Uncle Silas

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Ken R Uncle Silas (The Inheritance) This gothic suspense thriller directed rather limply by Charles Frank needed a stronger hand to give it solid form and better pacing. Its saving grace is the sumptuous visual mastery of Oscar-winning Australian cinematographer Robert Krasker. Krasker was sacked by David Lean from Great Expectations but went on to create motion picture greatness with ‘The Third Man' 49 and ‘Odd Man Out' 47 among many others. His striking use of noir light and shadow, oblique angles, and set-ups lifts this otherwise stagey treatment to fascinating levels. Lovely young Jean Simmons is every bit the star as the vulnerable victim of a trio of violently nasty, inheritance fraudsters. Eerie sets are used to maximum effect, and the only other fully convincing performance comes from Greek Katina Paxinau (For Whom the Bell Tolls ‘43 and Confidential Agent '45) as the unforgettably creepy Governess. A good story, given at times a music hall melodrama treatment - in fact, this late 40s production has the look of having been made a decade before. While not having not seen it, this could perhaps be one of those rare occasions where the re-edited American version (The Inheritance) just might look a little better? TCM USA, have a reasonable copy of this rarity. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/13/22 Full Review Audience Member Frantic suspense thriller, with an over-the-top performance by Paxinou. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member interesting murder/thriller Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member jean simmons is perfectly cast, but the story awfully dated. it's hard to believe that someone could be as consistently naive as caroline (protagonist). skip. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Nicely photographed by Robert Krasker, who would go on to shoot "The Third Man" within a couple of years, this is a handsomely mounted adaptation of J.S. Le Fanu's Victorian melodrama. Trimming away much of the fat and several superfluous characters, Franks' film improves on the book in certain respects but tinkers unnecessarily elsewhere, for example the heroine's name is changed inexplicably from Maud to Caroline. Derrick De Marney is a bit hammy as Silas but the lovely young Jean Simmons is perfectly cast as said heroine. Best of all however is Katina Paxinou, marvellous as the sinister governess Madame de la Rougierre, whose terrifying first appearance is the indelible highlight of the film. If you've read the book, which I would recommend, Paxinou seems to have stepped straight off the page. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Uncle Silas

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