''Sleep, My Love'' is a 1948 American noir film directed by

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. Sirk started his career in Germany as a stage and screen director, but he left for ...

. It features Claudette Colbert,

Robert Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as '' The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in ...

and

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which ...

Plot

Alison Courtland, a wealthy New Yorker, hasn't a clue how she ended up on a train bound for

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. When she phones her husband, Richard, the police listen in and overhear that she had threatened him with a gun. On a flight home, fellow passenger Bruce Elcott is attracted to Alison. Elcott, it turns out, knows one of her good friends. Back home, Richard makes Alison agree to start seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Rhinehart. However, the 'Doctor' who shows up at the house for their first appointment is not Rhinehart, but Charles Vernay, a photographer hired by Richard, who is having an affair with another woman, Daphne, and hopes to get rid of Alison for good. Richard's scheme is to drive Alison to

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

and thus inherit her wealth. Elcott, who has come to suspect there is some kind of purposeful plan afoot to confuse and distress Alison, arrives just in time to find her, apparently under

hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...

, about to leap from a balcony to her death. Elcott discovers Vernay's role in the situation. Richard, meanwhile, attempts to drug Alison and make her kill the doctor herself. Vernay realizes he has been betrayed and shoots Richard; Vernay is later killed by falling through a skylight while being chased by Elcott, after which Elcott and Alison are able to be together in peace.

Cast

* Claudette Colbert as Alison Courtland *

as Bruce Elcott *

as Richard Courtland * Rita Johnson as Barby * George Coulouris as Charles Vernay * Queenie Smith as Mrs. Grace Vernay * Ralph Morgan as Dr. Rhinehart * Keye Luke as Jimmie Lin * Fred Nurney as Haskins *

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas '' Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career included roles ...

as Detective Sgt. Strake *

Hazel Brooks Hazel Brooks (September 8, 1924 – September 18, 2002) was an American actress. Early years The daughter of a sea captain, Brooks was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Her father died when she was three years old, and she moved with her mothe ...

as Daphne * Edgar Dearing as Hannigan (uncredited)

Production

The film was based on a story by Leo Rosten which had been serialised in magazines. In November 1946 the screen rights were bought by Triangle Productions, a company consisting of Mary Pickford, husband Buddy Rogers and Ralph Cohn. It was Pickford's first film in twelve years - her last was ''

The Gay Desperado ''The Gay Desperado'' is a 1936 comedy film starring Ida Lupino, Leo Carrillo, and Nino Martini and directed by Rouben Mamoulian, produced by Mary Pickford, and originally released by United Artists. The film was restored by the UCLA Film and Tel ...

'' - although Cohn and Rogers had produced films for Comet Productions. Pickford was involved in approving the cast and script. Rosten wrote the first script, and in December the production company approached Richard Ney to head the cast. In April 1947 Don Ameche signed to star and Douglas Sirk agreed to direct, then Colbert and Cummings were added to the cast. Filming started on 27 May 1947 at the Hal Roach Studios in Los Angeles.

Release

''Sleep My Love'' premiered on 27 January 1948. Olive Films released it on Blu-ray on April 15, 2014.

Reception

The world premiere of the film was in Ottawa, as a benefit to help children in Europe. The reviewer for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote of the film, "''Sleep, My Love manages'' a fair share of suspense and adds up to okay melodrama. Plot gets off to a strong start and windup is high melodrama that brings off the finale on a fast note." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reviewer described it as "a sleek entry which manages to run its course without coming a cropper".

Glenn Kenny Glenn Kenny (born August 8, 1959) is an American film critic and journalist. He writes for '' The New York Times'' and ''RogerEbert.com''. Biography Kenny attended William Paterson University, where he majored in English literature.

wrote on

RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...

that despite miscasting issues, "Sirk applies so much visual brio to the proceedings, and supporting players George Coulouris and Hazel Brook are so compelling, it's very easy to watch anyway." Jonathan Rosenbaum of the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by ...

'' called it "a minor Douglas Sirk thriller, better in atmospherics than story logic". Chuck Bowen of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...

'' rated it 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "''Sleep, My Love'' is a self-conscious homage to a variety of its contemporary thriller brethren, most obviously ''Suspicion'' and ''Gaslight'', and it's often characterized by competent, derivative efficiency at the expense of true dread or spontaneity." Michael Barrett of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television ...

rated it 6/10 stars and criticized the

plot device A plot device or plot mechanism is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing a loss of the suspension of disbelie ...

gaslighting Gaslighting is a colloquialism, loosely defined as manipulating someone so as to make them question their own reality. The term derives from the title of the 1944 American film '' Gaslight'', which was based on the 1938 British theatre play '' G ...

, as turning female protagonists into "the most frustratingly obtuse idiots in the world".

References

External links

* * * *
''Sleep, My Love''
informational site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images)
Sleep My Love
at Letterbox DVD {{Douglas Sirk 1948 films 1948 drama films American drama films American black-and-white films Film noir United Artists films Films directed by Douglas Sirk 1940s English-language films 1940s American films