Tonight's Movie: The Strange Woman (1946) - A Film Masters Blu-ray Review

THE STRANGE WOMAN (1946), a very interesting period melodrama originally released by United Artists, has just been released on Blu-ray by Film Masters.

THE STRANGE WOMAN is in the public domain, and there are some poor copies floating around; indeed, although I'm a fan of star Hedy Lamarr, I've held off watching it for years in hopes of a better print.

That day has arrived thanks to Film Masters; this Archive Collection Limited Edition Blu-ray, described as being restored from archival film elements, looks as good as this movie is likely to look.

THE STRANGE WOMAN's screenplay was written by Herb Meadow, along with uncredited contributions from director Edgar G. Ulmer and producer Hunt Stromberg.

It was based on the book by Ben Ames Williams, who also wrote LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN; the film version of LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN was released the previous year. My film review of LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN may be found here.

Both of Williams' stories are about disturbed women who engage in murder, or encourage same, to have their way and control others. That said, despite some similarities in plotting -- both women favor drowning to deal with inconvenient relatives -- they are very different characters.

Ellen, played by Gene Tierney in LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN, had an obsessive love for her late father, while in THE STRANGE WOMAN the father (Dennis Hoey) of Jenny (Lamarr) alternates neglecting and beating her.

Jenny cleverly uses her wiles to land a "safe harbor" as the wife of a wealthy merchant, Isaiah Poster (Gene Lockhart). In early 18th century Maine, when the story was set, marriage was of course one of the few options open to a woman.

Jenny is a fascinatingly contradictory persona from the start. She is initially a good wife to Isaiah and becomes a valued member of the local community.

At the same time, she is attracted to Isaiah's son Ephraim (Louis Hayward) and later to John Evered (George Sanders), the fiance of Jenny's kind friend Meg (Hillary Brooke).

By the last third or so of the film, Jenny has given in to her darker side and led both men astray...

The believable duality of Jenny's character, superbly portrayed by Lamarr, is part of what makes the film so interesting. We see good and bad motivations warring inside her. Brought up dirt poor by her alcoholic father and craving financial security, she also seems genuinely motivated to help others in need.

An offer to donate to the church during a service seems to come from the same desire to help and be "good"; she seems profoundly impacted by the minister (Moroni Olsen), but at the same time it's clear that the generous donation also results in elevating her social position. She thus comes off as simultaneously calculated and sincere.

Along with her inner conflicts, there are numerous times where Jenny has one motivation which is generously interpreted in a completely different way by others.

One of the most notable examples is when Jenny breaks down crying after being told her husband will recover from a serious illness. The housekeeper (Kathleen Lockhart) thinks Jenny's response to the news is relief and being worn out caring for her husband, but the viewer knows that at that point in her life Jenny is mostly feeling frustration her older husband isn't yet ready to depart this earth.

By the latter part of the film, the darker part of Jenny's character has taken control, and the initial sympathy the audience has felt for her due to her childhood abuse, despite her clear manipulations, fades away. Jenny becomes every bit as evil as Ellen in LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN, desperate to have both financial and romantic control, heedless of the cost.

I found this to be one of Lamarr's most interesting and complex performances, a real favorite alongside her role in Jacques Tourneur's EXPERIMENT PERILOUS (1944) a couple years earlier. Seeing her in this for the first time felt like a real discovery.

Lamarr is particularly adept at displaying the non-verbal subtexts regarding Jenny's goals and motivations. Watching this film brought home anew just what an underrated actress Lamarr was, and it goes without saying that she is also stunningly beautiful. What's more, she served as an executive producer on the movie.

The deep cast also includes Alan Napier, Ray Teal, June Storey, Billy Gray, Ian Keith, and Rhys Williams. Lamarr and Hayward are portrayed as children by Jo Ann Marlowe (Kay in MILDRED PIERCE) and Christopher Severn (Toby in MRS. MINIVER).

Ulmer does an excellent job directing this 100-minute film, which incidentally IMDb says also had some work by the uncredited Douglas Sirk.

Ulmer was a very interesting director who guided moody, spooky films such as BLUEBEARD (1944) and DETOUR (1945). Ulmer's previous film was a movie I very much admired, HER SISTER'S SECRET (1946). (As a side note, Christopher Severn's brother Winston appeared as a child in that film, and several years ago I had the great pleasure of meeting both actors.)

THE STRANGE WOMAN was filmed in black and white by Lucien Andriot and scored by Carmen Dragon.

The Blu-ray contains a commentary track by Bernard M. Prokop, who also wrote the booklet essay included in the case. This Limited Edition release also has a nice-looking cardboard slipcase.

Recommended.

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Film Masters for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. It may be purchased via Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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