The Woman in White (1948) User Reviews

Greenstreet in Top Form

[abooboo-2 · 8/10 · 31 October 1999]

This is one of those exquisitely crafted, though flawed in spots, old movies that you can just lose yourself in. Great sets, costumes, dialogue and photography (excellent atmospheric use of shadows). Sydney Greenstreet, along with Lee J. Cobb probably the finest character actor in the history of film, gives a typically extraordinary performance. He marches through his scenes with that famous bored superiority, and revels in always being the most intelligent person in the room. He makes no secret of his disdain for the transparent notions and motivations of those around him, and delights in always having the last scathing word. Gig Young, as the leading man, is handsome and dashing enough for the role; but he has a funny, crooked way of talking that always makes you feel like he should be playing big city 1950's newspaper reporters. In other words, he's somewhat miscast, but not fatally so. Eleanor Parker plays the title character delicately and memorably - it's hard to understand how such a beautiful and talented actress isn't as well remembered as some others.

It loses steam about 2/3 of the way in and climaxes a little clumsily, but on balance this is an above average effort with much to recommend it.

Sydney Greenstreet's Performance Carries a Lot of Weight!

[BaronBl00d · 8/10 · 13 January 2008]

Gothic, eerie, studio vision of what a Wilkie Collins novel should and would look like, The Woman in White manages to successfully transcend the written page and give the viewer a good, old-fashioned mystery with some excellent performances and some crafty direction. Though the trimming/cutting/changing of the novel is awkward at times(sometimes even downright blunt), the script does manage to convey the basic premise of the story about a mysterious woman shrouded at night who asks a walking stranger for the time and then tells him that she is being hounded by forces she cannot explain. The walking stranger, an artist on his way to a new job, is then introduced to a household of unique personalities and a woman who could be the exact double of the woman he met on the road. This is a Victorian mystery all the way and the script is heavily aided by the skill of Godfrey the director. Swirling fogs, moonlit nights, and the ever-engaging, ever-looming, ever-massive presence of one Sydney Greenstreet make it more than what is could and would have been without them. Greenstreet gives a wonderfully droll, pernicious, charming portrayal of Alessandro Fosco, the primary villain in the piece. His Fosco is witty and yet can make a wicked look faster than any actor I have seen. Greenstreet and his agile bulk glide in oily joy from one scene of menace to another. Watching him smugly and contemptuously speak condescendingly to each and every character was great fun. Greenstreet is ably aided by some other equally memorable turns: Agnes Moorehead in a brief role as his wife, beautiful Alexis Smith as Marian, Eleanor Parker in dual roles, John Emery as a British blighter in the Terry-Thomas tradition, and John Abbott creating a minor comedic gem as Frederick Fairlie with all his "problems." Gig Young is the male lead and even though he probably is miscast he does do a decent enough job and does not detract in any way. The Woman in White is not a great film but a very good film with some wonderful atmosphere, skilled direction, and the indomitable Sydney Greenstreet. Should you, could you, would you need more than that? In the words of Greenstreet himself, "Ha, ha, Hmm - I should think not. Most definitely not. Ha. Hmm."

Pretty good

[preppy-3 · 8/10 · 10 December 2001]

Elaborate adaptation of Wilkie Collins' 1800s novel. Penniless drawing instructor Walter Hartwright (a wooden Gig Young) falls in love with one of his students--beautiful Laura Fairlie (a luminous Eleanor Parker) who is already promised to evil Sir Percival Glyde (John Emery). Marion Holcombe (a gorgeous Alexis Smith) helps Laura while slimy Count Fosco (Sydney Greenstreet) helps Glyde. And who is that mysterious woman in white that appears and disappears so rapidly?

As an adaptation of Collins novel, it fails. Collins book is long (600+ pages) and complex--the movie cuts the book down dramatically and makes a lot of changes. Taken on its own, the movie is very good. Well done and acted (except for Young) it also has a small but fun performance from the great Agnes Moorehead as Countess Fosco. It also moves quickly and is never boring. Why isn't this on video or DVD? Worth catching.

