Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

morrison-dylan-fan With somehow having always gotten the title mixed up for a George Saunder's Film Noir called The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry,I was happily caught completely by surprise,when a very kind IMDb'er gave me a chance to finally meet uncle Silas.The plot-1845:Despite being strongly connected to a vicious murder,17 year old Caroline Ruthyn is told by her dad that reclusive uncle Silas is a good man,whose flamboyance has caused him to be misunderstood.Deciding to update his will so that Caroline can get the money before she turns 21,Caroline's dad dies before he is able to put his signature on the changes.With only being 17 years old,Caroline is sent away,to be looked after by Silas until she turns 21.Caught completely by surprise,Caroline is happy to discover that Silas is a kind,if overly animated,family member.Looking around Silas's huge mansion,Caroline begins to discover the darkness lurking in the corners of her less than sweet uncle's life.View on the film:Surrounding the movie with towering mansion's,director Charles Frank builds a haunting atmosphere which combines icy Gothic Horror with a mean-spirited Film Noir mood,as Frank and Robert Krasker gradually allow the candle lights to burn out,and to be replaced by eerie shadows which wrap around every dark corner of the mansion's.Along with the excellent Gothic Noir atmosphere,Frank and Krasker also show an extraordinary eye in displaying the full content of their mansion,with Frank's superb wide-shots creating an unexpected claustrophobic chill,as Caroline Ruthyn demons start to suffocate her.Whilst Frank shows a real skill in boiling a Gothic brew, Ben Travers adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's is sadly never able to fully matching the visual appearance,thanks to Travers taking a rather stilted approach to the screenplay,which leads to the film receiving sudden bursts of horror,instead of a slow-burning sense of menace,which Charles Frank appears to be setting his sights on.Entering the film with a real elegance, Jean Simmons gives an excellent performance as Caroline Ruthyn,with Simmons showing Ruthyn to psychologically crumble into bits,as she starts to realise what sweet uncle Silas's plans are.Sending a shiver down Ruthyn, John Laurie gives a great rustic performance as loyal butler Giles,whilst Derrick De Marney gives an extremely flamboyant performance as uncle Silas,with Marney slowly tearing up the flamboyance of Silas,to reveal the secret hidden inside.

GManfred This picture gets off to a very slow start as the director and screenwriter laboriously set the table for events to come. Carolyn Ruthyn (Jean Simmons) is heiress to her father's fortune, and upon his demise is sent to live with his brother, eccentric Uncle Silas. Matters take some nasty turns as Uncle Silas turns out to be a rotter.The film really picks up steam with the appearance of Katina Paxinou as the governess-from-hell, who is an arresting presence and lights up the screen in every scene she is in. She lends credence to a movie which limps along without her and elevates the acting level, which is remarkably pedestrian save for Jean Simmons. I felt Derrick De Marney as Uncle Silas was too finicky and lacked menace, and was not a good choice for the role. The director finally gets the Gothic feel of the story correct from midpoint on in the scenes at Unlce Silas' estate, and from here the story becomes tense and suspenseful.If you can find it, "The Inheritance" is well worth your time, chiefly for the two female leads who carry the picture. The first half is a chore, but stick with it and you will be rewarded with an exciting 90 minutes - more, if you can find an uncut British version.

kidboots Jean Simmons, as an actress, is just so under rated in my opinion. She was always reliable, got good notices and was very well liked but has never become a cult figure like Audrey Hepburn. She learned acting as she went. She was one of Rank's most sought after young players and while she was fortunate enough to be given some prize roles early in her career (Estella in "Great Expectations", Ophelia in "Hamlet") she more than justified the faith the studios had in her as well as drawing praise from Sir Laurence Olivier.In 1943 a new escapist genre was introduced into the British movie scene - the romantic Gothic melodrama. During the War British films often reflected that terrible period of strife and sacrifice and by the time "The Man in Grey" galloped onto the screen the public were ready to adore them however the critics sneered. It was only a matter of time before movies discovered ghost writer par excellence Sheridan La Fanu. His eerie stories of the occult and the supernatural were perfect for the Gothic period movies were now going through.This would have to be the most frightening of all the Gothic melodramas. There was not much romance but a ton of action right up until "The End" flashes on the screen and definitely the scariest woman I have ever seen in the movies - the bizarre Madame De La Rougierre (Katina Paxinou). Jean Simmons gained her first starring role as the innocent Catherine who has always worshipped her Uncle Silas, encouraged by her father (silly man!!) who refuses to believe that he is not a changed man. In his youth Silas led a life of sin but is now a recluse, Catherine's father thinks it is due to remorse but I think the answer is found in the "odd tasting" liquid he keeps by his bed!!Initially Madame De La Rougierre, a woman recommended by Silas, is hired as Catherine's governess and shows herself to be a true fiend, going out of her way to corrupt Catherine by introducing her to Silas's debauched son. Catherine's father takes the phrase "turning a deaf ear" to new heights as he refuses to hear anything bad about Silas but even he realises the truth when he finds Madame searching for his will. After her expulsion from the house he dies and Silas is made Catherine's guardian. At first all is well but Catherine soon realises that Silas's vague eccentricity masks a dangerous man who will stop at nothing, not even murder to get his hands on Catherine's inheritance.There's a ghostly mansion on a craggy hill, locked doors, stolen keys, secret passages and eccentric servants and Jean Simmons is perfect as the virginal Catherine but Katina Paxinou's character is larger than life, when she is centre stage there is no room for anyone else (sensible Jean can't really compete with her histrionics so just sits back and lets her do her stuff)!! I was surprised to see Derrick De Marney giving his all to the role of Uncle Silas - he was only 42 at the time and the last time I had seen him in a movie was as the romantic hero on the run in Hitchcock's "Young and Innocent" (1937).Highly, Highly Recommended.

moonspinner55 British film-adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's novel "Uncle Silas" stars Jean Simmons as a 16-year-old orphan in 1845 England who is menaced by her nefarious uncle and his scheming partner, the girl's former governess, over the fortune her late father willed to her. Exceptionally handsome Two Cities Films production is full of cobwebs, castles and dark corridors, however the hysterical damsel-in-distress plot doesn't really hold together. Simmons nearly makes for a dandy target, but too often she moves lethargically (with her hands covering her face). Far better are Derrick De Marney and Katina Paxinou as the villains of the piece, with Paxinou taking her wicked witch role to its zenith (the film nearly dies for a spell when she is off the screen). More obvious now than it must have been in 1947, the story exposition at the beginning is clumsy and Charles Frank's direction is occasionally stilted or unsure. Still, there are pleasures to be had for those in the requisite silly spirit, and Robert Krasker's gorgeous cinematography is a feast for the eyes. **1/2 from ****