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Jan 26, 2014Old_Toto rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A fine example of the presently extinct studio "contract stars" system, this is a good "Hitchcock" sample of how he mixed a macabre story with an unexpected twist with his choice of actors. Lawrence Oliver's eyes, Joan Fontain's eyebrows- - - schticks, along with a certain uniqueness projected by all of the supporting character actors that immediately telegraph the actor's probable roles in the movie , e.g., evil housekeeper, Judith Anderson; rude rich lady, Florence Bates; cad, George Sanders; meticulous physician, Leo G. Carroll; etc., and eliminates the need for a lot of screen detail. Watching this acting company of people who worked together frequently, greatly hold one's attention and should be critically viewed at least once to be appreciated. Little known fact is that at this time there were over 600 seamstresses working simultaneously in Hollywood just to keep up with the costuming. (Spoiler follows: The opening scene is a skillful scale model with the special effects of "clouds over moon" lighting.)