Greenstreet Showcase

[dougdoepke · 7 January 2008]

Notice how fluidly the one-and-only Sydney Greenstreet moves his prodigious bulk across drawing-room floors, like a greedy shark among stumbling minnows. No movie with him can be ignored, especially one that showcases his heavyweight talent. Here, as Count Frasco, he schemes ruthlessly to cheat hapless Eleanor Parker (in a dual role) out of her family fortune. And he does it with such style and civilized malevolence. Without him, the film would amount to little more than a well-mounted and occasionally engaging Gothic mystery. With him, it appears better than it is.

Except for a few grotesque close-ups of Greenstreet, director Godfrey films the scenes in straightforward fashion, as though they come straight from the pages of the Collins book. Thanks, however, to Warner's art department and set designer, the visuals come across as generally atmospheric and evocative of the period. Nonetheless, someone should have told composer Max Steiner that not every scene needs scoring, especially when the notes sound as if they thunder from the bottom of a well. Then too, the script should have made better use of the great Agnes Moorehead (just count her lines), one of the few actresses with enough gravitas to go toe-to-toe with the formidable Greenstreet. You just know at first glance, she's no one to mess with.

Somehow, I kept wishing Val Lewton ("Cat People", "Seventh Victim") had gotten hold of the material first. This movie could have used his eye for combining the literary with the uncanny, which would go beyond atmosphere to cast a much-needed hypnotic spell, particularly in Anne's outdoor scenes (the actual woman in white). As things stand, the movie's an okay entertainment, with a chance to view some of Warner's leading contract players, circa 1948.

More Eleanor Parker For Your Money....

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 26 April 2017]

Over the weekend, I saw two wonderful films, both of the English Gothic variety. The first was Guillermo del Toro's marvelous "Crimson Peak" (2015), which must surely go down as one of the most gorgeous-to-look-at horror films ever made, but one that is surely not for the squeamish. And the second film was also a decidedly Gothic affair, "The Woman In White" (1948), a product of the Warner Brothers studio. This is an Eleanor Parker film that I had never seen before, and costars Alexis Smith, Gig Young, the great Sydney Greenstreet, John Abbott (who most viewers, including me, will probably best remember as the bearded Organian Ayelborne in the classic "Star Trek" episode "Errand of Mercy") and Agnes Moorehead. Yes, it really is a terrific cast. Eleanor, who has rarely looked more beautiful, plays two roles in this one; twin cousins. The FX used when the two appear on screen at the same time are very convincingly brought off, I might add. Here, Gig plays an art instructor who goes to a lonely English estate, Limmeridge House, to tutor Laura (our Eleanor). But on the road there, he is approached by the ghostly woman in white of the title (Eleanor again), who would seem to be an escapee from a lunatic asylum. What later develops is a scheme by Greenstreet and some others to marry Laura off and strip her of her fortune, replete with poisoning, murder, hypnotism, blackmail, family secrets, secret passageways, etc. The film's plot is marvelously complicated, thanks to the Wilkie Collins novel of 1859 on which it was based, and the script is deliciously literate, delivered by that great cast of pros. The film was directed by somebody named Peter Godfrey, with whom I was not familiar, but who does a terrific job here. And the film's music was provided by Max "King Kong" Steiner, so say no more, right? Alexis Smith is given top billing in the film, although Eleanor does get top billing on the poster, as you'll notice. And for me, she easily steals the film, with her extraordinary beauty and double role. This is the first time that I had seen an Eleanor film from the '40s--previously, 1950's "Chained Lightning" and "Caged" were my earliest films of hers--and it was interesting to see how wonderful she could be at this younger stage in her career. She and Moorehead were excellent together in "Caged," and are terrific paired in this earlier picture, as well. This film comes more than highly recommended by yours truly....

Nice attempt by Warner stock company to film Wilkie Collins' novel...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 13 July 2007]

At least you have to give Warner Bros. credit for trying to film THE WOMAN IN WHITE, taken from the famous Wilkie Collins novel about an evil man (SYDNEY GREENSTREET) and his equally cunning wife (AGNES MOOREHEAD), along with more conventional romantic characters, ELEANOR PARKER (in a dual role), ALEXIS SMITH and GIG YOUNG.

They only partly succeed, due mainly to Greenstreet's histrionic finesse as Count Fosco, seething with villainous intentions and stealing every scene he's in. Eleanor Parker, even though she has a dual role, gives one of her weaker performances as the dull heroine Laura and is only slightly more interesting in the title role. Gig Young is handsome as her suitor but looks a bit uncomfortable in his costume role.

