''A Woman's Vengeance'' is a 1948 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

mystery film A mystery film is a 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 of clues, ...

directed by

Zoltán Korda Zoltan Korda (May 3, 1895 – October 13, 1961) was a Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, director and producer. He made his first film in Hungary in 1918 and worked with his brother Alexander Korda on film-making there and in Londo ...

and starring

Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...

Ann Blyth Ann Blyth (born Anne Marie Blythe; August 16, 1928) is an American retired actress and singer. She began her career in radio as a child before transitioning to Broadway, where she appeared in Lillian Hellman, Lillian Hellman’s ''Watch on the R ...

Jessica Tandy Jessie Alice Tandy (7 June 1909 – 11 September 1994) was a British actress. An icon in the film industry, she appeared in over 100 stage productions and had more than 60 roles in film and TV, receiving an Academy Award, four Tony Awards, a BAF ...

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned over 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and hi ...

, Rachel Kempson, and Mildred Natwick. The screenplay by

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley ( ; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the ...

was based on his 1922 novelette '' The Gioconda Smile''. The film was produced and released by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

Plot

Henry Maurier rebounds from the death of wife Emily by marrying a much younger woman, Doris, upsetting another woman, Janet, who is in love with him. Suspicions grow that Henry might have hurried along his wife's death with poison, until eventually he finds himself condemned to death for a murder he didn't commit.

Cast

as Henry Maurier *

as Doris Mead *

as Janet Spence *

as Dr. James Libbard * Mildred Natwick as Nurse Caroline Braddock * Cecil Humphreys as General Spence * Hugh French as Robert Lester * Rachel Kempson as Emily Maurier * Valerie Cardew as Clara * Carl Harbord as Leslie Blake *

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

as Prosecuting Counsel * Leyland Hodgson as First Warder * Ola Lorraine as Malsey * Harry Cording as Chauffeur McNabb * Lydia Bilbrook as Mrs. Fellows * Boyd Irwin as Mr. Craig * Alec Harford as Dr. Dawson * Elizabeth Valentine as Mrs. Wetherby * Wilton Graff as Defence counsel *

Wilson Benge George Frederick "Wilson" Benge (1 March 1875 – 1 July 1955) was an English actor who mostly featured in American films from the silent days. He appeared in over 200 films between 1922 and 1955. Along with actors Charles Coleman and Robert ...

as Clerk * Reginald Sheffield as Solicitor * Patrick Aherne as Warder * Colin Kenny as Warder *

Holmes Herbert Holmes Herbert (born Horace Edward Jenner; 30 July 1882 – 26 December 1956) was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952, often as a British gentleman. Early life Born Horace Edward Jenner, (some sour ...

as Warder * Eric Wilton as Waiter * Marjorie Eaton as Maid * Leslie Denison as Inspector * Mari Aldon as Girl *

Vernon Downing Vernon Downing (1913–1973) was a British people, British actor who appeared in many Hollywood films between 1934 and 1954, generally playing English characters. Filmography References External links

* 1913 births 1973 deaths Engli ...

as Chemist * Frederick Worlock as Judge

Radio adaptation

''A Woman's Vengeance'' was presented on ''

Lux Radio Theatre ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a old-time radio, classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the Blue Network, NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of A ...

'' March 22, 1948. Boyer and Blyth reprised their original roles in the adaptation.

References

Bibliography

* Baxter, John. ''Charles Boyer: The French Lover''. University Press of Kentucky, 2021. * Spicer, Andrew. ''Historical Dictionary of Film Noir''. Scarecrow Press, 2010.

External links

* * * * 1948 films Universal Pictures films 1940s mystery drama films American mystery drama films American black-and-white films Films based on works by Aldous Huxley Films with screenplays by Aldous Huxley Films scored by Miklós Rózsa Films directed by Zoltán Korda Films set in England Films set in the 1930s 1948 drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films Film noir English-language mystery drama films {{1940s-US-drama-film-stub