Diagonaldi Very well executed

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Clarissa Mora The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

dakota_linda I was so glad I came across this movie for my Christmas treat. I'd never heard of it but was delighted to see it was based on an Agatha Christie story. Ann Harding grabbed my attention immediately, with her lovely eyes and strong, composed features. As the story developed I quickly saw parallels to themes developed in other films by Hitchcock in particular, and wondered if Hitch borrowed some of the ideas from this story. At any rate, while the suspense was slow to build, there were foreshadowings. Once the suspense hit, it built to a mesmerizing climax with breathtaking acting in particular by Basil Rathbone. I was very impressed with Harding's acting, too, conveyed largely by subtle changes of expression. Loved the film and will watch it again.

Paularoc A young woman, played by Ann Harding, wins a huge lottery and has big plans to see the world and do exciting things. She soon meets the romantic and suave Basil Rathbone character who quickly wins her over with his smooth talk. In spite of both her roommate and ex-beau warning her that Basil is not all he appears to be, Harding marries him. The middle part of the movie is very draggy. All right already - she's a sap and he's crazy. But the ending makes up for the earlier slow pace. The verbal battle between Harding and Rathbone is quite amazing. The movie is worth watching because of the performances of Harding and Rathbone but the whole "Bluebeard" premise is not one I find particularly interesting or entertaining.

MARIO GAUCI Interesting British-made suspenser - from an Agatha Christie story, no less - which feels quite dated today due to the low budget and a rather slow pace (though the atrocious condition in which it's available doesn't help matters any!), but survives nevertheless by virtue of its excellent leading performances.I've watched Ann Harding in only a few other films - most notably PETER IBBETSON (1935) - but, even if she has been largely forgotten, here again she proves her standing as one of the unsung actresses of her time. Basil Rathbone relishes his role as the suave murderer and the latter stages of the film allow him to go into all-out hysterics in much the same way (and under the same director!) as he would, memorably, in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939); in fact, the last 15 minutes create a genuinely electrifying tension that are basically the film's raison d'etre.Rowland V. Lee has perhaps never been a highly regarded film-maker but, from what little I've seen of his work, he was a reasonably efficient craftsman and, given promising material, he always turned in a quality product (the two films of his I would most love to catch up with are the definitive screen version of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO [1934] and TOWER OF London [1939], yet another Rathbone collaboration).

jcoppeto001 This is the definitive movie version of the story. The later movie version pales by comparison. The casting is terrific. The plot is plausible. The pacing is perfect. The settings were simple yet convincing. The acting is right on the button. Basil Rathbone is extraordinary in what may be one of his finest performances. Hitchock could not have directed it any better. The psychopathology is presented in a valid way, eschewing melodrama. This version is uncompromisingly true to the meaning and the tone of Christie's creation. Just as importantly the dialogue does not insult your intelligence. The final scene is intense yet controlled and makes one yearn for these well-done black and white movies in contrast to the melodramatic, syrupy Technicolor endings we get nowadays.