If you like Gothic romance, you'll find plenty to admire here, especially the low-key lighting, the costumes, the quietly menacing music and the overall atmosphere of this period piece. But the resolution differs from the novel and goes for an artificially contrived happy ending.

Trivia note: When the film was released, the poster art showed all the actors in modern costumes to disguise the fact that the story took place in Victorian times. Warner Bros. frequently misled their audiences in this manner, particularly with films like DEVOTION (the Bronte sisters) showing the actresses in modern dress.

Long term plan almost comes off

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 8 June 2017]

A long term plan to get the fabled Fairlie inheritance starts to go awry the second visiting artist and art instructor Gig Young comes to the Fairlie estate in Great Britain. He runs into the Woman In White, a rather strange young lady and then a coach with people in it looking for same. He decides to pretend he knows nothing.

Our heiress Laura Fairlie and the mysterious Woman In White are both played by Eleanor Parker. Almost up to the end I had trouble figuring out exactly what the relationship was between the two Eleanors so I will not say. It's half the fun of watching the film.

There's a pair of villains in the piece Sidney Greenstreet playing Count Fosco, playing him with the same avuncular malice as Casper Guttman. He's a scientist with a title like Baron Von Frankenstein. But rather than experimenting with dead bodies, Fosco prefers to work on the mind with chemicals and intimidation. He's getting a big payoff for arranging the marriage between Parker the heiress and a rapacious no account count John Emery. The only friend the heiress has in the house is companion Alexis Smith.

My favorite in the film is John Abbott who is Parker's father who has the constitution of a napkin and makes Adrian Monk look hale and hearty with all his phobias. Greenstreet and Emery intimidate him rather easily.

Second favorite is Agnes Moorehead who is the countess Fosco and with very little dialog, but much facial expression is the picture of a woman scorned.

This Victorian Gothic drama has one fine cast of scene stealers all working overtime for your enjoyment. The end is unforgettable.

Great cast, but doesn't translate well

[gbill-74877 · 6/10 · 9 November 2018]

One of the quintessential novels of the Victorian era, 'The Woman in White' features sensational aspects that were common to books originally published in weekly installments - in this case, false identities, secrets, crime, and adultery. It also includes the belief in mesmerism, with the evil Count Fosco exerting mind control over many characters, as well as the practice of committing those who were troublesome to one's plans - usually women - to asylums, both of which were real trends in the 19th century. It was highly popular in its day, with a readership approaching 100,000 copies a week.

Unfortunately, the movie adaptation from 1948 is a mixed bag. It stumbles early with the initial meeting of the 'woman in white' by a man on a road at night. Wilkie Collins' friend Charles Dickens considered it to be one of the most dramatic descriptions in literature, but in the film, there is no ethereal shock, and it comes across as a pretty simple meeting. The film captures the dress and language reasonably well though, and there are a couple of excellent performances - Sydney Greenstreet as the mastermind Count Fosco, and John Abbott as Frederick Fairlie, lord of the estate, who is demented, highly eccentric, and fragile. Some of his lines early on to his beleaguered servant Louis are quite funny. I should also say that Eleanor Parker is also fine in her dual role, and Alexis Smith is pretty good as her cousin too - so there are no issues with the cast.

There are two main problems as I see it, and the first is with the story itself, which asks the viewer to swallow a somewhat convoluted plot with some pretty big coincidences. What worked in installment form, or even in the published novel in 1860, is hard to translate successfully to film. The second issue is in cinematography, and overall tone. While it has a few nice moments, it's just not striking or tense enough, starting with that scene on the road at night, and continuing on through the movie. The result is that you've got a story teetering on the edge of being creaky, filmed in a way that pushes it over that edge. Watch it for the performances, or if you're a fan of the novel and want to see an old film version, maybe to compare it to the 2018 BBC mini-series version.

Another adaptation of Wilkie Collins' great novel

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 6 January 2008]

"The Woman in White" has been adapted many times over the years, including into a Broadway show with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. This is a wonderful, compelling adaptation done in black and white, starring Gig Young, Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorhead and Sidney Greenstreet. Young plays an art instructor en route to the Fairlie home when he meets a woman in white, who runs away from him. When he arrives at the house and sees the two young women of the house, Marian (Smith) who is the older and Laura (Parker) he is struck by the resemblance the woman in white has to Laura. Thus begins a mystery that brings him deeply into the lives of Marian, Laura ... and the woman in white.

