Nobody tosses off a throwaway line with as much venom as delightfully as Agnes Moorehead does in one of the most obscure (deservedly so) of her films as this one. When she shares scenes with both George Sanders and Herbert Marshall, it's as if she's with Maurice Evans on Broadway replacing Judith Anderson in "MacBeth". In fact, Anderson is probably the only other actress who could do the role she plays here, a fabulous character part where she completely takes charge even though it's not the lead.
It's a shame that this is such a pretentious film that thinks it's being smart yet completely throws away important revelations as if the character was simply planning a dinner menu. Moorehead does that in a key scene, and her whole demeanor changes from a narcissistic bubble-headed socialite to completely no nonsense dark lady. Too bad that she's revealing all to Patricia Roc as a rather young and neurotic character who is extremely irritating to watch.
The plotline surrounds smuggler Sanders who's involved in drug trafficking in Majorca, romancing Roc who was abandoned on a ship that Sanders was apparently responsible for running aground on a remote island, leaving everybody dead. Sanders, who would score mightily the same year with an Oscar win for "All About Eve", gets to be highly complex, but unfortunately Marshall is totally wasted. Moorehead has one of her largest parts, playing another character named Emily (as in "The Magnificent Ambersons"), and hops, skips and jumps with this part, totally wiping out dull Roc's footprints. One of the great acting performances in a sadly not very good movie.
It's a shame that this is such a pretentious film that thinks it's being smart yet completely throws away important revelations as if the character was simply planning a dinner menu. Moorehead does that in a key scene, and her whole demeanor changes from a narcissistic bubble-headed socialite to completely no nonsense dark lady. Too bad that she's revealing all to Patricia Roc as a rather young and neurotic character who is extremely irritating to watch.
The plotline surrounds smuggler Sanders who's involved in drug trafficking in Majorca, romancing Roc who was abandoned on a ship that Sanders was apparently responsible for running aground on a remote island, leaving everybody dead. Sanders, who would score mightily the same year with an Oscar win for "All About Eve", gets to be highly complex, but unfortunately Marshall is totally wasted. Moorehead has one of her largest parts, playing another character named Emily (as in "The Magnificent Ambersons"), and hops, skips and jumps with this part, totally wiping out dull Roc's footprints. One of the great acting performances in a sadly not very good movie.