This is basically a six-person drama. Ingrid Bergman won her first Oscar as the victimized wife Paula Alquist, striving to follow in her aunt's footsteps as being a famous singer (and yes, Ingrid Bergman can sing) but instead she falls in love and marries the pianist, Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer) and then returns to her aunt's home in London where her life slowly falls apart, mainly because Gregory manages to convince her that she's losing her mind.
Yeah, he convinces her that she's losing things (previous things) and doesn't let her leave the house or allow guests to come and visit her. Fortunately, that's where the third lead comes in, detective Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotten). He used to adore Paula's aunt and can't believe that her house is being occupied again and wants to know more about the niece. But he's deprived of that opportunity time and time again, even when Paula finally goes out, Gregory slips his watch into her bag and then lets her think she's taken it. He's demeaning to her about a moved picture from the wall and lets her believe that the noises she hears at night are all in her head.
Fortunately, everything works out, as Cameron saves Paula and gets her to believe that she was right all along, which was true. However, I did not find it believable that Gregory was looking for the lost gems in the attic every night for months on end and not find them until the night Cameron finally lets himself in to visit Paula, especially since the gems (the real reason auntie was killed) were in plain sight. But at least then Paula gets to turn the tables on Gregory (who murdered her aunt), giving him a taste of his own medicine before he's arrested, leaving her free to end up with Cameron, so happy ending, yay.
So, while the film was great with its twists and turns, I really wanted Paula to stand up for herself instead having to be 'saved' by a man. But while the young maid Nancy (Angela Lansbury, making her screen debut), she didn't receive it, mainly because Nancy and Gregory where flirting both behind the scenes and back Paula's back. Still, the acting was top notch, every emotion being etched on both Bergman's and Boyer's faces and they truly do have juicy roles, having to show a range of emotions, yet also keep their true selves to themselves. Though this film might be horribly dated (unlike the timeless Casablanca), it is still a must-see Ingrid Bergman film. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-The accents are all over the place. Boyer is supposed to be Serbian but has a French accent, Bergman is Swedish but speaks with a non-descript accent (she was raised in England) while Lansbury has a Cockney one but May Whitty (delightful as the noisy neighbor) and Cotten have American accents, when they are supposed to be British citizens.
-Of course Joseph Cotten is also more attractive than Boyer so it makes sense that he gets the guy.
-The romance between Gregory and Paula is poorly developed and they even sleep in separate bedrooms. Who does that?
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