THE WOMAN IN QUESTION is a British detective story of the 1950s and a little different to the rest, following an atypical plot structure, featuring some characters who are presented in a much more harsh and realistic light than is usual for the genre, and set in Brighton, although mostly this is a set-bound little thing.
The film turns out to be nothing more than a blatant rip-off of Kurosawa's RASHOMON, with the events leading up to the murder of a young woman told by various different characters who each put their own spin on things. The main detective has to piece things together and work out who the real killer is, more by what's not being said than what is. It's an interesting premise in itself, but the writer is unable to sustain suspense for the entire running time, and in the second half this falls apart quite spectacularly with sub-plots that go nowhere and seem to have been included merely to pad out the narrative.
It's a pity, as THE WOMAN IN QUESTION does have some good stuff amid the tedium. Jean Kent has the chance to play the victim in a number of different characterisations and is completely convincing in all of them. The stories which portray her in a less-than-flattering light are quite shocking and effective. Dirk Bogarde has a supporting role, but it's an obvious one that he can do little with. Hermione Baddeley's larger-than-life figure threatens to dominate proceedings early on but thankfully takes a back seat later in the game. The police procedural linking segments are quite dull and I found the ending a disappointment.
The film turns out to be nothing more than a blatant rip-off of Kurosawa's RASHOMON, with the events leading up to the murder of a young woman told by various different characters who each put their own spin on things. The main detective has to piece things together and work out who the real killer is, more by what's not being said than what is. It's an interesting premise in itself, but the writer is unable to sustain suspense for the entire running time, and in the second half this falls apart quite spectacularly with sub-plots that go nowhere and seem to have been included merely to pad out the narrative.
It's a pity, as THE WOMAN IN QUESTION does have some good stuff amid the tedium. Jean Kent has the chance to play the victim in a number of different characterisations and is completely convincing in all of them. The stories which portray her in a less-than-flattering light are quite shocking and effective. Dirk Bogarde has a supporting role, but it's an obvious one that he can do little with. Hermione Baddeley's larger-than-life figure threatens to dominate proceedings early on but thankfully takes a back seat later in the game. The police procedural linking segments are quite dull and I found the ending a disappointment.