The best role in the film is that of the evil Count Fosco, played by Sidney Greenstreet, who is up to the task - he's excellent. In the musical, he has the big show-stopping number in the show with a real mouse - here he has a different pet. I believe also unless I've gone crazy that the Broadway musical ended differently than the film - I don't know how the book ended. The ending here seems quite Hollywood.

Gig Young is likable as Walter, Alexis Smith is beautiful and charming as Marian, and Agnes Moorhead is very effective as the understandably miserable Countess Fosco. Then there is Eleanor Parker who is positively radiant, and so good in a dual role. Why such an excellent actress and beauty is not better known today is probably because in her youth, I don't believe she ever got that really monster film that would have put her over. I can only say I saw her in Pal Joey as Vera in 1977, and she was fantastic. Could she have done the Deborah Kerr role in From Here to Eternity? Something for Hitchcock? Don't know.

A true treasure from Warner Brothers, right up there with some other films they've never bothered to release on DVD, Three Strangers being one. Try to catch this on TCM.

Greenstreet & Moorehead were a great Combination !

[whpratt1 · 7/10 · 31 October 2003]

Greatly admired Sydney Greenstreet's great acting skills, his soft approach to being evil and hateful and his large frame made him a great character actor in all the films that he appeared in, namely: "The Maltese Falcon"'41. Sydney played a wicked man as Count Alessandro Fosco and had a great wife, Agnes Moorehead (Countess Fosco)"Bewitched" TV series'64. These two dramatic actors were well matched for this film and over powered Alexis Smith (Marain Holcombe) "Of Human Bondage" '46 and even Eleanor Parker(Laura Fairlie/Ann Catherick "A Hole In The Head'59. Gig Young (Walter Hartright) was the so called prince charming and appeared in many great films, "The Desperate Hours"'55 and cut his life short in real life by killing himself and his new bride. If you love Greenstreet and Moorehead, this is a husband and wife team you will not want to miss !

Fascinating Confusion

[krdement · 5/10 · 2 January 2008]

I have not read the novel on which this film is based, therefore, my comments are not comparative. However, I do believe that the author of the novel must have used many of his 600 pages to flesh out the details that Count Fosco recounts in a brief summary to Marian, when she submits to him in exchange for his restoring Laura's life (and inheritance).

This movie requires TWO distinct wrap-ups, both of which fail to satisfy. First, it has to explain how the conspirators got to the plot that unfolds in the film. Fosco's monologue divulges so many complex events and relationships that it is a hasty and confusing summary of that back story. Second, it has to wrap up events at film's end. The final scene, when Gig Young returns to TWO women at the Fairlie estate, does indeed raise eyebrows! The voice-over is a hasty and strange wrap up of affairs (!) at the end of the movie.

The cast is uneven. Greenstreet excels as an evil, but genial villain. John Emery delivers a fine performance as Greenstreet's co-conspirator. Eleanor Parker in a dual role is uneven. I liked her better as Ann than Laura. Ann captures the necessary air of mystery, while Laura failed to really engage me. She was increasingly sympathetic, but not really a very strong presence. I didn't really buy Gig Young as a 19th century artist and art instructor. Perhaps that is due to my own prejudice; his performance is competent, if not compelling - and he is handsome. The beautiful Alexis Smith is undermined in her role when the script demands that she utter lines proclaiming what a plain Jane she is! Yet I don't really fault her performance. Like Gig Young, I preferred her Marian to Parker's Laura. As the unbalanced and possibly hypochondriac Frederick Fairlie, John Abbott delivers the best performance (Greenstreet's excellent performance, notwithstanding). I found Abbott's performance mesmerizing in its credibility, and not comical at all, when it easily could have become very clownish and ruined the atmosphere of the film. Delightful! Agnes Moorhead is miscast as a great beauty, although in other roles, she has portrayed women of erotic appeal. But her role ultimately suffers from the same lack of clarity that flaws this film.

