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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A quintessential Forties film noir., Jan 14 2001
Not the best known of grim film noirs of the Forties, but one of the best. Ella Raines is very impressive as a woman who risks all to prove her employer is innocent of the murder for which he has been convicted. Her assuming of false personas (which may even briefly fool the audience) make it surprising that her performance in this film is not better known. The purely visual sexual suggestiveness in the jazz joint scene with Elisha Cook is hot stuff, and you will be amazed that Hollywood could have gotten away with it in the Forties. The excellent photography (black & white, of course) captures that grim urban atmosphere perfectly. Anyone who tries to colorize this film should be punished! The climactic revelation is highly suspenseful, and the happy ending is quite atypical of such films. Don't miss this one.
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Talk About a Loyal Secretary!!, Jul 5 2004
"Phantom Lady" is a solid detective/true crime movie. This reviewer hesitates to label it "noir" due to some rather strange structural attributes. The film opens as a lonely and unhappy Alan Curtis meets a lonely and unhappy woman (Ann Terry), in a bar and impulsively asks her to a play. Soon afterward, she dumps him and goes to her apartment. Curtis arrives at his own home to find the cops waiting! His wife has been strangled and he is the suspect. (Husbands always are). When Curtis cannot establish an alibi, he is quickly convicted and sent to prison. The elusive Terry becomes the "Phantom Lady". Curtis has 2 factors working for him: One is the lead detective, Thomas Gomez, who believes Curtis' story. The other is his devoted secretary Ella Raines. Here is the most loyal employee ever seen on screen! She is determined to track down witnesses, especially Terry, who can spring her boss. Viewers are perfectly aware that Raines' loyalty is well placed! They know the alibis are valid! As noted above, there are 2 main defects: One is that that the actual murderer tips his/her hand to the observant. The other is that PL was OBVIOUSLY filmed in a studio and not on a "big city" location. This greatly lessens the noir effect of night shots, dark streets, high heels on lonely sidewalks, shadows, gloomy bars and all the standard tricks of the trade. Furthermore that scene on the elevated subway platform is almost comical! Who was the director kidding? That was an insult to all the subways of the world, especially New York's. This is why this reviewer urges viewers to forget the noir aspects of PL and concentrate on the searches for the real killer and Terry. Despite the aforementioned "tipped hand", this is still a great mystery. Whodunit? Does Raines find the phantom? This reviewer does not give away endings. The curious will have to watch for themselves. Suffice to say, Raines carries PL virtually single-handed. This is her flick! PL is highly recommended to police/detective aficionados. As a treat, and a test, try to spot the cameo by the veteran actor Milburn Stone. He later played Doc in the long running "Gunsmoke" TV series. If you catch him, give yourself a gold star. And pay attention to what the ladies are wearing! Fashion matters!
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handsome madness, April 4 2004
this beautifully casted and directed movie was eye candy for the wardrobe, location, acting and vividness even if in b & w.
ella & allan's wardrobe was amazing as themselves!!
i am into vintage decor and clothing, the men also dressed so elegantly , as a man should be!!!merci beau coup!!
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