The Strange Woman (1946)

In 1820s New England beautiful but poor and manipulative Jenny Hager marries rich old man Isaiah Poster but also seduces his son and his company foreman.

Directors:

Edgar G. Ulmer (as Edgar Ulmer), Douglas Sirk (uncredited)

Writers:

Herb Meadow (screenplay), Ben Ames Williams (novel)

Stars:

Hedy Lamarr, George Sanders, Louis Hayward

Cast

Cast overview:
Hedy Lamarr	...	Jenny Hager
George Sanders	...	John Evered
Louis Hayward	...	Ephraim Poster
Gene Lockhart	...	Isaiah Poster
Hillary Brooke	...	Meg Saladine
Rhys Williams	...	Deacon Adams
June Storey	...	Lena Tempest
Moroni Olsen	...	Rev. Thatcher
Olive Blakeney	...	Mrs. Hollis
Kathleen Lockhart	...	Mrs. Partridge
Alan Napier	...	Judge Henry Saladine
Dennis Hoey	...	Tim Hager

Storyline

Beautiful Jenny Hager finds she can always get what she wants from the men in the 1820's port of Bangor, Maine. Freed by his death from her drunkard father she soon manoeuvres herself into a position to marry a middle-aged monied local businessman. Though she often uses his money to do good, she continues to consider all other men fair game.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to cleopatra | town | rich old man | maine | lawlessness | 

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Taglines:

"There was something in Jenny Hager that many men sensed...and it set men burning..."

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Den onda ängeln

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hunt Stromberg Productions, Mars Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Is in the Public Domain, like most films directed by Edgar G. Ulmer.

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Goofs

No explanation is given as to how Hedy Lamarr's character, a young girl who grew up in Bangor, Maine, in the 1800s, acquired an Austrian accent.

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Quotes

Jenny Hager: Your mother must be a wonderful woman. I hope that someday you'll say that I'm just like her.
John Evered: That won't be easy. Nother had nine boys.

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Connections

Featured in Cinema: Alguns Cortes - Censura III (2015)

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Soundtracks

What Can You Do with a Drunken Sailor?
Traditional
Early 19th Century sea chanty
[Heard in tavern]

User Reviews

Strange Noir Film

Propelled by powerful performances, a good script and strong cinematography, The Strange Woman explores the life of a beautiful, headstrong, passive aggressive femme fatale in Bangor, Maine, during the early 19th century. Hedy Lamar leads an excellent cast and gives it everything she has. Jenny Hager is a deeply troubled woman who grew up in a dysfunctional relationship with an alcoholic father, and married into a rich family. Throughout her life before and after this marriage, she quietly and subtly plotted and schemed to get where, what and who she wanted, while keeping up the appearance of a good, honest country lady.

The film focuses almost exclusively on Jenny and her romantic entanglements, but is also satisfying as a rather odd example of an anachronistic film noir. As such, it is very original in both concept and story. The Strange Woman may be the best piece of directing accomplished by the very prolific B film-maker Edgar Ulmer (Detour). It is nicely shot and paced, and, unlike many noir films, contains a few positive messages in addition to the disturbing stuff.

Recommendation: Serious noir fans will appreciate this, but you have to give this film some time to breathe. It is fairly slow and contains only a few action scenes - which are not its highlights by any stretch. It is also very focused on gender stereotypes (not all of which are treated uncritically), so its appreciation takes a little more thought than the genre standard.