Charles Boyer and Ann Blyth discover “A Woman’s Vengeance”

A Woman’s Vengeance (1948) is an American film noir mystery directed by Zoltan Korda and starring Charles Boyer, Ann Blyth, and Jessica Tandy. The supporting cast includes Cedric Hardwicke and Mildred Natwick. The screenplay was written by Aldous Huxley which was based on his novelette The Gioconda Smile. The cinematography was by Russel Metty and the music was by Miklos Rozsa.

Henry Maurier’s (Boyer) marriage is not a happy one. His wife Emily (Rachel Kempson) is not in good health. Henry and Emily’s marriage is in name only. Henry is carrying on an affair with Doris Mead (Ann Blyth) who is much younger than he is. Meanwhile, another woman, Janet Spence (Tandy) is in love with Henry. When Emily dies suddenly, Henry quickly marries Doris.

Henry is accused of poisoning his wife and is put on trial for murder. Will the trial reveal that Henry poisoned his wife so he could marry Doris or did someone else have a motive to murder Emily?

Charles Boyer and Ann Blyth

Zolton Korda (1895 – 1961) was a Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, director, and producer. Along with his brothers Alexander and Vincent, he made films in Hungary and London before moving to Hollywood where they continued to make movies. Some of the films that Korda directed include The Four Feathers (1939), The Jungle Book (1942), The Macomber Affair (1947), and Cry, the Beloved Country (1951).

Charles Boyer (1899 - 1978) was a French-American stage and film actor. Boyer was nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award four times. He became a major movie star in the late 1930s in films like The Garden of Allah (1936), Algiers (1938), and Love Affair (1939). He starred as the evil husband of Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight (1944). Boyer starred opposite most of the top female stars of the period including Claudette Colbert, Marlene Dietrich, Irene Dunne, Jean Arthur, Greta Garbo, Bette Davis, Joan Fontaine, Katharine Hepburn, and Olivia de Havilland. As he grew older, Boyer played supporting roles in film and also starred on Broadway in Kind Sir (1953 - 1954) and The Marriage-Go-Round (1958 - 1960).

Ann Blyth (1928 - ) is a retired American actress and singer. She is most famous for her role as Veda in Mildred Pierce (1945) where she played Joan Crawford’s ungrateful daughter. For her role in that film, Blyth was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Blyth’s first acting role was in Lillian Hellman’s Watch on the Rhine on Broadway. While on tour with the play, Blyth was offered a contract with Universal Studios. At Universal, Blyth starred alongside Donald O’Connor and Peggy Ann Ryan in a series of teen musicals. In 1952, Blyth was signed by M-G-M where she starred opposite Steward Granger, Robert Taylor, Howard Keel, Van Johnson, and Mario Lanza.

Jessica Tandy (1909 – 1994) was an English actress who had a long and successful career on the stage and screen. Tandy created the role of Blanche Du Bois in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar of Desire. She won a Tony Award for Best Actress for her performance in the Tennessee Williams classic. Tandy had supporting roles in films starting in 1944 supporting stars like Gregory Peck, Greer Garson, Gene Tierney, and Linda Darnell. In the 1980, her film career picked up. She won a Best Actress Academy Award for Driving Miss Daisy. At 80-years-old, Tandy became the oldest Oscar-winning actress.

 

To watch the film on YouTube, click here.

 

Click here to join the discussion on November 27, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. Would you classify this movie as a film noir? Why or why not?
2. What did you think of the relationship between Boyer and Blyth? Was it believable? At the time of filming, Boyer was 49 and Blyth was 20.
3. Jessica Tandy has a pivotal role in the film. What did you think of her performance?
4. Did you suspect that someone other than Henry had a motive to kill Emily?
5. Were you surprised by the film’s conclusion?
6. Did this film remind you of any other film?

 

 

A fan’s review of “The Birds” on the big screen

This poster is hanging in my office.

I’m old enough to remember when The Birds was first released in theatres, but as far as my mother was concerned, I was too young to see it. When I was a kid, our family went to the movies almost every week. This was back in the day when the production code was still in effect and movies weren’t rated. The Birds just wasn’t typical family fare in 1963.

