Calling this noir is a big stretch, it's really pure melodrama. But it's pretty good melodrama. Because it's Ophuls, the most outstanding element is the cinematography. Bel Geddes gives a passable performance, Mason is fine as well. The real star is Ryan, who once again shows a profound ability to make a horribly villainous character come off as more than a cartoon. The film expresses a Sirk-like social critique and has a quasi-feminist leaning to it. The ending has quite a subversive edge.

Well shot but the real Ophuls trademark is the film's tone and subject matter, rich lady love conflicts and social constraints. He's done it better, but that doesn't mean it's not well done here. Robert Ryan is once again pretty fantastic and the rest of the cast, while not as great, does a good job of keeping things interesting. It's a strong story with a pretty fresh narrative structure that provides a few surprises, including the ending. Not great but very solid all around.

An absorbing gothic melodrama transformed by the Ophuls touch and the elegant yet brooding cinematography of Lee Garmes. If you like movies about naive brides and psycho husbands, this is the movie for you. James Mason is very good as the noble young doctor, Barbara Bel Geddes gives a performance of great emotional range, and creepy Robert Ryan--playing a character very much like Howard Hughes--is extra creepy here.

In all likelihood, the darkest and most twisted chick picture this side of _What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?_ Expertly acted, written, and directed by all involved. And if you weren't this movie will have you thanking God you weren't a young woman in the 1940s