What was Fosco's plan when he began his "treatment" of Ann? When she suddenly drops dead, he tells Sir Percival that he must "think about" what to do. Why? That seems to fall perfectly into their scheme! Just replace the living Laura with the dead Ann and voilà - mission accomplished! If that wasn't his scheme, what was? Also, he tells Sir Percival that Laura's mind can't take his kind of poisoning for more than a few months; then she will die. But how long has he been similarly poisoning Ann? Since she was a girl in Italy??? Exactly how does Fosco gain such power over his victims? Does Laura take to bed, deathly ill, just because Fosco has been staring at her in the dark??? Surely the treatment must also involve something to ingest! And how is it that the countess has all the earmarks of his treatment, appearing as a near-zombie in his presence, but is apparently not really under his spell?

Likewise, Hartright (Gig Young) has been so smitten with Laura through the entire film that he comes to her funeral to mourn her after his banishment from the Fairlie estate. Yet he ends up telling Marian he has loved her since they first met! Then what was he up to with Laura? The ending scene when his voice-over explains the "happy ending" is pretty abrupt and strange. It smacks of hastily tying up loose ends, yet introduces the biggest one of all when BOTH Laura and Marian meet him at the door. Well, at least Gig had a happy ending!

The atmosphere, the sets, the cinematography are all first rate. They create a wonderful atmosphere of intrigue. But The Woman in White ultimately stumbles over too many loose ends with only one difficult-to-follow speech to tie them up! Interesting film to watch, but not very clear or tidy.

Juicy Juicy Juicy!

[TheKingOfLasVegas · 8/10 · 8 December 2005]

I'll sheepishly admit to having seen NO version of the apparently VERY popular Willkie novel until seeing the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical adaptation on Broadway recently. Came out of the Marquis Theater with a passion to see ALL prior adaptations, and this delectable one is my first. LOVED it! Without doing any "spoilers," let me advise others like me who are seeking this out in the wake of the musical that the musical cut one MAJOR character, that being the Countess Fosco (played here with breathtaking abandon by the fabulous Agnes Moorehead), and despite several story alterations to the musical that I appreciate (it's a bit more emotionally gripping), the Countess might have helped improve the musical. But mostly I'm coming here to make a statement of appreciation for the great Sydney Greenstreet, whose Count Fosco is simply as masterful a portrait of evil as I've ever seen, and a career peak for one of the cinema's greatest character actors. Only problem with the film, whose cast is wonderful in its entirety, is that at its finale, it just sorta trickles away into a forced and artificial-feeling happy ending that I just KNOW couldn't have been in the novel. Otherwise, a swift and engrossing 109 minutes.

Good, and very unlike the novel.

[EAA-2 · 6/10 · 8 June 1999]

The Woman in White draws its inspiration from the Wilkie Collins novel of the same name (1860). The novel is one of the great classics of Victorian literature.

This movie is entertaining, and readers of Collins will recognize all of the characters. However, the ending is more than somewhat different from that of the novel.

Historical Drama Peregrinates.

[rmax304823 · 4/10 · 8 August 2017]

This historical mystery/drama is set in the 1860s in England and we see Sidney Greenstreet writing with a quill pen, although metal nibs were first manufactured in England in 1822 and the quill pen had been largely replaced.

The viewer will most likely put more effort into untangling the various intrigues and plots than the director put into bothering about pens. And it does take effort to untangle those intrigues and plots. There are mysterious clues all over the place, popping up here and there, in a suspicious glance, a resigned tone, or a slight stiffening of the body. There is a solution, but it comes all atumble at the very end, from one of the characters, just before he gets a tough love version of retributive justice, namely a dagger in the back. It seems to startle him.

The performances are okay. The best is the outrageously overacted role of Frederick Fairlie by John Abbott. He's a peremptory hypochondriac, constantly browbeating the ever faithful servant Louie and making imperious demands on everyone around him. The other characters seem like mannequins compared to old Fred.

To be honest, I found it a long hard trundle. The adaptation is clumsy, really. Gig Young, the protagonist, and Eleanor Parker, the heiress, have exchanged one or two words before Young falls deeply in love. I've never read the novel but I would guess that the happy ending was tacked on by Warners for commercial reasons, but maybe not.

A great missed opportunity

[jkogrady · 16 April 2004]

All the right ingredients are here for a perfect adaptation of Collins'

novel: a perfect (almost) cast, perfect art direction, nice camera

work, and a charmingly low-key score by Max Steiner, largely

based on English late renaissance music. So what went wrong?

