A good adaptation of the novel by Josephine Tey. A young woman Betty Kane claims to have been abducted by the Sharpes, mother and daughter Marion, and ill treated but the couple deny it. Who is telling the truth? A local solicitor Robert Blair gets involved with the affair. It is perfectly paced by the director Lawrence Huntington and ably photographed by Günther Krampf. The small town ambience, sweet and sour, is well portrayed.
The acting is good. The most interesting characters though are the women, Dulcie Gray as Marion Sharpe, Marjorie Fielding as Mrs. Sharpe, Athene Seyler as Aunt Lin, Ann Stephens as Betty Kane and Avice Landon as Mrs Wynne. They convey lots of depth in their roles.
The happy ending with the couple getting together on the plane was a bit weak. The stronger ending would be the solicitor Robert Blair sitting in his office with his tea and biscuits and Marion going off to Canada with her mother. It almost seemed like that definitely was the case and poignant it would have been but the film makers lost their nerve so we got a conventional conclusion. But that didn't mar an entertaining film.
The acting is good. The most interesting characters though are the women, Dulcie Gray as Marion Sharpe, Marjorie Fielding as Mrs. Sharpe, Athene Seyler as Aunt Lin, Ann Stephens as Betty Kane and Avice Landon as Mrs Wynne. They convey lots of depth in their roles.
The happy ending with the couple getting together on the plane was a bit weak. The stronger ending would be the solicitor Robert Blair sitting in his office with his tea and biscuits and Marion going off to Canada with her mother. It almost seemed like that definitely was the case and poignant it would have been but the film makers lost their nerve so we got a conventional conclusion. But that didn't mar an entertaining film.