Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

TheLittleSongbird The best version of The Woman in White is the outstanding 1982 one with Diana Quick, which is very faithful to the book(not that that has to be important in adaptations), has the ideal pace and length and is superbly acted with not a weak link. The 1997 version does have flaws, with Count Fosco and Sir Percival Glyde being under-characterised, being rushed and too short and some of the changes(namely the reason for Glyde's persecution of Anne) not making as much sense but is much better than it's given credit for because it is atmospheric, very well made and the rest of the cast are fine. This film is not the most faithful to the book either, though closer in spirit to 1997, on its own it's very good. It is let down by the wooden and rather pallid Walter of Gig Young and the very contrived ending. But it is very attractively photographed and the production values generally being hauntingly Gothic. Max Steiner's score is sweeping and has some menace and eeriness to it, while the dialogue is literate with its funny, poignant and foreboding touches and the story moves along with seldom a dull stretch, it is coherent and keeps you interested. It is not as complex or as intricate to the book but it does respectably still. The film is very well directed and the performances are fine. Eleanor Parker is positively luminous in appearance and is a sympathetic Laura and a touching Anne, she is better as the latter, which is a more interesting role to begin with. Alexis Smith brings the strong-willed passion that Marian should do, while John Abbott is most amusing and condescending as Frederick Fairlie. Madame Fosco's decent from madness to murderous insanity is chillingly depicted by Agnes Moorhead and John Emery's Glyde is charming yet oily. Sydney Greenstreet is the one who makes the film, not only is he is the actor that most resembles one of literature's most interesting villains physically but he brings both the charming intelligence and monstrous evil of Count Fosco. Overall, very good, 1982 is the superior adaptation but this is a worthy second best. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Spikeopath The Woman in White is directed by Peter Godfrey and adapted to screenplay by Stephen Morehouse Avery from the novel of the same name written by Wilkie Collins. It stars Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet, Gig Young, Agnes Moorehead, John Abbott and John Emery. Music is by Max Steiner and cinematography by Carl E. Guthrie.England 1851 and artist Walter Hartright (Young) makes his way through the woods to the Limmeridge Estate where he is to teach drawing to Laura Fairlie (Parker). But he is stopped in his tracks by a woman dressed all in white, she is vague and frightened and runs off when she hears a carriage approaching. Walter will soon find out that once he gets to Limmeridge House things will get even stranger than his meeting with the mysterious woman in white…It's the sort of Gothic period film noir that is an acquired taste, on one hand it has ambiance and suspenseful mystery in abundance, on the other it's desperately slow and a bit too complex for its own good. Narratively there is an array of devilish strands at work, with insanity, hypnotism, murder, greed, hypochondria and hints of other unhealthy doings bubbling away in this most creepy of Estate Mansions. Visually and aurally it's a treat, as Steiner layers the mood with haunting virtuosity and Guthrie and Godfrey imbue it all with threatening shadow play and ethereal focus shots.Greenstreet takes the acting honours with one of his shifty and sinister turns, but Moorehead is one classy lassy for sure, while Parker in a dual role shows the graceful eloquence that many directors failed to utilise in her career. Set design (George Southam) is a period delight, as is the costuming (Bernard Newman/Milo Anderson), all told it's a hugely impressive production, one that is both bursting with funereal atmospherics and pungent with weirdness. A strange film for definite, hypnotic even, its draggy middle section makes it far from flawless, but those with a bent for Gothic noir and Lynchian like mysteries, this is most likely one for you. 7/10

MartinHafer There were a couple clues that I was not in for a pleasant ride when I turned on this film. First, Warner Brothers filmed the movie in 1946 but held it two years--a sure sign that they knew they had a loser of a movie. Second, it's based on a 90 year-old story--and its age sure showed."The Woman in White" is a mystery story involving, of course, a woman dressed in white. She appears out of no where in the night as a painting teacher (Gig Young) is traveling to work at an estate. Exactly why she has appeared and how she poses a threat to some conspirators is something you'll learn---if you can keep yourself watching! The bottom line is that two major problems ruin the film--and all of them have to do with Eleanor Parker. First, the film using the stupid plot device of identical cousins! While shows like "The Patty Duke Show" and a few films over the years rely on this sort of thing, there is no such thing as identical cousins and it's an over-used plot device. Second, Parker's performances are pretty bad--way over-acted and downright silly. I have no idea why do many reviewers liked this film, as I found it annoying and difficult to watch.

lost-in-limbo A film I thought promised more than it actually would deliver (after a moodily atmospheric beginning), but nonetheless "The Woman in White" is an earnestly crisp and broodingly scheming minor mystery / thriller that's brought to life by its exceptionally dramatic performances. Thanks namely of the hearty and eccentric turns by Sydney Greenstreet (who's simply great), Eleanor Parker, John Abbott and Agnes Moorehead.A new tutor Walter Hartright (an artist) is hired at a country English estate, but on his way their on a brightly lit night through a forest. He encounters a lady dressed in white asking for help, but minutes later she's gone. After arriving at the estate, the next morning he thinks he encounters the lady again to find out she's not the one, despite the uncanny appearance, but actually Laura Fairlie who he'll be teaching. In the estate he finds himself amongst an odd collection of characters, which seem to have their own little secrets and when they hear that of Walter's encounter with the lady in white and his constant enquiries seem to open up a can of worms.Director Peter Godfrey's sufficient handling is patiently slow-winding, but beautifully projected with the sweeping photography and atmospheric Victorian setting. Suspense makes little headway, as it's quite a talky piece (with a captivating script); dependent on its enlivened mystery (adapted off Wilkie Collins novel) and the cleverly implemented canvas work. Sure it can feel telegraphed and contrived in certain developments, but there are interesting psychological traits holding it together, solid character groundwork and impulsive actions in what is a fiendish layout capably pulled off. Also the rest of the central cast; Gig Young, Alexis Smith and John Emery lay on ably defined performances.