A perfectly serviceable film noir, surprisingly directed by Douglas Sirk before he embarked on his searing dissections of the American family in the mid - late 50's.
It has a good cast, the great Claudette Colbert in a role which probably should have been played by an actress at least ten years younger, the man with the most dangerous moustache in Hollywood, Don Ameche as her suave, conniving husband and the amiable Robert Cumming as her knight-errant, who seems to think nothing of squiring around town an apparently happily married woman, although in the end, it's a good job for her that he does.
The movie could almost have been entitled "Suspicion By Gaslight", it borrows so much from the two thrillers earlier in the decade which saw similar Flash Harry types seemingly out to murder their wives, the twist here being that Claudette's Alison Courtland character is being set up for initially suicide and then, when that fails murder by insanity while sleep-walking.
Yes it's very contrived and gets a bit silly when Ameche and his hot young mistress played by Hazel Brooks, try to give Alison nightmares by employing a frankly dull, bespectacled photographer as the mysterious disappearing bogey-man who will drive her literally to distraction.
Colbert probably never had an easier gig in that she's only really required to act either distressed or drunk, that is when she's not sleeping, Cummings is likeable as the persistent amateur sleuth and Ameche is convincing as the debonair husband with eyes not only on his rich wife's fortune but also Brooks' frequently displayed legs.
Sirk may not be a Hitchcock or Lang, ultimately lacking their distinctive black humour or flair, but he certainly doesn't sleepwalk through the feature, moving the action along nicely, demonstrating in the process his skill for deep focus photography and noir tropes like reflections and shadows, plus a good noir is never complete without a fall from a great height.
It certainly kept me awake all the way through!
It has a good cast, the great Claudette Colbert in a role which probably should have been played by an actress at least ten years younger, the man with the most dangerous moustache in Hollywood, Don Ameche as her suave, conniving husband and the amiable Robert Cumming as her knight-errant, who seems to think nothing of squiring around town an apparently happily married woman, although in the end, it's a good job for her that he does.
The movie could almost have been entitled "Suspicion By Gaslight", it borrows so much from the two thrillers earlier in the decade which saw similar Flash Harry types seemingly out to murder their wives, the twist here being that Claudette's Alison Courtland character is being set up for initially suicide and then, when that fails murder by insanity while sleep-walking.
Yes it's very contrived and gets a bit silly when Ameche and his hot young mistress played by Hazel Brooks, try to give Alison nightmares by employing a frankly dull, bespectacled photographer as the mysterious disappearing bogey-man who will drive her literally to distraction.
Colbert probably never had an easier gig in that she's only really required to act either distressed or drunk, that is when she's not sleeping, Cummings is likeable as the persistent amateur sleuth and Ameche is convincing as the debonair husband with eyes not only on his rich wife's fortune but also Brooks' frequently displayed legs.
Sirk may not be a Hitchcock or Lang, ultimately lacking their distinctive black humour or flair, but he certainly doesn't sleepwalk through the feature, moving the action along nicely, demonstrating in the process his skill for deep focus photography and noir tropes like reflections and shadows, plus a good noir is never complete without a fall from a great height.
It certainly kept me awake all the way through!