As I got older and interested in movies, I saw The Birds on TV, in the days when movies were regularly shown on the major networks. Like many, I found it fascinating and marveled at the—for the time—amazing special effects. When Turner Classic Movies announced that it would be shown on the big screen for one night only, in celebration of Universal Studios’ 100th anniversary, I jumped at the chance to see it.

I was not disappointed. The new digital version looked brand new. The sound, which was such an important part of the film, was amazingly crisp and clear. One of Alfred Hitchcock’s biggest commercial successes, The Birds is far from the Master’s best. But as pure popcorn eating entertainment, it is enormously suspenseful and fun. The audience at the screening seemed to enjoy the movie. Many, I suspect, based on their ages, were first-time viewers.

This matte shot of Bodega Bay in flames is still amazing to me.

Like most Hitchcock film’s, it holds up well. I thought the special effects would look cheap and hokey by today’s CGI standards, but to my surprise they looked pretty good. The matte photography showing Bodega Bay in flames from a bird’s eye view is still impressive. Another thing that makes The Birds seem fresh is the polish Hitchcock and costume designer, Edith Head brought to the film. The cast is dressed classically. The green suit that Tipi Hedren wears—not to mention that mink coat—through most of the film has a contemporary and timeless look. The same goes for Rod Taylor’s suits and the casual clothes he wears on the family farm.

Hedren and Taylor looked spooked, but boy do
they know how to dress!

Some viewers find Hendren’s performance lacking, but I’m amazed at how effective she is as Melanie Daniels, the film’s heroine. She possesses all the Hitchcock attributes. She’s blond and beautiful, but she also holds her own opposite seasoned pros Taylor, Jessica Tandy, and Suzanne Pleshette. Considering she had no prior acting experience, I have to hand it to her because a big part of the film’s success rested on her shoulders.


When the movie was first released, the ending was jarring and left viewers with questions. The same was true with this special screening. You could hear some folks mumbling “that’s it?” as the film faded to black. But that’s Hitchcock. He always leaves you wanting more.

“The Birds” on the big screen September 19

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 classic, The Birds will hit the big screen for a one-night showing September 19, 2012, in theaters all across the country. Like the special screenings of Casablanca and Singing in the Rain, this one is sponsored by Turner Classic Movies. The screening will include an interview with star Tippi Hedren and special introduction featuring TCM host Robert Osborne. To find a screening near you, click here.

Tippi Hedren finds safety in a phone booth in one of the film’s
most famous scenes.

If there is a classic film that benefits from a big-screen showing, it’s The Birds. Based on a short story by Daphne Du Maurier with a screenplay by Evan Hunter, the movie is filled with iconic scenes and amazing—for the time—special effects.

The top-billed star is Rod Taylor who plays Mitch Brenner, a San Francisco lawyer who falls for socialite Melanie Daniels played by Hedren. Hedren, a model and single mother, was plucked from obscurity by Hitchcock to be his new leading lady. Groomed to be the next cool blond—Madeleine Carroll, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, and Eva Marie Saint preceded her—Hedren became an overnight sensation. She won the Golden Globe award for most promising newcomer, female, the year after the movie’s release. Also in the cast are Academy Award winner Jessica Tandy, then child star Veronica Cartwright, and Suzanne Pleshette. In smaller roles are character actor Richard Deacon (The Dick Van Dyke Show) and as one of the children at Cathy Brenner’s (Cartwright) birthday party is an unbilled Morgan Brittany who later went on to star in TV’s Dallas.

The Birds may not be one of Hitchcock’s greatest films, but it certainly is one of his most entertaining. A huge hit upon its initial release, the film offers up exquisite camera work by frequent Hitchcock cinematographer Robert Burks. The special effects were created Ub Iwerks, the genius behind the special effects at the Disney studio. One of the unusual aspects of the film is that is has no musical score. Instead, the sound of birds is heard throughout. Bernard Herrmann (Psycho), composer of many Hitchcock film scores acted as the films uncredited sound director.