I'm not sure I'd seen DRAGONWYCK (1946) since I was in high school, around the same time I read the
novel by Anya Seton.
I just revisited it thanks to the beautiful Blu-ray from the late, lamented Twilight Time -- one of the many purchases I made in their 2020 going out of business sale.
I thoroughly enjoyed DRAGONWYCK, and I'm very glad I invested in the Blu-ray! I'll definitely be returning to this film in the future.
Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay and made his directing debut with DRAGONWYCK. In this tale reminiscent of JANE EYRE, Miranda (
Gene Tierney) is a young Connecticut farm girl of the mid 1800s who's invited to stay with distant relatives Nicholas and Johanna Van Ryn (Vincent Price and Vivienne Osborne) at their mansion in the Hudson Valley.
In return for acting as a companion to Nicholas and Johanna's young daughter Katrine (Connie Marshall,
SUNDAY DINNER FOR A SOLDIER), Miranda will have an opportunity to see some of the world beyond her small farm community.
Miranda's parents (Walter Huston and Anne Revere) approve her visit somewhat reluctantly, but she's thrilled. Once Miranda arrives at the Van Ryn mansion, Dragonwyck, she discovers all is not happy there, though she does her best to adapt. Nicholas and Johanna have a chilly relationship with each other and their lonely daughter, with Johanna preoccupied with eating and little else.
Housekeeper Magda (Spring Byington) adds to the oppressive atmosphere with sad and creepy tales of the mansion's original mistress, who is sometimes heard at night, but only by those of the family blood...
Fortunately Miranda connects well with Katrine, and there's also a handsome young doctor (Glenn Langan,
MARGIE) in the neighborhood...and then one day, Johanna mysteriously dies.
There's much more to the story but I'll leave the rest to be discovered by future viewers! This is a well-plotted, absorbing film with excellent performances. My only major complaint is that the film seems to leave the character of Katrine on the cutting-room floor in the second half of the film; there's reference to shipping her a doll, apparently at boarding school, and nothing else. The film's finale begs the question: What will happen to Katrine?
Otherwise it's a thoroughly enjoyable and rather fascinating film. Tierney and Price had worked together over the previous couple of years in LAURA (1944) and LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945), and it's interesting seeing them playing opposite each other with Price in a leading role. Tierney perfectly captures a truly sweet young girl who is gradually robbed of her innocence; at the same time, the kind Miranda regularly reveals a strong spine.
Tierney is heart-rending in a sequence late in the film involving a baptism, and she is also excellent conveying her shock and the dawning realization of Nicholas's true character when he wants to fire her limping maid (Jessica Tandy) and confesses to a lack of religious faith. Price, of course, carries off the part of the very strange Nicholas with style in a performance which foreshadows his later career in horror.
There are some wonderfully subtle touches such as the disappearance of Byington as Magda in the second half of the film, in favor of a husband and wife couple (Keith Hitchcock and Betty Fairfax); with Magda gone, the entire mansion feels lighter and brighter during this period. While the absence of Katrine in this time frame is a problem storywise, the disappearance of Magda feels calculated and just right.
DRAGONWYCK was scored by Alfred Newman and beautifully filmed in black and white by
Arthur C. Miller. Between Tierney, the lovely gowns by Rene Hubert, and the set designs, the movie is a visual pleasure.
Pretty Jane Nigh, of STATE FAIR (1945) and "B" Westerns, is briefly seen as Tierney's sister. The cast also includes Harry Morgan, Trudy Marshall, and Ruth Ford.
The print and sound quality of the Twilight Time Blu-ray are both excellent. There are plentiful extras, including a commentary track (recorded in 2008), featurettes, a pair of radio dramatizations, and a BIOGRAPHY episode on Vincent Price. This disc is still available from some sources, and I strongly encourage grabbing it if it's seen for a reasonable price.
DRAGONWYCK was previously released on DVD in 2008, as part of the three-disc Fox Horror Classics Collection, Vol. 2. It's also available on a Region 2 Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator which duplicates some of the Twilight Time extras.
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