They decided not to base the plot on the novel, that's what went

wrong. (Warning: spoilers ahead.) Sir Percival's biggest secret in

the book is that all of his titles are fake; why is this never brought

up? And Hartwright's sudden switcheroo from Laura to Marian at

the end makes no sense, is totally out of character, and doesn't

happen in the novel. At the end of the movie you get the

impression he's now married to both of them, lucky guy. Gig

Young is miscast, in any case, but everyone else is spot on: Count

Fosco is a most unlikely villain, but Greenstreet is the only actor on

earth who could possibly play him, absolutely evil and charming at

the same time and despite his 350 lbs or so, he moves like a cat.

Believe it or not, Countess Fosco really is like Agnes Moorehead;

and John Abbott's turn as Frederick Fairlie is wonderful, a great

comic performance. Author Collins enjoyed turning the conventional oh-so-sweet Victorian heroine cliche on its ear, and

in this book he contrasts Laura, who is that cliche personified, with

the altogether more hardheaded Marian. Alexis Smith is too

beautiful for the part, but is otherwise just right. This movie needs

a release on video; not many people know it, but devotees of

atmospheric old movies should definitely give it a look, despite its

deficiencies.

The Novel You Never Read Is Now A Movie You'll Never See!

[boblipton · 6/10 · 14 October 2023]

Gig Young and his magnificent sideburns are hired as Eleanor Parker's drawing instructor. Walking to the big house in the dark, he encounters Miss Parker all dressed in white, but it's not the Miss Parker he will be tutoring. Once at the house, he meets the various occupants: the glittering-eyed, hypnotic, Italian Sidney Greenstreet and his wife, the silent Agnes Moorhead; the hypochondriac John Abbott (he makes John Ruskin look macho!); Miss Parker, as the center of this tsimmis; Alexis Smith, as a beautiful plot device; and Curt Bois, Abbott's portfolio stand.

Wilkie Collins is interesting in literature because he took the model of the detective story that Poe had invented and turned it into a genre. This was not one of those, but a melodramatic story of beautiful women being menaced, and people explaining the major plot points in poorly written monologues to Miss Smith. Peter Godfrey was never one of Warner's stronger directors. What chance would he have against Greenstreet anyway? Instead, he seems to have turned the entire shoot over to DP Carl Guthrie. Every shot looks like an illustration tipped into those cheap sets of 200 Great Novels By People You Never Heard Of that could be found in every suburban home of pretension half a century ago: bound in fake leather, from slightly worn steel plates. You could write your name on the bookplate that was glued to the insider of the cover, announcing "This book is from the Library of" and then a large space, so that everyone would know this copy of ESTHER WATERS was yours, and not your brother's. If anyone wanted to know about Victorian baby farming, you were the man.

Apparently the Warner Brothers felt about this movie the way I do about that last paragraph (and ESTHER WATERS), because it sat on the shelf for a couple of years. Mind you, it's fun in a "what were they thinking?" way, and Guthrie's camerawork is amazing. Pause the film at any moment, and you get a fine image, just right for a steel-plate illustration.

Nasty villains say "show me the money"

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 6 December 2001]

Good tale of a pair of evil creeps who conspire to rob an heiress of her fortune through an arranged marriage. A rotten, more vile criminal duo couldn't be imagined; their arrogance was irritating and the leader's brilliance was not to be denied. So clever was he that when his plot was exposed by an acquaintance the victim family sided with the liar and asked the friend to leave. Sorry they were for their lack of belief led to much sorrow. Very enjoyable old English tale.

Limmeridge House of Mystery.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 28 December 2013]

The Woman in White is directed by Peter Godfrey and adapted to screenplay by Stephen Morehouse Avery from the novel of the same name written by Wilkie Collins. It stars Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet, Gig Young, Agnes Moorehead, John Abbott and John Emery. Music is by Max Steiner and cinematography by Carl E. Guthrie.

