Experiment Perilous (1944)

In 1903, a doctor suspects murder in the gothic Bederaux family.

Director:

Jacques Tourneur

Writers:

Warren Duff (screenplay), Margaret Carpenter (novel)

Stars:

Hedy Lamarr, George Brent, Paul Lukas

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Hedy Lamarr	...	Allida Bederaux
George Brent	...	Dr. Huntington Bailey
Paul Lukas	...	Nick Bederaux
Albert Dekker	...	Clag
Carl Esmond	...	Maitland
Olive Blakeney	...	Cissie
George N. Neise	...	Alec
Margaret Wycherly	...	Maggie
Stephanie Bachelor	...	Elaine
Mary Servoss	...	Miss Wilson
Julia Dean	...	Deria
William Post Jr.	...	District Attorney

Storyline

In 1903, Dr. Bailey meets a very strange woman on a train, then hears that she has died under mysterious circumstances. Through a friend, he becomes acquainted with the Bederaux family, all of whom seem to be neurotic and secretive; but the beauty of Alida Bederaux draws him into their circle...deeper than he'd planned. Who's in danger from whom? Who's crazy? Who can fathom the obscure motivations?

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Plot Keywords:

reference to napoleon | reference to alexander the great | flash forward | audio flashback | daisy the flower | 

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Taglines:

Perilous to Love!

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Genres:

Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

To create all the snow,100 tons of ice and 6 snow machines were used.

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Goofs

Towards the end of the film, when Dr. Bailey attacks Nick and the two briefly fight, it's very obvious that the people seen fighting are stunt doubles. Nick's stunt double doesn't even have the same hair color.

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Quotes

Nick Bederaux: Mentality never quite makes up for the physical, does it, my dear?

User Reviews

Hedy's performance Top Notch to me

Some of the reviewers here have been unkind for Hedy's performance, and can't for the life me understand why. They are all making comparisons for 2 different performances, with 2 movies that have similar backgrounds...almost anyway. Hedy's was suppose to show fear, anxiety, and meekness in her character...afraid to confront her husband. In this regard, Ingrid's character in "Gaslight" was similar, up to a point. Ingrid, had the one big scene where she shows all her frustration and anger at her husband, in one lusty yell. Hedy had no such scene advantage. Her performance was more somber, which i think she did, to me, and at the time of its release, many of the reviews said the same. By today's standard of performances, she would have been at the least nominated for an Oscar, as in comparison to a Helen Hunt performance in a forgettable movie with Jack Nickelson, in which she won Best Actress.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Experiment Perilous

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1