Whirlpool (1950)

A woman suffering from kleptomania is hypnotized in an attempt to cure her. Soon afterwards, she's found at the scene of a murder with no memory of how she got there, and seemingly no way to prove her innocence.

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Ben Hecht (screenplay), Andrew Solt (screenplay)

Stars:

Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, José Ferrer

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Tierney	...	Ann Sutton
Richard Conte	...	Dr. William 'Bill' Sutton
José Ferrer	...	David Korvo (as Jose Ferrer)
Charles Bickford	...	Lt. James Colton
Barbara O'Neil	...	Theresa Randolph
Eduard Franz	...	Martin Avery
Constance Collier	...	Tina Cosgrove
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Feruccio di Ravallo

Storyline

The wife of a psychiatrist falls prey to a devious hypnotist when he discovers she's an habitual shoplifter. Then one of his former patients - now being treated by a real psychoanalyst's, found murdered, with her at the scene, suspicion points only one way.

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Plot Keywords:

hypnotist | psychiatrist | kleptomaniac | alibi | deception | 

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Taglines:

Tomorrow she will know what she did tonight!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was completed in mid-1949, trade shown in New York City in November 1949, and reviewed in the various trade journals in Novembert 1949, but since it was not publicly shown until January 1950, it's often mistakenly regarded as a 1950 production.

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Goofs

Ann is arrested on June 3, 1949, but we later read on her file that she was fingerprinted by police on May 27, 1949.

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Quotes

David Korvo: You were wise not to tell your husband, Mrs. Sutton. A successful marriage is usually based on what a husband and wife don't know about each other.

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Connections

Referenced in Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)

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Soundtracks

Again
(uncredited)
Music by Lionel Newman
Played at the hotel lounge

User Reviews

Nice movie. Major credit: Gene Tierney's presence

In a movie like "Whirlpool" you must take the good together with the weaknesses and naivety. The story is reasonably interesting and entertaining: the quack doctor Korvo (Jose' Ferrer) hypnotizes and cheats Ann Sutton (Gene Tierney), the spouse of a distinguished psychoanalyst (Richard Conte). A mysterious murder ensues... Unfortunately, some twists of the story are unplausible, to say the least. The moody atmosphere and the suspense are tame, even for the standards of the 1940's.

The black and white cinematography and the use of the camera are excellent. The direction by Otto Preminger is sound. The job of the cast is very good, especially by Jose' Ferrer, Gene Tierney and Charles Bickford, as the old, life-weary policeman. Richard Conte is less convincing, possibly due to the uneasy character he has to play: a famous analyst who, indeed, is incredibly dumb in getting the mental problems of his adorable spouse. There is a certain evidence that old masters of film-making had no much esteem of psychoanalysis: here Dr. Sutton seems far less competent in psychology than the quack doctor Korvo.

The major credit of "Whirlpool" is the presence of Gene Tierney. Her divine beauty shines through the film, although it somewhat makes Dr. Sutton seem even more stupid. I say: Sutton neglects Gene Tierney, to go to some blasted scientific conference. Are you kidding or what? And Gene has some scenes to show her outstanding talent as an actress. For instance, see Gene at the police station, first dizzy at her voids of memory, thereafter bravely facing and ill-using her husband, who thinks her to be an adulteress (another great job by Sutton! He is really a genius!).

Thus Gene Tierney's class, loveliness, radiant beauty, talent are largely enough to erase the defects of "Whirlpool". Let me recommend this nice movie.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

16 January 1950 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Methinks the Lady

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1