England 1851 and artist Walter Hartright (Young) makes his way through the woods to the Limmeridge Estate where he is to teach drawing to Laura Fairlie (Parker). But he is stopped in his tracks by a woman dressed all in white, she is vague and frightened and runs off when she hears a carriage approaching. Walter will soon find out that once he gets to Limmeridge House things will get even stranger than his meeting with the mysterious woman in white…

It's the sort of Gothic period film noir that is an acquired taste, on one hand it has ambiance and suspenseful mystery in abundance, on the other it's desperately slow and a bit too complex for its own good. Narratively there is an array of devilish strands at work, with insanity, hypnotism, murder, greed, hypochondria and hints of other unhealthy doings bubbling away in this most creepy of Estate Mansions. Visually and aurally it's a treat, as Steiner layers the mood with haunting virtuosity and Guthrie and Godfrey imbue it all with threatening shadow play and ethereal focus shots.

Greenstreet takes the acting honours with one of his shifty and sinister turns, but Moorehead is one classy lassy for sure, while Parker in a dual role shows the graceful eloquence that many directors failed to utilise in her career. Set design (George Southam) is a period delight, as is the costuming (Bernard Newman/Milo Anderson), all told it's a hugely impressive production, one that is both bursting with funereal atmospherics and pungent with weirdness. A strange film for definite, hypnotic even, its draggy middle section makes it far from flawless, but those with a bent for Gothic noir and Lynchian like mysteries, this is most likely one for you. 7/10

More Hollywood than England, but still good for a dark and stormy night

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 5 January 2008]

Gig Young, not looking like Gig Young stars in an okay version of the Wilkie Collins story about the strange goings on around an English manner house where Count Fosco is up to no good and the title person is floating about. More Hollywood than England this is an okay time killer that wildly condense down a very large book. Part of the problem that prevents full enjoyment is that all of the accents are all over the place, none of which are anywhere near England. Moving along at a good clip the film keeps you interested but doesn't break any new ground. Being familiar with the tale I came and went while it was on and never felt I missed anything. Worth a look for those dark and stormy nights

Lots of good stars

[Ishallwearpurple · 8/10 · 3 September 2001]

Based on what most historians say is the first true mystery novel, authored by Wilkie Collins, this is a fine film from the golden age. Beautiful Eleanor Parker plays a duel role. Alexis Smith, the other main female lead, was never lovelier. Gig Young as the art teacher is the hero, but slightly miscast. He is more a modern era lead than for historic derring do.

But it is the character actors that are the main pleasure here. Sydney Greenstreet is his nasty best as the main villain. Agnes Moorehead, as his long suffering wife, who he has made a little mad, is great as usual. John Abbott as Frederick Fairlie, who can't abide any noise or disruption, and Curt Bois as his put upon man servant, steal their scenes and are a highlight of the film.

The sets and costumes are lovely and the atmosphere of dark shadows and woods, carriages in fog, and creepy characters make for an enjoyable, if not great film experience.

Looking good in white.

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 31 October 2009]

A film I thought promised more than it actually would deliver (after a moodily atmospheric beginning), but nonetheless "The Woman in White" is an earnestly crisp and broodingly scheming minor mystery / thriller that's brought to life by its exceptionally dramatic performances. Thanks namely of the hearty and eccentric turns by Sydney Greenstreet (who's simply great), Eleanor Parker, John Abbott and Agnes Moorehead.

A new tutor Walter Hartright (an artist) is hired at a country English estate, but on his way their on a brightly lit night through a forest. He encounters a lady dressed in white asking for help, but minutes later she's gone. After arriving at the estate, the next morning he thinks he encounters the lady again to find out she's not the one, despite the uncanny appearance, but actually Laura Fairlie who he'll be teaching. In the estate he finds himself amongst an odd collection of characters, which seem to have their own little secrets and when they hear that of Walter's encounter with the lady in white and his constant enquiries seem to open up a can of worms.

Director Peter Godfrey's sufficient handling is patiently slow-winding, but beautifully projected with the sweeping photography and atmospheric Victorian setting. Suspense makes little headway, as it's quite a talky piece (with a captivating script); dependent on its enlivened mystery (adapted off Wilkie Collins novel) and the cleverly implemented canvas work. Sure it can feel telegraphed and contrived in certain developments, but there are interesting psychological traits holding it together, solid character groundwork and impulsive actions in what is a fiendish layout capably pulled off. Also the rest of the central cast; Gig Young, Alexis Smith and John Emery lay on ably defined performances.

