Well, it is November and that means I’ll be doing a few Film Noir reviews. This year I’m not going to get carried away with it. I did 35 horror reviews last month, so I’m only posting a couple of things a week for November. Half of those will be Film Noir reviews. The other half will be new movies or articles. Anyway, for the first one of the month I specifically wanted to check out “I Am Julia Ross” from 1945. The reason being that one of the horror movies I reviewed last month “Dead of Winter” (1987) was a loose remake of this movie. So after viewing that, it seemed only fair to check out the original. The movie is directed by Joseph H Lewis from a screenplay by Muriel Roy Bolton and stars Nina Foch, Dame May Whitty and George Macready.
Julia Ross (Foch) is offered a job as live-in personal secretary to a wealthy widow, Mrs Hughes (Whitty). She is somewhat desperate for work, so is keen to take the job. However things not what they seem and after arriving she is drugged and passes out. She wakes up two days later at a strange house on the Cornwall coast. All her possessions have disappeared and Mrs Hughes now claims she is Marion, her son’s wife. Naturally Julia doesn’t accept this but the pair have convinced the locals that she is mentally unwell. Making matters worse the son Raph (Macready), appears to be prone to violence and likely murdered the real Marion.
A Rose By Any Other Name
This is a short movie, with a runtime of just over one hour. Despite that the movie doesn’t feel rushed. It also didn’t feel much like a film noir. I can’t help but suspect as a British production, that this was mostly outside the influence of the growing genre. Instead it has been retrospectively placed in that pigeon hole by history. The plot is not too far off the gothic romance noir movies, but the style is probably closer to a 1930’s thriller. Despite the dire situation the titular character finds herself in, the film actually has a lot about it that is quite upbeat and lighter in tone. The movie even ends with the lead and her romantic interesting largely laughing off the entire trauma.
The main negative of the movie is how far fetched everything is. I have to say Dead of Winter actually handled the situation a lot better and in a way that made it feel more realistic. This movie however requires a heavy dose of suspension of disbelief. What balances that out is the claustrophobic atmosphere and Nina Foch is putting over her fear and frantic attempts to escape. May Whitty and George Macready’s menacing double act also helps. Macready’s Ralph is clearly a psychopath and is barely able to restrain his lust for violence. The performance is perhaps a little over the top but is tempered by Mrs Hughes. The pair work together where they wouldn’t by themself.
Conclusion
Overall, I think the horror remake is the superior film and Mary Steenburgen the better actress. But this movie is still worth watching. It has a touch of charm and a good amount on tension. While the far fetched nature of things strains the narrative, the short length means it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. This is a strong 5.5/10.
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