Whirlpool [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

One of the first things that struck me about Whirlpool is how good an actress Gene Tierney actually was. She does such a terrific job of portraying both the vulnerability and desperation of her character.

Set in Los Angeles, Whirlpool is an unassuming and unpretentious thriller that sort of fits the mold of noir. The movie certainly isn't the best example of the genre, but it does have many fine elements that, combined with Ms. Tierney's performance, make it eminently watchable.

Gene Tierney stars as Ann Sutton. Ann is the wealthy and respectable wife of successful psychiatrist Dr. William Sutton (a marvelous Richard Conte). The film opens as Ann is caught shoplifting a jeweled broach from a ritzy department store. The police and the store manager are determined to prosecute, but she gets off the hook thanks to David Korvo (Jose Ferrer), a mysterious hypnotist whom Ann employs to help her sleep.

Ann initially thinks that Korvo is out to blackmail her, and she offers him a large some of money to keep him quiet. Korvo, however, has another, far more furtive agenda. As he gradually builds Ann's trust, it soon is revealed that he has been having an affair with Sutton's former patient Theresa Randolph (Barbara O'Neil).

Shortly thereafter, Theresa turns up dead, and Ann is implicated as the murderer since she was found at the scene of the crime. Ann is arrested and charged with murder, but bitterly denies involvement telling her kindly husband that she just can't remember anything. So, who is the murderer? Surely it can't have been Korvo, as he was in the hospital during the time of Theresa's death.

It is left up to Lt. Colton (Charles Bickford) to use his detective skills and Dr. Sutton as the committed psychiatrist to break the hold that Korvo has on Ann and finally learn the truth behind the Theresa's murder.

Ferrer is terrific as the enigmatic Korvo. From the beginning it's plainly obvious that he's a sleazy, amoral confidence trickster, who is probably out to milk the Ann of her money and nothing happens to compromise his position. Richard Conte is also very good as Ann's concerned husband; he knows that his wife is not guilty but he's frustrated at the lack of inaction on behalf the local police to prove her innocence.

The issues of hypnotherapy, especially with the idea that hypnosis can make people do stuff they don't want to, is also interesting. Although, by today's standards it perhaps doesn't carry the kind of psychological weight and dramatic punch that it did back when the film was made.

Perhaps influenced by the wave of films during the period that utilized the growing field of hypnotherapy the picture might have seemed a bit fresher when it was first released. However, the Whirlpool is still fun to watch, especially for the lovely Gene Tierney who apparently used Whirlpool as a comeback after a two-year absence. Mike Leonard September 05.

Directed by Otto Preminger five years after his classic "Laura" this fine film noir does not disappoint.

Gene Tierney is THE star as the suppressed kleptomaniac Ann Sutton (caught stealing a broach) the wife of eminent psychiatrist (Richard Conte) in a very wooden performance.

Jose Ferrer however gives a sound portrayal of David Korvo a smooth charlatan who hypnotises Ann to assist him in a crime.

Although falling somewhat short of the classic "Laura" this is a very fine film noir that suffers from inadequate character development of the supporting roles.

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation presents "WHIRLPOOL" (1949) (98 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --
Whirlpool is a sleek thriller about the well-to-do. Ann Sutton (Gene Tierney), the fashionable, neurotic wife of a prominent psychoanalyst, is kleptomaniac --- When she is arrested at an upscale department store for stealing a broach, she is save by Korvo (José Ferrer), an astrologer and hypnotist who specializes in separating gullible rich women from their money.

An interesting film that is well worth watching --- Jose Ferrer as Korvo is a standout but Gene Tierney seems to have lost her fire and ends up sleepwalking through the film, even when she is not hypnotized.

The shot in which Gene Tierney stands before the portrait is an obvious homage to Laura and a rare moment of self-quotation in Preminger's oeuvre. David Raksin's theme song, good but not great evokes the heroine's descent into a vortex.

Under the production staff of:
Otto Preminger [Director/Producer]
Ben Hecht [Screenplay]
Andrew Solt [Screenplay]
Guy Endore [Novel]
David Raksin [Original Music]
Arthur C. Miller [Cinematographer]
Louis R. Loeffler [Film Editor]

BIOS:
1. Otto Ludwig Preminger [Director]
Date of Birth: 5 December 1905 - Wiznitz, Bukovina, Austria-Hungary (now Wyschnyzja, Ukraine))
Date of Death: 23 April 1986 - New York City, New York

2. Gene Tierney
Date of Birth: 19 November 1920 - Brooklyn, New York
Date of Death: 6 November 1991 - Houston, Texas

3. Richard Conte
Date of Birth: 24 March 1910 - Jersey City, New Jersey
Date of Death: 15 April 1975 - Los Angeles, California

4. José Ferrer [aka: José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón]
Date of Birth: 8 January 1912- Santurce, Puerto Rico
Date of Death: 26 January 1992 - Coral Gables, Florida

the cast includes:
Gene Tierney - Ann Sutton
Richard Conte - Dr. William 'Bill' Sutton
José Ferrer - David Korvo (as Jose Ferrer)
Charles Bickford - Lt. James Colton
Barbara O'Neil - Theresa Randolph
Eduard Franz - Martin Avery
Constance Collier - Tina Cosgrove
Fortunio Bonanova - Feruccio di Ravallo

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 98 min on DVD ~ 20th Century Fox ~ (09/06/2005)