Wartime London. Crichton, a young serviceman, rushes home to tell fiancé Alison Benedict the good news - he has obtained leave and a marriage licence. He finds her in bed with an American. Shocked, he runs off. Moments later, the house is partially destroyed in an air raid.
Years pass. The rebuilt property is sold to Jon Holden, an American artist, and his girlfriend Kit Beaumont.
Jon becomes fascinated by a portrait of a beautiful woman on the living room wall. It is of the late Alison. Though dead for twenty-five years, her presence can still be felt there. Jon finds a scarf impregnated with her favourite scent. Kit cuts herself on a nail sticking out of a wooden box - it had been taken out a short time before. She slips on the stairs and takes a nasty fall. Are these merely accidents - or deliberate? Jon himself undergoes a change of personality, becoming moody and withdrawn. He spends his time sketching Alison. Despite never having met her, the likeness is uncanny...
The late Robert Lansing stars as 'Jon Holden'. He would go on to be 'Control' in the '80's action show 'The Equaliser' starring Edward Woodward. His girlfriend, Kit, is played by the scrumptious Gabrielle Drake. I do not know whether it was deliberate or not, but here the actress looks dowdy, a contrast to her later role as 'Lieutenant Gay Ellis' in Gerry Anderson's 'U.F.O.'. Maybe that silver suit and purple wig helped.
Amongst the cast is John Fraser as their friend 'Derek'. Fraser appeared in countless films and television shows over the years, amongst them the 'Dr.Who' story 'Logopolis' ( Tom Baker's final story ) as 'The Monitor. Future 'Eastenders' star Gretchen Franklin plays the housekeeper Mrs.Barrett.
Don Chaffey achieves some disturbing imagery, such as the blood from Kit's arm dripping into a sink and slowly filling the screen. We never really get to see Alison. She's seen only from behind and her mocking laughter fails to evoke any menace. The pictures were by Brenda Dury.
The ending can be seen coming a mile off. I was hoping that Kit would destroy the portrait and thus break Alison's hold over Jon. No such luck. An engaging instalment, all the same.
Years pass. The rebuilt property is sold to Jon Holden, an American artist, and his girlfriend Kit Beaumont.
Jon becomes fascinated by a portrait of a beautiful woman on the living room wall. It is of the late Alison. Though dead for twenty-five years, her presence can still be felt there. Jon finds a scarf impregnated with her favourite scent. Kit cuts herself on a nail sticking out of a wooden box - it had been taken out a short time before. She slips on the stairs and takes a nasty fall. Are these merely accidents - or deliberate? Jon himself undergoes a change of personality, becoming moody and withdrawn. He spends his time sketching Alison. Despite never having met her, the likeness is uncanny...
The late Robert Lansing stars as 'Jon Holden'. He would go on to be 'Control' in the '80's action show 'The Equaliser' starring Edward Woodward. His girlfriend, Kit, is played by the scrumptious Gabrielle Drake. I do not know whether it was deliberate or not, but here the actress looks dowdy, a contrast to her later role as 'Lieutenant Gay Ellis' in Gerry Anderson's 'U.F.O.'. Maybe that silver suit and purple wig helped.
Amongst the cast is John Fraser as their friend 'Derek'. Fraser appeared in countless films and television shows over the years, amongst them the 'Dr.Who' story 'Logopolis' ( Tom Baker's final story ) as 'The Monitor. Future 'Eastenders' star Gretchen Franklin plays the housekeeper Mrs.Barrett.
Don Chaffey achieves some disturbing imagery, such as the blood from Kit's arm dripping into a sink and slowly filling the screen. We never really get to see Alison. She's seen only from behind and her mocking laughter fails to evoke any menace. The pictures were by Brenda Dury.
The ending can be seen coming a mile off. I was hoping that Kit would destroy the portrait and thus break Alison's hold over Jon. No such luck. An engaging instalment, all the same.