A woman's vengeance

Year of release : 1948

 

Run time : 1h36min

 

Genre : Film Noir / Mystery

 

 

The movie was written by Aldous Huxley who also wrote the novelette 'The Gioconda smile' (published in 1922) the movie is based on.

 

Henry has been married to his wife for, at times they say 20,other times 18, years. The 35 years old woman is sick (and very rich), and is feeling sorry for herself, complaining to her friend,Janet, she doesn't want to divorce Henry for she doesn't want him to be happy with another woman.

 

Henry complains about not having intellectual companionship from his wife, who claims art makes her sick, but has an affair with an 18 year old girl. They most definitely have the same intellectual capacity!

He also seems to be flirting with Janet.

 

On the night Henry is out with Doris, his 18 year old mistress, his wife dies, of what they believe to be heart attack!

 

3 weeks later he married his mistress, and wants to keep it a secret until they get back from France, but he goes back home to take some papers.

Janet, who stalks the property, comes to see him, and he gives her his late wife's bracelet. Janet confesses her feelings for him, and he tells her he married another woman. Janet takes her confession back.

 

Janet hired the late woman's nurse, as her father's nurse left them. The nurse sees the new young wife with the brooch the late wife promised her, and starts talking to Janet about the things she knows. They come to the conclusion Henry poisoned his wife, in order to marry his new flame.

The police open the grave and look at the body. They take Henry in for questioning, and they trial him.

 

Although Janet was the only one who was with her at the time of her death, the husband blames the nurse for letting her eat something she wasn't allowed, and after, Henry is taken to trial.

 

I liked the movie, it was entertaining, when the wife died I was sure the husband did it!

The characters were unlikeable, starting with the sick woman, who was so whiny,to the point I thought her affliction was imaginable, her husband who cheats on her, and who seems to be having many girlfriends. The doctor (who said was 56 but looked 80! now that was an old man!), whom I didn't understand why he became Janet's confidant. The 18 year old, whom they went out of their way to portray as immature and stupid, as she complains about being pregnant (she hates it), about having to live in the house as is being painted (she hates the smell), and doesn't stand by her man at first, wondering why would he have k1lled his wife, while he had an affair with her! At times they even dress her in dresses which look like they were made for kids. Janet's father and the way he talks to women or about women.

In one scene they complain about how hot it is, but they don't take their coats off!

 

One thing I did not appreciate was how they viewed women back then. The wife was 35 years old, and they refer to her as "old woman",her husband says the wife has "one foot in the grave" when it comes to her age! Also, the husband married an 18 year old, although he looked 40,which I found unsettling!

 

One thing I always like about these old movies is the interior design, the furniture, the houses, the clothes!

 

The actors were good.

 

I didn't like the soundtrack as it was loud and obnoxious.

 

You can watch the full movie here ,for free :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnEov_yHG_Y&ab_channel=ChrisT

 

or here, but this one has commentary from the one who posted it, in the beginning, and it even pauses the movie in the middle to speak about it : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdB9yT8yO6s&ab_channel=FullMoonMatinee

 

Rating : Worth a watch !

 

 

 

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