Probably Gene Tierney’s best role - her exotic beauty is perfect as the possessed woman who loves her husband so much she kills all those who get in the way of their quality time: his brother, their unborn son, herself! She’s excellent in the part, giving a wonderful performance - chilling, but never lacking empathy. Very beautiful too - she's in her swimsuit all the time (a directive from Daryl Zanuck?).
Jeanne Crain is perfectly cast as a pretty bland thing who you don’t glance at twice next to Gene normally, but whose uncomplicated devotion starts to look pretty good when Gene turns out to be a homicidal maniac. Any of Fox’s leading men from the time could have played Cornel Wilde’s part, but at least he’s handsome and virile. Vincent Price and Ray Collins add pizzaz to the support cast. A wonderful old school melodrama, and a deserved massive hit for Fox.
Fewer films of the 1940s were better looking than this one. It’s gorgeously shot in colour, with great locations. Everyone in the film seems to live in a massive house in the woods with huge living rooms, pools and lakes.
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