The Madonna’s Secret *** (1946, Francis Lederer, Gail Patrick, Ann Rutherford, Linda Stirling) – Classic Movie Review 10,323

Director William Thiele’s 1946 film noir crime horror thriller The Madonna’s Secret stars Francis Lederer as painter James Harlan Corbin, who seems to be killing off his life models.

And then Linda (Ann Rutherford), the sister of one of his supposed victims, Helen North (Linda Stirling), in New York, pretends to be a model to find out the truth.

The Madonna’s Secret is a broodingly atmospheric, very acceptable mixture of mystery and romance, with an on-form B-movie cast, and an interesting enough yarn, based on the 1944 film Bluebeard, but with a different ending, though credited as an original screenplay.

Also in the cast are Gail Patrick, Ann Rutherford, Edward Ashley, Linda Stirling, John Litel, Leona Roberts, Michael Hawks, Clifford Brooke, Pierre Watkin and Will Wright.

The Madonna’s Secret is directed by William Thiele, runs 79 minutes, is made by Republic Pictures, is released by Republic Pictures (1946) (US) and British Lion Film Corporation (1946) (UK), is written by Bradbury Foote (original screenplay) and William Thiele (original screenplay), is shot in black and white by John Alton, is produced by Stephen Auer, is scored by Joseph Dubin, and designed by Hilyard M Brown.

The story is also told in Bluebeard (1944), Bluebeard [Blaubart] (1951), Claude Chabrol’s Landru (1963) and Bluebeard (1972).

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,323

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