Is how it was introduced in the opening credits. With a confronting beginning - an elderly woman's face in extreme close up - and she is extremely scary!!!
The setting is Fifth Avenue, New York in 1910 and a wedding is about to be celebrated between Anne Darrow (Evelyn Venable) and Rip Van Brett (Kent Taylor), half brother to Caroline (Anne Revere). Caroline, a sweet spinster, is completely dominated by her embittered older sister Victoria (Mary Morris). Victoria is angry because of the marriage and because Anne will now be Mrs. Van Brett. Mr. Chase (Halliwell Hobbes), from Tiffanys, tells Victoria and Caroline about a room their late father built "a mysterious sleeping room" so he could sleep soundly amid the noise of Fifth Avenue. He has also bought over a family heirloom, a string of priceless pearls that are to be given to Anne, as the future Mrs. Van Brett. Victoria, in a silent rage, substitutes them for a string of worthless beads and takes great pleasure in seeing the disappointment on Rip and Anne's faces. An old friend of Anne's, Dr. Lucas, comes to congratulate her and also to warn her about the nutty family she now belongs to.
The sleeping room is no secret to Victoria - she uses it as a safe and on occasion as a "punishment" room when Caroline has displeased her. She now threatens to lock Caroline in there and suffocate her if she doesn't stand by her in her persecution of Anne. Victoria also sends for Rip (who has to cut short his honeymoon) to help manage all their property - once home she works him so hard he barely gets a chance to see Anne. She worries that their marriage is in trouble and confides in Dr. Lucas. After a dinner party in which Anne asserts her independence - a stranger calls, a private detective, hired by Victoria, who has evidence of Anne's secret meetings with Dr. Lucas.
The climax is extremely chilling as Anne is shown the secret of the sleeping room. The film has a lot in common with "The Silver Cord", only instead of a monstrous mother there is an evil sister and Mary Morris is just outstanding as Victoria. It is extremely surprising to find out that this was her only film. In the film Rip is telling Anne of his terrible childhood, being forced to sleep in the same room as Victoria. There are a couple of words cut out and it is obviously (probably more so in the play) of an incestuous relationship. For 1934 either before or after the code it was meaty stuff.
Anne Revere, who in the 40s had a wonderful career as a character actress, had originated her role as Caroline Van Bret on Broadway. Alas, this was also her only film in the 30s. Evelyn Venable should have been a much bigger star but apart from a Will Rogers film "David Harum" , her initial features - "Cradle Song" (about nuns), "Death Takes a Holiday" (Frederic March played the Grim Reaper) and "Double Door" (about a bitter old woman) where not exactly the types of films that were going to send people racing to the theatres. Then, before she knew it, she was Shirley Temple's mother in "The Little Colonel" and then had to be snooty to Katharine Hepburn in "Alice Adams" so the writing was on the wall. Kent Taylor, who was Rip, was a good looking leading man, but again like Evelyn Venable, with whom he co-starred in several films, he never reached stardom.
Highly, Highly Recommended.
The setting is Fifth Avenue, New York in 1910 and a wedding is about to be celebrated between Anne Darrow (Evelyn Venable) and Rip Van Brett (Kent Taylor), half brother to Caroline (Anne Revere). Caroline, a sweet spinster, is completely dominated by her embittered older sister Victoria (Mary Morris). Victoria is angry because of the marriage and because Anne will now be Mrs. Van Brett. Mr. Chase (Halliwell Hobbes), from Tiffanys, tells Victoria and Caroline about a room their late father built "a mysterious sleeping room" so he could sleep soundly amid the noise of Fifth Avenue. He has also bought over a family heirloom, a string of priceless pearls that are to be given to Anne, as the future Mrs. Van Brett. Victoria, in a silent rage, substitutes them for a string of worthless beads and takes great pleasure in seeing the disappointment on Rip and Anne's faces. An old friend of Anne's, Dr. Lucas, comes to congratulate her and also to warn her about the nutty family she now belongs to.
The sleeping room is no secret to Victoria - she uses it as a safe and on occasion as a "punishment" room when Caroline has displeased her. She now threatens to lock Caroline in there and suffocate her if she doesn't stand by her in her persecution of Anne. Victoria also sends for Rip (who has to cut short his honeymoon) to help manage all their property - once home she works him so hard he barely gets a chance to see Anne. She worries that their marriage is in trouble and confides in Dr. Lucas. After a dinner party in which Anne asserts her independence - a stranger calls, a private detective, hired by Victoria, who has evidence of Anne's secret meetings with Dr. Lucas.
The climax is extremely chilling as Anne is shown the secret of the sleeping room. The film has a lot in common with "The Silver Cord", only instead of a monstrous mother there is an evil sister and Mary Morris is just outstanding as Victoria. It is extremely surprising to find out that this was her only film. In the film Rip is telling Anne of his terrible childhood, being forced to sleep in the same room as Victoria. There are a couple of words cut out and it is obviously (probably more so in the play) of an incestuous relationship. For 1934 either before or after the code it was meaty stuff.
Anne Revere, who in the 40s had a wonderful career as a character actress, had originated her role as Caroline Van Bret on Broadway. Alas, this was also her only film in the 30s. Evelyn Venable should have been a much bigger star but apart from a Will Rogers film "David Harum" , her initial features - "Cradle Song" (about nuns), "Death Takes a Holiday" (Frederic March played the Grim Reaper) and "Double Door" (about a bitter old woman) where not exactly the types of films that were going to send people racing to the theatres. Then, before she knew it, she was Shirley Temple's mother in "The Little Colonel" and then had to be snooty to Katharine Hepburn in "Alice Adams" so the writing was on the wall. Kent Taylor, who was Rip, was a good looking leading man, but again like Evelyn Venable, with whom he co-starred in several films, he never reached stardom.
Highly, Highly Recommended.