The Woman in White
The Woman in White
| 15 May 1948 (USA)
The Woman in White Trailers

A young painter stumbles upon an assortment of odd characters at an English estate where he has been hired to give art lessons to beautiful Laura Fairlie. Among them are Anne Catherick, a strange young woman dressed in white whom he meets in the forest and who bears a striking resemblance to Laura; cunning Count Fosco, who hopes to obtain an inheritance for nobleman Sir Percival Glyde, whom he plans to have Laura marry; Mr. Fairlie, a hypochondriac who can't stand to have anyone make the slightest noise; and eccentric Countess Fosco who has her own dark secret. The artist also finds himself drawn to Marion Halcomb, a distant relation to Laura for whom the Count also has plans.

Reviews
Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast
filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.
GManfred Creepy and atmospheric chiller with an excellent cast and it works almost all the way through. Set in the 19th century this Wilkie Collins-based story tells of a upper class household that is not as wholesome and upstanding as it appears. Seems there is a ghost, or at least an elusive apparition, of a dead ringer for the heroine of the story, both played by Eleanor Parker. There are hushed up discussions and secret meetings all over the estate, presided over by a sinister Sidney Greenstreet, and to the consternation of our hero, Gig Young. All goes well until about 20 minutes to go in the story, when it seems to fall apart. I often think that filmmakers and screenwriters come up with a great idea for a movie and then can't figure out how to end it. I think that has happened here, although the picture is very entertaining up to that point. I am making special mention of John Abbott, who plays the hypochondriac master of the estate, and is a joy to behold. He gives the film an acceptable rating in my book with a terrifically amusing portrayal, and needed more screen time to ward off the anticlimactic ending.
bkoganbing 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.
MartinHafer 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.
Hitchcoc I love these old spooky classics. This one has all the elements of the Gothic novel. It has the forced marriage, the mysterious woman in the woods, the young lover who has to go, and some great villains. At the top of the list is one of the greatest character actors ever, Sydney Greenstreet. Did he ever make a bad movie? He has total control of every scene in which he appears. One of my favorite scenes is when they are at dinner and the young count is eating with Greenstreet's monkey on his shoulder. Greenstreet throws his wine at him. It is to say, "I'm the boss of everyone here. Don't forget that." Otherwise, with some pretty dramatic silliness involving women and Gig Young's sort of dull character, it comes out quite well. It contains suspense and darkness and a satisfactory conclusion. it has some very nice camera work, and the house is quite magnificent.