Evening star., 1952-02-14


la lively melodrama in "The Wom-
an in Question" new English film
lat the Playhouse Theater.
i The trick of redeeming the story
from its essential ordinariness is
brought off by a squadron Of J.
Arthur Ranks more talented pic
Iture makers. What they do is to
show audiences that a whale Of
Ia lot Of human emotions can be
involved in the killing Of an en-
|ticing blond fortune-teller,
ALI this requires is one Of those
Equietly relentless Scotland Yard
men who is as much a patient
philosopher as he is a criminal
chaser. This admirable public
servant is played by Duncan Mac
Rae. When he gets through with
the case Of AStra, the girl who
reads futures, moviegoers have
had an exciting sort of refresher
course in sin and its payof. Jean
Kent. Dirk Bogarde and a number
Iof others are involved in the
lesson.
John Cresswell's screenplay. d.
lrected by Anthony Asquith. Is
about the character played by
Miss Kent. She Is q girl with one
of those soft, inviting faces and
the same kind Of morals. She has
a way with men that, with minute
changes. Is as effective with inno-
cent little shopkeepers as it is
with bookmakers and sailors.
In time. a lot Of males know
her address and telephone number
and, as the picture opens. one of
these has just done her in. Homi-
eide man MacRae shows up and
begins to thread his thoughtful
way through the girls friends and
1acquaintances in search Of the
one.
It is q quiet manhunt. or wo-
manhunt. in the fashion of Eng
lish policework. Its very calmness,
of course, is calculated to heighten
the suspense, a purpose that Is
intensified by the script which
presents a multitude of views of
the victims character.
To her maid, poor Astra was o
lovely ladylike creature. Mr.. Pol
lard, the fascinated little shop
keeper across the street, found her
demure and sweet. Her sister knew
AStra as a gin-guzzling weakling,
and the sisters f1ance regarded
her as the perfect viper specimen
Iof the woman scorned. A husky
laughing Irish sailor found her
to be the girl he had combed the
world for. a girl who had a shabby
time but was ready for the bliss
he was prepared to give her.
What the bookmaker thought
|of Astra Is not emphasized in the
film, but fairly easy to guess from
|the one torrid scene they play in
the series of f1ashbacks.
Asquith's direction Of 1.-THE Wo-
man In Question" takes the spec
|tator through a pretty complicated
maze of relationships for heroine
whose life specifically seemed sol
|circumscribed and uneventful. It
lis in no hurry to leave any of
Astra.s affairs until each has re-
|vealed a reasonable excuse for
numbering her.
Miss Kent. as the girl of many
faces and most Of them attractive,
may very well make you sorry forI
the Ightness with which you haveI
dismissed fortune-telling types.
There is a lot more to her life
than taking other peoples futures.
The fact is she is quite a reader
Iof human nature. She has a keen1y
developed notion Of what sailors,
lshopkeepers, bookmakers and even
|neighborhood houSemaids expect
lof a woman and she plays each
role with expert skill.
Z Bogarde as the potential broth
Ier-in-law and the man most likely
Ito have killed Astra is another
larresting character and so, among
Others, are John McCallum as
the home dreaming sailor, Charles
IVector as the worshipful shop
owner, and Susan Shaw as the
sister who would have preferred
not to face the truth about Astra.
There's a proper share of COM
edy to 20 along with the excite
ment Of the Playhouse f1lm, q Gus
tom Of English melodrama makers.
ADJUSTMENTS.