''Lady Possessed'' is a 1952 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

directed by

William Spier William Hannan Spier (October 16, 1906 – May 30, 1973) was an American writer, producer, and director for television and radio. He is best known for his radio work, notably ''Suspense'' and ''The Adventures of Sam Spade''. Early life Wil ...

and

Roy Kellino Roy Kellino (born Philip Roy Gislingham; 22 April 1912 – 18 November 1956) was an English film director, producer and cinematographer. Biography He was born Philip Roy Gislingham in Lambeth, South London, the son of the silent-era director W. ...

and starring

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

and

June Havoc June Havoc (born Ellen Evangeline Hovick; November 8, 1912 – March 28, 2010) was a Canadian American actress, dancer, stage director and memoirist. Havoc was a child vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother Rose Thompson Hovick, ...

. Mason and his wife Pamela produced and wrote the film themselves, based on Pamela's novel ''Del Palma'' (originally published as ''A Lady Possessed'' in Britain, 1943). They chose Pamela's ex-husband Roy Kellino, with whom she remained close, to direct the film. It was a critical and commercial failure, losing the Masons much of the money they had invested in it. The film's sets were designed by the art director

Frank Arrigo Frank Arrigo (1917–1977) was an American art director.Pitts p.159 He worked on more than a hundred and fifty films and television series during his career. From 1959 to 1971 he also directed episodes of several television series. Selected filmo ...

Plot

While barely conscious, Jean Wilson (June Havoc), a patient in a London hospital, overhears Jimmy Del Palma (James Mason) berating hospital staff for their treatment of his wife, who then dies shortly afterwards. To recuperate following a miscarriage, Jean coincidentally rents the former country home of Del Palma, a famous pianist, and his wife. She starts to fall in love with the absent musician and dreams of taking his dead wife's place, even of being taken over and possessed by her. With the encouragement of her friend Sybil (Pamela Mason), Jean arranges a seance with a medium in an attempt to contact the dead woman.

Cast

as Jimmy Del Palma *

as Jean Wilson * Stephen Dunne as Tom Wilson *

Fay Compton Virginia Lilian Emmeline Compton-Mackenzie, (; 18 September 1894 – 12 December 1978), known professionally as Fay Compton, was an English actress. She appeared in several films, and made many broadcasts, but was best known for her stage per ...

as Mme. Brune *

Pamela Mason Pamela Mason (10 March 1916 – 29 June 1996), also known as Pamela Kellino, was an English actress, author, and screenwriter, known for being the creative partner and first wife of English actor James Mason. Early life and personal life Born ...

as Sybil (as Pamela Kellino) *

Steven Geray Steven Geray (born István Gyergyai, 10 November 190426 December 1973) was a Hungarian-born American film actor who appeared in over 100 films and dozens of television programs. Geray appeared in numerous famed A-pictures, including Alfred H ...

as Dr. Stepanek * Diana Graves as Medium *

Odette Myrtil Odette Myrtil (born Odette Laure Clotilde Quignarde; June 28, 1898 – November 18, 1978) was a French-born American actress, singer, and violinist. She began her career as a violinist on the vaudeville stage in Paris at 14. She expanded in ...

as Mrs. Burrows *

Eileen Erskine Eileen Erskine (15 August 1914 – 8 November 1995) was an English actress from Nottingham who was active in film mainly in the 1940s when she appeared in ''This Happy Breed'' (1944) and ''Great Expectations'' (1946). Her theatre work include ...

as Violet * John Monaghan as Dave (as John P. Monaghan) *

Vivian Bonnell Vivian Bonnell (born Enid Mosier, May 23, 1924 – November 18, 2003) was an actress and calypso music, calypso singer, originally from Antigua, British West Indies. In 1954, she starred opposite Pearl Bailey in the Broadway musical ''House of F ...

as Calypso Singer (as Enid Mosier) * Judy Osborne as Secretary (as Judy Osborn)

Critical reception

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

in ''The New York Times'' called it "a bleak little drama of neuroses," concluding "And since Miss Kellino and Mr. Mason take credit for writing the script, the much celebrated English couple have only themselves to blame. That goes double for Mr. Mason, who also produced the film"; ''TV Guide'' wrote "Neither the performances nor the narrow direction are able to help save this confusing script." and ''Classic Film Freak'' wrote "''Lady Possessed'' is a film that’s hard to find and will most likely stay that way as there isn’t much to recommend it outside of James Mason’s performance, though even that gets overwhelmed by a disjointed plot."

References

Bibliography

* Sweeney, Kevin. ''James Mason: A Bio-bibliography''. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999.

External links

* * * 1952 films Film noir 1950s mystery films American mystery films Films directed by Roy Kellino Films scored by Nathan Scott Republic Pictures films American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{Mystery-film-stub