Monday, September 09, 2019

Movie review - "Sleep My Love" (1948) **1/2 (warning: spoilers)

A couple of studio veterans whose career was on the down slide - Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, Bob Cummings - and one who was on the up - director Douglas Sirk - combine for this thriller, which was produced by Mary Pickford.

It's an entirely decent version of Gaslight - Colbert wakes up on a train and doesn't know why; it turns out her husband is hypnotising her and trying to kill her. Once you know that the  film doesn't really have anywhere to go - it needed another twist or two, really. And Colbert has to be a ninny for too long a period of time. But what's there is fine.

The cast is strong - Ameche is fun as a villain, making out with slinky Hazel Brooks on the side; George Colouris is a fake shrink; Bob Cummings plays the owner of an airline (Cummings was a pilot in real life) who for some reason is on a train when he meets Colbert and falls in love - there are slightly creepy overtones to this, falling for a distressed and half crazed woman, but the film doesn't explore them, keeping him heroic.

Some interesting touches - Cummings has a Chinese partner, Keye Luke, and attends his wedding; he's also got a best female friend, Rita Johnson, who does some patter - was she a well known comic or something?

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