No bad but oh! the leads

Rating: 7/10 (22 June 2008)

I've seen this movie a number of times and each time enjoyed it more. The opening is brilliant, the tension builds adequately until the Bride of Frankenstein scene in the blind man's cabin. With the introduction of the obnoxiously perky Priscilla Lane, things start to slow down. One gets the impression that the casting of the two leading characters was taken out of Hitchcock's hands, perhaps due to wartime exigencies. The circus train rekindles one's interest, but the Soda City scene is wretched and the film grinds to a halt, with Lane appearing as if she is following a set of footprints pasted on the floor. The scenes that follow are superb: the car journey, the NY society party and its hostess-- followed by Otto Kruger framed on the sofa, Mephistopheles at his most sinister and brilliant. Unfortunately more Priscilla Lane follows, and things limp along until the stunning ending. Cummings is a little too stolid: he lacks the intelligent spark of Hitchcock's other wrongly accused heroes. The movie is a little choppy, flagging in parts, and it lacks the sure touch of the Master at his best. That aside, all of the supporting characters are very fine, and parts of the film hold up very well. Despite its flaws, if this movie was made by another director it would probably have gained greater acclaim.