Shadow of fear

Year of release : 1954

 

Run time : 1h15min

 

Genre : Thriller / Suspense

 

 

The movie is based on the novel by Hal Debrett, Before I wake.

 

April,a 20 year old woman,is returning to her parents' home after being absent for four years. She claims she wrote to her parents but they never wrote her back.

 

She is back for her father's funeral,as he died in a mysterious boat accident. Her mother died the year before,and everybody seems to think her a drunk,although April knows her mother wasn't.

 

Everybody knows her in the village,and everybody is very fond of her stepmother.

 

As she gets home,she realizes her stepmother completely changed the house,and that they have only one nosy servant.

She finds out her stepmother fired the couple her parents were very fond of,the servants who helped them around the house,as they were dishonest now,according to her.

 

Checking the boats in the village,and finding their own boat with a dent in it,April starts to suspect her stepmother of killing her father,and her mother before,as she was her nurse.

 

I liked the movie,although it was a bit short. At the end it felt it was in a hurry to end,and ended fast,not having enough time to develop certain characters and well,plot .

 

April confides in her childhood friend who doesn't believe her,nobody does,everybody believes her stepmother who starts rumours and then tells people they shouldn't believe gossip.

The man and the others think her crazy,while the others also believe the nosy servant who starts all the rumours,of her being a drunk.

Then,at the end,we're supposed to believe she's in love with this man,as they're together now,and says she loves him. I didn't see any of that throughout the movie.

 

I liked the villain,there was a grace in her ways,I liked the way she carried herself and talked. She was very stealth,always making sure she planted the seeds in other people's head to pass as the good one,while plotting against the lead.

 

The link to the full movie here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqcTvMw8EkY

 

Rating : It's so money !