Ponderous....

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 5 November 2013]

There were a couple clues that I was not in for a pleasant ride when I turned on this film. First, Warner Brothers filmed the movie in 1946 but held it two years--a sure sign that they knew they had a loser of a movie. Second, it's based on a 90 year-old story--and its age sure showed.

"The Woman in White" is a mystery story involving, of course, a woman dressed in white. She appears out of no where in the night as a painting teacher (Gig Young) is traveling to work at an estate. Exactly why she has appeared and how she poses a threat to some conspirators is something you'll learn---if you can keep yourself watching!

The bottom line is that two major problems ruin the film--and all of them have to do with Eleanor Parker. First, the film using the stupid plot device of identical cousins! While shows like "The Patty Duke Show" and a few films over the years rely on this sort of thing, there is no such thing as identical cousins and it's an over-used plot device. Second, Parker's performances are pretty bad--way over-acted and downright silly. I have no idea why do many reviewers liked this film, as I found it annoying and difficult to watch.

The Woman in White - Why not Releasing it?

[SeriousMovieCritic · 10/10 · 1 July 2008]

I can only hope that Warner will release the 1948 film "The Woman in White" soon - which is based on an epistolary novel written by Wilkie Collins in 1859, serialized in 1859-1860, and first published in book form in 1860. It is considered to be among the first mystery novels and is widely regarded as one of the first (and finest) in the genre of 'sensation novels'.

The 1948 film version from Warner Brothers was one of the last films to be made in the black and white era. Sydney Greenstreet is a fine Baron Fosco with Agnes Moorehead as his wife, a youthful Gig Young and Eleanor Parker (in a double role) round up the excellent cast.

This film should be released considering the importance of the novel as prime example of classic literature - and the film as example of Hollywood at its prime. I have written to Warner Brothers and have received no reply. Does anyone have an email address I could use?

Thanks,

Erich

Fiends, heroes and damsels in distress. OK, you can call this Gothic.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 6 December 2016]

I have seen three versions of the Wendell Wilkie novel: a 1940 grand guignol thriller with Tod Slaughter that is delightfully camp, this straight version, and a rather pretentious Broadway musical version that left me as cold as an English countryside fog. There are other versions which I have yet to see, so hopefully there is another version that is quintessential.

It's fortunate that the way original title was used, as there was already a film named "Laura", the name of the leading heroine here. The mystery of a mysterious figure in white, who looks exactly like Eleanor Parker's character, the heir to a huge estate. She's engaged to marry a rather sinister man (John Emery) who is aided in his schemes by the fiendish Count Fosco (Sydney Greenstreet), obviously up to no good from the start. Laura's protector is her cousin (Alexis Smith), aided by handsome artist Gig Young.

There are far too many characters, including Parker's second role, the mysterious woman in white; Greenstreet's somber wife (Agnes Moorehead), a devoted nanny (Emma Dunn), Laura's obviously mentally ill father (John Abbott) and other assorted servants that have a hand in the story but never seem to be fully encompassed as pivotal figures.

What does work in the film's favor is the sinister atmosphere and treacherous pacing, often nearing Gothic horror but never completely crossing into that mold. Greenstreet is quite camp, chewing the scenery like Henry VIII with a leg of mutton. Elements of the details prevent this from reaching excellence, but still, the film overall is intriguing and gripping.

As a story this one doesn't age to well

[nomoons11 · 5/10 · 2 November 2011]

Where to begin...and hopefully end soon. This one's acting wasn't too bad but the believability of the story is a laugh.

Maybe back in 1948 but how would they make me believe that a guy, and not a nice one, can almost hypnotize anyone and make them think what he wants? It's painfully ridiculous. How can they make me believe that just by being in this guys presence that a young girl has a heart attack? It's just downright stupid.

Sydney Greenstreet is the star of this obviously but his character and it's content is just not credible. It's so over-the-top that I laughed and yelled a lot at the screen with my ole favorite saying..."gimme a break!!!". The ending is just plain pathetic in that the girl who has evil done to hers cousin goes to the Greenstreet character and says..."I'll go away if you leave her alone." Throughout this film women are made to look timid and mindless and to look like they couldn't think for themselves.

This film and the book it was based on may have been relevant back in its time but today...it's far beyond relevant. Skip this one.