Shadow on the Wall (1950)

I love this movie so much

You won't be disappointed!

the audience applauded

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Shadow on the Wall is directed by Pat Jackson and adapted to screenplay by William Ludwig from the story "Death in the Doll's House" written by Lawrence P. Bachmann and Hannah Lees. It stars Ann Sothern, Zachary Scott, Nancy Davis, Giggi Perreau and John McIntire. Music is by André Previn and cinematography by Ray June.A nifty psychological hot pot this one. Story centers on a young child called Susan Starrling (Perreau), who after witnessing the murder of her step-mother, succumbs to amnesia. Which is inconvenient for her father since he has been convicted of the murder and sent down to await execution. Can determined psychiatrist Caroline Cranford (Davis) eek the truth out of Susan's troubled memory? Can the real killer ensure that that isn't the case?It's a personal thing of course, but I have always found there to be something off kilter about doll's houses, and here we are greeted to an opening shot of one, superbly accompanied by Previn's ominous music, it's a perfect mood setter as to what is to come. Story lacks any mystery dynamic since we are privy to exactly what has gone on regarding the who, why and what fors, and in truth the outcome of it all is never really in doubt. So for although it's a thriller pic dressed up in film noir clobber, it doesn't have the verve or devilment to really be classed full bodied as such. But that's by the by, visually and the presence of a child in peril, with main character disintegration the key feature, puts it into noir lovers considerations.Since the title features the word shadow it's no shock to find shadows and low lights feature prominently. The lighting effects are very striking, the changes in contrasts perfectly befitting the mood of certain scenes. Such as when dialogue is implying emotional discord, or the silent mindset of our antagonists, while a couple of neat shadow smother shots are killer narrative boosts. The main building of the piece is not the doll's house, but that of the hospital where Susan is receiving treatment, and at night photographer Ray June perfectly sets it up for peril and dastardly deeds. While we also get a bit of wobble screen to signify troubled mental confusion.Cast range from adequate to very good. Honours go to Perreau, who is never once annoying, turning in an involving performance that has us firmly involved in her world, whilst Davis (the future First Lady Reagan) is very understated, where she gets a well written female character whose not relying on male dominance to expand the part. And with Jackson directing in an unfussy manner it rounds out as a pic worth seeking out. 7/10

This is a nice change of pace for the still striking Ann Southern, moving into dramatic parts after nearly two decades in mostly comedies or musicals. She had spent nearly a decade earning a steady paycheck as salt of the earth Maisie, solving everybody's troubles like an older Shirley Temple. But here, she causes it, accidentally killing her evil sister and allowing innocent brother- in-law Zachary Scott face the chair. What's ironic is that Scott, finding out that she's been unfaithful, may have done it had the nasty deceased not knocked him out with a blow from her hair brush. Hodiak's young daughter (Gigi Perreau) saw Sothern's shadow and has had a breakdown. Along comes future first lady Nancy Davis as a child psychologist who vows to uncover the secrets Perreau has locked up inside her mind.This glossy MGM film noir is interesting in its use of who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist and how the truth plays out. It's not easy to hate Sothern knowing how the gunshot happened, but her desperate state turns her into the monster of childhood nightmares, and Sothern plays the increasing anguish in excellent detail. Perreau is incredible as well, showing great depth as her horror comes and goes, giving quite the adult performance in the fact that this would be quite difficult to understand for a child in the situation, let alone play it out. Davis, often attacked for photographing oddly and simply for being the future Nancy Reagan, does manage to provide some warmth in spite of her seemingly public cold demeanor. This has many interesting facets that make up for some unbelievable bits, and of course, typical clichés that you could see coming from miles away.

A child (Gigi Perreau) witnesses the murder of her soon-to-be step-mother but "represses" the memory until a psychiatrist at a children's hospital (Nancy Davis) succeeds in bringing out what really happened that night. The dead about-to-be step-mother, engaged to the father of the child (Zachary Scott) was romantically involved with her sister's (Ann Sothern) fiancé. Sothern blames her sister for ruining her life. So there are actually two characters that have possible motives for killing the wayward sister. The shadow on the wall is a nice touch as is the performance of Gigi Perreau, but Sothern makes something considerably less than the cold-blooded murderer she's supposed to play, although she isn't too bad in her attempts to silence the girl for good that take place within the confines of the children's hospital. As for Zachary Scott, he's been in a few better films than this one.

A young husband comes home only to discover her second wife has been having an affair behind his back with her own sister's boyfriend. David Starrling has entrusted his young daughter, Susan, by a previous marriage to Celia, a beautiful and sophisticated woman, who is more preoccupied in two timing the absent husband than caring for the girl. Into this picture enters Dell, Celia's own sibling, who discovers how her own sister has been deceiving her.One night, after Dell has visited David and Celia, she returns to confront her sister. Unknown to her, Celia has been having a fight with David because, he too, has told her all that he has seen and the way he has caught her lying. After heated words are exchanged, a gun goes off and Celia lies dead on the floor. Susan, who evidently has seen it all from a side door, begins screaming hysterically.David is accused of the murder of his wife and is found guilty. He receives the death penalty and is sent away to await the date of his execution. Susan's trauma lands her in a children's hospital, where the kind Dr. Caroline Canford, a specialist in psychological disorders is working with the girl to restore her mental balance. Dell, who has a lot at stake wants to get rid of Susan so that she can put behind this unhappy time she has been living. When she gets custody of the girl, wants her to come stay in her country place, Susan, who has suffered a great deal, suddenly sees a familiar shadow projected on the wall and screams for help, as the mystery is solved.Pat Jackson, a British director, got an fine screen play from William Ludwig, which he turned into a satisfying thriller. He got helped along the way by the interesting music score Andre Previn composed and the cinematography by Ray June, with its dark shadows. The movie holds the viewer in a certain suspense, even when the culprit is known from the start.Ann Sothern, who for some reason bears an uncanny resemblance of Agnes Moorehead in this film, has some good dramatic moments; she makes the best out of them. Sweet Gigi Perreau is seen as Susan, the girl at the center of all the intrigue. Nancy Davis, who went to be the First Lady of the land, makes an impact as Caroline Canford, the doctor that is able to untangle everything in the young girl's mind. Zachary Scott is only seen briefly. The rest of the players make a valuable contribution to make this picture worth seeing.