starving a pitiful artist on the doorstep of her London townhouse. That is Basil Rathbone who presents such a pitiful figure that she takes him in. Pretty soon he's got himself a wife and baby there and gradually takes over the running of the house. A whole bunch of others move in to take over the various servant positions including Dudley Digges, Murray Kinnell, Eily Malyon, Justine Chase, and Barbara Shields.

It's alluded to, but never rightly said that this group has worked this game before of systematically looting a place and then moving on. We know that these people are not above murder to achieve their ends.

The women of the group are a low class group of scavengers, the men however Rathbone, Digges, and Kinnell exude an air of menace in their performances. They've really covered all bases, keeping McMahon a prisoner in her own home with no contact with the outside world. To the outside world the story was given out that she had gone to America.

Sometimes a film like this even with no unearthly creatures in the story can step over into the horror film genre. This is what Kind Lady does, these grifters are not lovable con artists, they are more frightening than any kind of ghoul because they are real.

Fans of Aline McMahon and Basil Rathbone should catch this one.

1935's "Kind Lady" may be held in less regard than its 1951 remake, but comes off better by casting Aline MacMahon and Basil Rathbone in the leads, both younger and more effective than Ethel Barrymore and Maurice Evans. The widowed Mary Herries still pines for the husband she lost during the Great War, and meets impoverished artist Henry Abbott in front of her door on Christmas Eve, inviting him in for a short visit. She banishes any thoughts of romance with the suave handsome stranger upon learning he has a wife and child, and resolves never to see him again. She sadly fails to reckon with his persistence however, enabling him to move in his family and 'friends,' driving all but the maid (Nola Luxford) out of the house, filled with valuable paintings and artifacts, now targeted by Abbott and his despicable entourage. Dependable players such as Murray Kinnell (as the murderous doctor), Dudley Digges, Frank Reicher, E. E. Clive, and Donald Meek make a terrific ensemble, as Mary feigns illness in seeking to regain the upper hand, an uphill struggle without outside help. Having debuted opposite Edward G. Robinson and Boris Karloff in 1931's "Five Star Final," Aline MacMahon enjoys one of her few starring roles, while Rathbone was only solidifying the villainous reputation he so richly deserved, until Sherlock Holmes succeeded in making audiences forget how deliciously wicked he could be (he'd already played Philo Vance in 1930's "The Bishop Murder Case").

I woke up one morning about 3:00 with the TV was still on, I go to sleep watching TCM, I love the old black and whites. A movie called Kind Lady was playing, and although I was still sleepy, I couldn't stop watching this incredibly disturbing movie about a lovely kind woman played beautifully by Aline MacMahon and the most unlikable despicable character, played to the hilt by Basil Rathbone! I missed the very beginning so don't know why or how he got invited in the first place but the premise is that she's wealthy and generous and invites him, a starving artist, for some reason into her home. She's a collector and has some very famous and expensive paintings hanging in her living room, and after a few visits and a scam involving a pretend wife and starving baby, this horrid man manages to take over her entire life.. I just hated him, he played this character so well that the only thing I can say is that I found it disturbing! Of course it was made in the 30's so it's reasonably naive by today's standard, but a great movie nevertheless!

ALINE MacMAHON and BASIL RATHBONE star in this early screen version of KIND LADY, given a remake in the 1950s, from a stage play.

MacMahon is the kindly woman who lives alone in a large house surrounded by handsome and expensive artifacts. On Christmas Eve, she gives a man shelter. The man (Rathbone) turns out to be a scam artist who doesn't fool the hired help but makes a complete fool out of MacMahon, soon ushering in all of his gang members and threatening to kill MacMahon if she doesn't cooperate with their schemes.

Extremely well done, with MacMahon giving one of her best screen performances in the title role. Rathbone is chilling as the intelligent thief intent on moving in and making a fortune by selling most of her possessions.

Interesting story gets fine treatment from the entire cast, including FRANK ALBERTSON as the nephew who suspects something is wrong, DUDLEY DIGGES and DONALD MEEK. MURRAY KINNELL, posing as the doctor, is smoothly villainous. So is Rathbone as the man behind the schemes.

Chilling and well worth watching.

Interesting to note that Edward Ward wrote the background score (composer for the 1943 "Phantom of the Opera"), which is given more prominence than usual in a film from this period and sets the tone for the Christmas setting at the story's start.