Dark Waters *** (1944, Merle Oberon, Franchot Tone, Thomas Mitchell, Fay Bainter, John Qualen, Elisha Cook Jr, Rex Ingram) – Classic Movie Review 3235

Director André de Toth’s atmospheric and engrossing 1944 Gothic film noir thriller stars Merle Oberon as troubled orphan Leslie Calvin, who visits her strange Louisiana relatives after she survives a traumatic World War Two ship sinking experience, torpedoed by a submarine, in a disaster in which her parents are drowned.

She travels to her aunt and uncle’s plantation to recuperate, but she then finds herself in an even more bizarre and frightening situation in which nasty Mr Sydney (Thomas Mitchell) wants to make her deranged to pick up her bequest.

The creepy settings of marshes and bogs and the engagingly melodramatic performances add to the considerable tension of an effective woman-in-peril thriller with a touch of the Gaslights and Jamaica Inns.

Fay Bainter and John Qualen steal the show as Oberon’s quirky aunt Emily and uncle Norbert, even from Mitchell, who is great fun as the baddie. But Franchot Tone does well in the thankless role of the doctor, George Grover, who sets out to save the girl, and there are invaluable appearances by Elisha Cook Jr as Cleeve and Rex Ingram as Pearson Jackson too.

Also in the cast are Eugene Borden, Eileen Coghlan, Nina Mae McKinney as Florella, Odette Myrtil, Rita Beery, Alan Napier and Gigi Perreau.

Joan Harrison, Marian B Cockrell, Arthur T Horman and John Huston’s screenplay is based on the The Saturday Evening Post serial Dark Waters by Francis M Cockrell and Marian B Cockrell.

Cinematography by Archie J Stout and John J Mescall, score by Miklos Rozsa and the production designs by Charles Odds – all sleek work.

To conceal her Indian heritage Oberon said she was born in Tasmania, Australia, and that all her school records had been destroyed in a fire. The year before she died in 1979, she finally admitted this story was not true.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3235

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com