Wildly improbable, often overwrought, and hopelessly melodramatic, Douglas Sirk's "Thunder on the Hill" is nevertheless an engrossing whodunnit. On a dark and stormy night, a dike is about to burst, the waters are rising, and people are crowding into a convent hospital for shelter. Among the arrivals is a convicted murderess en route to her execution, who is accompanied by a male and female constable. One of the sisters befriends the condemned woman, and, quickly convinced of the her innocence, the sister investigates the court case through old newspapers that were used to line pantry shelves. Based on a play by Charlotte Hastings, unraveling the murder mystery uncovers a lilac-saturated letter, a duplicate set of keys, and two aspirin in a bottle of prescription medicine. Although the action is largely confined to the convent, Sirk opens the story up enough to avoid claustrophobia and maintains a steady pace that builds to a suspenseful conclusion.
As Sister Mary Bonaventure, Claudette Colbert may not be everyone's idea of a nun, but she is steady and convincing in her determination to solve the case. Lovely Ann Blyth is Valerie Carns, a young woman facing the noose, and Blyth is likely the best dressed, best coiffed, best made-up woman to ever face execution. Perhaps in England, the condemned carry their make-up case with them to the gallows. Once again, Gladys Cooper plays a no-nonsense Mother Superior, and her performance here recalls the actress's similar role in "The Song of Bernadette" eight years earlier. Character actress Connie Gilchrist is Sister Josephine, whose hoarding of newspapers and string aid Colbert in her research into the murder. The four actresses dominate the film, while the male support is somewhat colorless.
The rich black-and-white cinematography by William H. Daniels is a major asset; the convent's shadowy halls and stairways, a mist enshrouded waterway, the inky black streets of the nearby town illustrate what the visuals of fine film noir are all about. "Thunder on the Hill" is far from perfect; the plot has more holes than Swiss cheese, the immaculately made-up Blyth over emotes at times, and the resolution is too quickly and easily guessed. However, over its well-paced 84-minute running time, the flaws pass too quickly to note, and viewers will be drawn into a slick little mystery that is vastly entertaining.
As Sister Mary Bonaventure, Claudette Colbert may not be everyone's idea of a nun, but she is steady and convincing in her determination to solve the case. Lovely Ann Blyth is Valerie Carns, a young woman facing the noose, and Blyth is likely the best dressed, best coiffed, best made-up woman to ever face execution. Perhaps in England, the condemned carry their make-up case with them to the gallows. Once again, Gladys Cooper plays a no-nonsense Mother Superior, and her performance here recalls the actress's similar role in "The Song of Bernadette" eight years earlier. Character actress Connie Gilchrist is Sister Josephine, whose hoarding of newspapers and string aid Colbert in her research into the murder. The four actresses dominate the film, while the male support is somewhat colorless.
The rich black-and-white cinematography by William H. Daniels is a major asset; the convent's shadowy halls and stairways, a mist enshrouded waterway, the inky black streets of the nearby town illustrate what the visuals of fine film noir are all about. "Thunder on the Hill" is far from perfect; the plot has more holes than Swiss cheese, the immaculately made-up Blyth over emotes at times, and the resolution is too quickly and easily guessed. However, over its well-paced 84-minute running time, the flaws pass too quickly to note, and viewers will be drawn into a slick little mystery that is vastly entertaining.