El misterio de Fiske Manor

In 1942, I expect the studios tossed off productions like this like cars on an assembly line. But don't let that fool you. Assembly line product or no, this is an atmospheric and expertly acted 90 minutes from Columbia Pictures, with that great unsung actress of the period Ida Lupino, supported by two of the daffiest character actresses of the day, Elsa Lanchester and the wild-eyed Edith Barrett.

And what a wacky production it is. Adapted from a stage play, everything takes place on a single foggy sound stage. But that's okay because it's a Gothic thriller with lots of shadowy interiors and dark secrets inside a big old house. Lupino's cursed with two ditzy sisters and, by golly, she's going to take care of them come what may. It's this unbending family loyalty that finally lends Lupino's role an uncommon measure of dramatic pathos. Watch her with her tightly wrapped hairdo and stiff-necked manner. It's like she's taken a solemn oath to defend her pathetic sisters, and she's going to do it, no matter the sacrifice, unlike the bounder Louis Hayward who takes advantage of the situation only to enrich himself. But it's really the girlish Barrett, an obscure RKO actress, who steals the show-- all innocence and wide-eyed enthusiasm over the least little thing. No wonder, Lupino takes extreme protective measures.

Stylish director Charles Vidor does a lot with the slender material. Just consider the single, fog-bound set that could have become impossibly static. But Vidor keeps things moving and our attention with it. Then too, he knows how to use the Louis Hayward character to liven up the Gothic solemnity. What's also notable is that neither the screenplay nor Vidor takes the easy way out by vilifying the flighty Mrs. Fiske (Isobel Elsom). She's ultimately as sympathetic as Lupino. I kept wondering what Hitchcock would have done with the material since the theme and characters are right up his alley. Be that as it may, this is one of the many by-passed gems from the studios' golden age, and deserves rediscovery on its own many merits.

This is a weird one, atmospheric, moody, and brooding. It has a script by Reginald Denham based on his play, and although director Charles Vidor makes sure it does not come across as stagey, but makes the confined atmosphere work for him, the action has a kind of mental proscenium arch around it. This was Edith Barrett's first film, and she is superb. Elsa Lanchester does well in another one of her roles as an insane eccentric. What is particularly fascinating is to see the young Evelyn Keyes aged 25 but looking a virginal 18, and the sweetest little thing you ever saw. It is hard to imagine she had already made 15 films, as she looks straight out of the milk parlour. When I knew her in her mid-fifties she was so ultra-sophisticated that the idea of her ever having been innocent seems inconceivable. But she certainly is in this film! I guess that's called acting! She later married the director of this film, before moving on to Artie Shaw and John Huston (and anyone who could survive Huston as a husband was no little girl!). Ida Lupino plays the lead role, but it is a thankless task, because it is her job to look intense all the time, with very little scope for anything else. What a waste of her talents! She kisses the heads of her mad sisters very lovingly, and that's about all the emotion she is allowed to show. This is a claustrophobic story of how crazy people do crazy things. There might be a murder committed, but I'm not telling. It is set in a kind of mythical Essex marshes, and the sun never shines once through the mist. They must have used up all the dry ice in London for this film.

Some people get the strangest notions. Take Ida Lupino in Ladies In Retirement. She's served faithfully and well as a companion/secretary to rich Isobel Elsom for many years and when her sisters Elsa Lanchester and Edith Barrett come for a visit Elsom allows them to stay. But when they start taking over the place Elsom says they have to go. Instead it's Elsom who goes rather permanently and the story goes out that the woman has gone away.

Also now squatting at the residence is the nephew of all three of the sisters, son of a fourth sister who was apparently the only one who married. He's played by Louis Hayward and this isolated place on the English moors is ideal for a man who is on the run from the authorities after stealing 100 pounds from the bank he was employed at. He's guilty of embezzlement, but aunt Ida is guilty of maybe something far worse.

Once again Hayward shows his versatility after playing the swashbuckling hero son of the Count Of Monte Cristo now reverts to playing a blackmailing villain. He never had the major studio ties that his two main competitors Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power had, but he also was allowed to vary his roles as he wasn't as big a star as these other two. Hayward was just a fine and versatile actor.

Lupino though is the real star here. A very steely woman with iron self control she sees her world start to crumble around her as people become suspicious. Most suspicious of all is Hayward who even though he's on the run isn't above attempting some blackmail. Impervious to it all are clueless spinsters Lanchester and Barrett.

Those moors which provided so much story inspiration to Charlotte Bronte and Arthur Conan Doyle serve once again as a grand back drop to Ladies In Retirement. The final fadeout of Lupino on those moors is unforgettable.

Ladies In Retirement got Oscar nominations for Art Direction and Music Scoring. Sad that neither Ida Lupino or Louis Hayward were similarly recognized. Though they got each other as prizes as Hayward married the woman who played his maiden aunt in the film.

Definitely a film for Ida Lupino fans and Louis Hayward is an actor waiting to be rediscovered.

A huge stone bake oven, a curly blonde wig, a dead crow, and an old ink blotter are all elements that propel the drama in Charles Vidor's "Ladies in Retirement". This terrific -- and now largely forgotten -- piece of Victorian noir certainly deserves to find a new audience among classic film buffs.

