Keeping Maureen O'Hara on its payroll throughout the 1940s was one of the smartest things Twentieth Century Fox ever did: She was capable and spirited, and so pretty that it wouldn't have mattered if she couldn't act at all. Here she is in a typically feisty role, a well-to-do London miss who marries badly and becomes victimized by a creepy old streetwoman (Dame Sybil Thorndike). As a melodrama in the "Gaslight" vein with bizarre comedy touches, it's fairly silly, but there's much to savor, especially in the details: an atmospheric backlot set (I think it was actually filmed on 20th's British soundstage), blackmail, puppetry, cackling hags, some tasty dialogue, and one exceedingly odd moment where Dana Andrews invites his ladylove's little brother to bed.
Review of The Forbidden Street
