There is certainly something of the Daphne du Maurier in this melodrama about a dashing, but illegitimate son (Stewart Granger) obsessed with regaining an inheritance denied him from the right side of the blanket. When the "Fuller" family, who have legally taken possession of "Clare Hall" arrive, they send for their poverty stricken but independently minded cousin "Blanche" (Valerie Hobson) to come and live with them and ultimately, to marry the son "Lawrence" (Michael Gough). She mistakes Granger ("Philip Thorn") for a family member at the outset and the story tries to reconcile her own sense of duty - and ambition - with her smouldering love for "Philip". This is a good looking film with a plot that has plenty of twists and turns, though the ending is a bit too drawn out and melodramatic which rather drags the whole thing down a bit. The lead performances, and that of Gough, are good though and I found the story was just about intriguing enough to hold my interest.
2022-07-09