Actually, "Ladies in Retirement" plays much like a "set piece" with almost all the action occurring inside a British country home. And the dramatic structure of the film is lifted faithfully from the stage play, but like the similar "Night Must Fall", the dialog, the characters, and the plot machinations make it an absorbing and suspenseful, and for those not familiar with the play, fairly unpredictable. Director Charles Vidor manages to keep it vital and visually interesting by setting some action on the dim and dank marshes that surround the house, and certainly the set designer and set dressers did a spectacular job in imagining the marshes of England, in a very subjective and ominous manner. The black and white cinematography makes the most of the foggy mist, the twisted trees and shrubs, craggy rocks, and the myriad birds that enliven the scenery. You can almost smell the mold and stagnant water in these scenes.

What makes "Ladies in Retirement" so terrific is the performances by the expert ensemble cast. First mention should go to veteran performer Isobel Elsom, who recreated her Broadway role in this movie, and certainly hits all the right notes as the retired showgirl Leonora Fiske. She's wonderful and perfectly cast, and lends a depth and sincerity to a character that played by a lesser actress would have seemed buffoonish. But Elsom can appear both flighty and silly, but also steely in her determination and cold and unyielding as a iceberg.

Ida Lupino plays Ellen Creed as repressed woman, desperate, and almost ready to explode at any moment, and she appears in sharp contrast to Elsom's blowzy Miss Fiske . From the first shot in the movie, Ellen's face is dark and tormented, as she reads her mail and then tortuously twists the letter in her hands before stuffing into her apron. She then expertly hides her distress over the plight of her sisters before Miss Fiske and her domestic Lucy, in a scene that showcases Lupino's command of the character. Ellen Creed thinks, plots and even connives at how to keep her family together, and the stress certainly reads in her face as she controls every scene by subtly hinting at her stifled emotions and repressed hostility. Even her affection for her poor sisters seems measured, restrained and qualified.

There's also great entertainment in the supporting performances. The inimitable Elsa Lanchester scowls and grumps, becoming a truly remarkable Emily. She seems to favor her sister Ellen, since she can be decidedly serious and dark, then lighting up only at rare times. Lanchester's persona was perfect for this role, as she can tiptoe the line between pathetic and frightening. She's a formidable presence with her angular features and bellowing voice, certainly enough to cause pause in any sensible person.

As the fragile and flighty sister Louisa, Edith Barrett may come off as a bit too broad and over-played, but she certainly endears herself to the audience. Her character is girlish, flirtatious and also quite wide-eyed and deranged, and her exchanges with a coachman supply great comic relief. Barrett makes her scenes so amusing that you really do care for the fate of her character. This actress is certainly one who should have achieved greater acclaim in supporting roles.

Louis Hayward portrays Ellen Creed's crafty "nephew" Albert Feather. He charms and flirts his way into the Fiske household like a low-rent Cary Grant, with a cockney accent and very winning ways. Hayward and Lupino were married at the time of filming and there scenes are electric with sexual tension. Albert provides a great temptation to Evelyn Keyes' innocent housemaid Lucy, who also deserves mention as an important member of the ensemble. Her accent is perfect, she glows with youthful beauty, and her tiny tantrums and sly flirtations still enliven every scene in which she appears.

"Ladies in Retirement" exemplifies classic Hollywood film-making at its apex of artistry by the great performances of its players, the refined and expert vision of its director, and the wonderful imagination of its designers. From the Columbia Studio fanfare until the end credits roll, classic film enthusiasts should find enjoyment in every frame.

Ellen Creed (Ida Lupino) is the servant and companion of a well to do older woman, Miss Fiske. However, Ellen has a serious problem...she's the sole support for her two mentally ill sisters...and the sisters have been tossed out of the place that was caring for them. You can understand why, as one of the sisters (Elsa Lanchester) is rather surly and the other is quite out of touch with reality. So Ellen maneuver's her employer into letting the pair stay with them a few days. However, the days turn into weeks and the sisters are almost impossible to live with, so Miss Fiske insists that Ellen make other arrangements. With no easy solution to her dilemma, Ellen does something pretty dreadful. Little does she know that her slimy nephew (Louis Hayward) is about to arrive for a visit...and he's NOT mentally ill....just a conniving sociopath! Slowly he puts the puzzle pieces together and he realizes Ellen has done something even he wouldn't do! And, not surprisingly, he plans on taking full advantage of the situation.

This is an excellent and interesting film. I especially like that the plot is quite unique....and because of this it offers many surprises. The acting by Lupino was excellent and I appreciate how she allowed the makeup folks to make her look unglamorous and 'normal'...many actresses would have resisted this. Even more impressive is Hayward's performance...one of his very best. He is wonderful as the slimy nephew...very convincing and fascinating in every scene. My only complaint in the acting was Edith Barrett as one of the mentally ill sisters...as her performance seemed forced and a bit overdone. Subtle it wasn't. Overall, the good very much outweighs the bad...and it's a film lovers of classic cinema need to see.