One night, two seemingly unhappily married people meet under unusual circumstances and embark on an affair that proves to be disastrous for both of them. Falling in love with the wrong person leads to the gullible man's life being propelled into a devastating downward spiral and not being able to control her strong feelings , proves to be the Achilles heel of an incredibly duplicitous woman whose criminal plan is eventually undermined by her own powerful emotions.
"The File On Thelma Jordon" is a gripping melodrama that features a couple of interestingly flawed characters whose adultery is just the prelude to their involvement in burglary, murder and perverting the course of justice. It takes a little time for the complexities of the two lovers to become fully apparent and the fact that this is done so successfully is attributable to the sheer quality of the script (by Ketti Frings) and Robert Siodmak's sure-footed direction.
Assistant District Attorney Cleve Marshall (Wendell Corey) is alone in a colleague's office late one night and drinking heavily. It's his wedding anniversary but he can't face being at home on yet another occasion which he knows will be totally dominated by the presence of his overbearing in-laws. Thelma Jordon (Barbara Stanwyck) is a confident and attractive woman who comes into the office to see his colleague to report a number of attempted break-ins at her aunt's mansion. Cleve isn't able to help but the couple go out for a drink together and the following day meet again for dinner. Thelma tells Cleve that she's separated from her husband Tony Laredo (Richard Rober) and is currently living with her wealthy aunt.
One night when Thelma doesn't meet Cleve at the arranged time, he telephones her and she pleads with him to come to the mansion immediately. There she explains that her aunt has been shot dead and her valuable jewels have been stolen. She claims to be cleaning up the crime scene because she suspects that her husband is the culprit and Cleve readily helps her to take the necessary steps to avoid incriminating herself.
Cleve is later called in to assist with the investigation and Thelma is soon identified as the prime suspect. In order to protect her, Cleve pulls a few strings to ensure that he's assigned to prosecute the case and then does everything possible to weaken the effectiveness of the charges against Thelma. The developments that then follow are quite unpredictable but also deeply shocking and extremely tragic.
"The File On Thelma Jordon" is a fascinating, gritty and enjoyable movie that's extremely tense throughout. Its visual style is dark and gloomy and contributes strongly to its very downbeat atmosphere. Barbara Stanwyck excels as the exceptionally strong and manipulative Thelma who has to come to terms with the vulnerability that she experiences when her feelings for Cleve overwhelm her and Wendell Corey is marvellous as the ultra-passive fall guy whose infatuation with Thelma costs him so much.
"The File On Thelma Jordon" is a gripping melodrama that features a couple of interestingly flawed characters whose adultery is just the prelude to their involvement in burglary, murder and perverting the course of justice. It takes a little time for the complexities of the two lovers to become fully apparent and the fact that this is done so successfully is attributable to the sheer quality of the script (by Ketti Frings) and Robert Siodmak's sure-footed direction.
Assistant District Attorney Cleve Marshall (Wendell Corey) is alone in a colleague's office late one night and drinking heavily. It's his wedding anniversary but he can't face being at home on yet another occasion which he knows will be totally dominated by the presence of his overbearing in-laws. Thelma Jordon (Barbara Stanwyck) is a confident and attractive woman who comes into the office to see his colleague to report a number of attempted break-ins at her aunt's mansion. Cleve isn't able to help but the couple go out for a drink together and the following day meet again for dinner. Thelma tells Cleve that she's separated from her husband Tony Laredo (Richard Rober) and is currently living with her wealthy aunt.
One night when Thelma doesn't meet Cleve at the arranged time, he telephones her and she pleads with him to come to the mansion immediately. There she explains that her aunt has been shot dead and her valuable jewels have been stolen. She claims to be cleaning up the crime scene because she suspects that her husband is the culprit and Cleve readily helps her to take the necessary steps to avoid incriminating herself.
Cleve is later called in to assist with the investigation and Thelma is soon identified as the prime suspect. In order to protect her, Cleve pulls a few strings to ensure that he's assigned to prosecute the case and then does everything possible to weaken the effectiveness of the charges against Thelma. The developments that then follow are quite unpredictable but also deeply shocking and extremely tragic.
"The File On Thelma Jordon" is a fascinating, gritty and enjoyable movie that's extremely tense throughout. Its visual style is dark and gloomy and contributes strongly to its very downbeat atmosphere. Barbara Stanwyck excels as the exceptionally strong and manipulative Thelma who has to come to terms with the vulnerability that she experiences when her feelings for Cleve overwhelm her and Wendell Corey is marvellous as the ultra-passive fall guy whose infatuation with Thelma costs him so much.