Bill T
After seeing MANY versions of this story, which is pretty ridiculous to begin with, it's quite great to get a versopm that I believe gets it just right. The two sisters in this one have great repore with each other, the husband to be is still a dick, and the art teacher man is pretty good, though maybe a bit too minor of a character. Interesting with all these adaptations what is carried over and what isn't. (and what kind of relationiship the painter has with the women!). This version successds quite well in telling the story, but doesn't go too crazy (even though it is, slightly)
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
04/06/23
Full Review
Audience Member
One of the quintessential novels of the Victorian era, â~The Woman in Whiteâ(TM) features sensational aspects that were common to books originally published in weekly installments â" in this case, false identities, secrets, crime, and adultery. It also includes the belief in mesmerism, with the evil Count Fosco exerting mind control over many characters, as well as the practice of committing those who were troublesome to oneâ(TM)s plans - usually women - to asylums, both of which were real trends in the 19th century. It was highly popular in its day, with a readership approaching 100,000 copies a week.
Unfortunately, the movie adaptation from 1948 is a mixed bag. It stumbles early with the initial meeting of the â~woman in whiteâ(TM) by a man on a road at night. Wilkie Collinsâ(TM) friend Charles Dickens considered it to be one of the most dramatic descriptions in literature, but in the film, there is no ethereal shock, and it comes across as a pretty simple meeting. The film captures the dress and language reasonably well though, and there are a couple of excellent performances - Sydney Greenstreet as the mastermind Count Fosco, and John Abbott as Frederick Fairlie, lord of the estate, who is demented, highly eccentric, and fragile. Some of his lines early on to his beleaguered servant Louis are quite funny. I should also say that Eleanor Parker is also fine in her dual role, and Alexis Smith is pretty good as her cousin too â" so there are no issues with the cast.
There are two main problems as I see it, and the first is with the story itself, which asks the viewer to swallow a somewhat convoluted plot with some pretty big coincidences. What worked in installment form, or even in the published novel in 1860, is hard to translate successfully to film. The second issue is in cinematography, and overall tone. While it has a few nice moments, itâ(TM)s just not striking or tense enough, starting with that scene on the road at night, and continuing on through the movie. The result is that youâ(TM)ve got a story teetering on the edge of being creaky, filmed in a way that pushes it over that edge. Watch it for the performances, or if youâ(TM)re a fan of the novel and want to see an old film version, maybe to compare it to the 2018 BBC mini-series version.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/13/23
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s r
Wrong movie link for "The Woman in White". That movie was good despite the melodrama.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Frances H
I read the book and liked it, but I also liked this movie--Tara Fitzgerald is terrific. This movie is so much more faithful to the book than the 1940's Hollywood version.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
12/20/13
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Audience Member
Other then the Candyman The exorcist comes in the top as the Scareist movies out there. It's a Classic but a goodie, with Green peas vomit, turning heads 360 and a priest trying to channel satin i say creepy not in the lightest form. If you want a good scare watch blair witch but if you want to sleep in with a night light for a week and do a few Hail Mary's This film gives you those shivers. You'll never be content alone in the dark again..
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Not exactly a faithful rendition, but a good theatrical attempt.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/18/23
Full Review
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