Historically ,it was the first French film by Robert Siodmak,after Goebbels drove him from his native Germany.
It's a very impersonal movie.Siodmak had to do what French directors almost always did in the years following the birth of the talkies: filmed stage production.But Siodmak's skills are already glowing.The story takes place in different places ,and Edouard Bourdet's play is quite entertaining.His characters are colorful and funny: an over possessive mom,three sons and a daughter apparently under her thumb,a mature countess (Marguerite Moreno) fond of gigolos ,a Russian lady the revolution drove away from her land,a rich American girl who comes from Boston and even a gay English lord!Most of the male characters are short of the readies,so women rule.
"The spiral staircase" "the dark mirror" or "the killers" it is not ,of course!But it allowed Siomak to make in France several interesting works such as "Mister Flow" or "Pièges" (remade by Sirk as "lured").
It's a very impersonal movie.Siodmak had to do what French directors almost always did in the years following the birth of the talkies: filmed stage production.But Siodmak's skills are already glowing.The story takes place in different places ,and Edouard Bourdet's play is quite entertaining.His characters are colorful and funny: an over possessive mom,three sons and a daughter apparently under her thumb,a mature countess (Marguerite Moreno) fond of gigolos ,a Russian lady the revolution drove away from her land,a rich American girl who comes from Boston and even a gay English lord!Most of the male characters are short of the readies,so women rule.
"The spiral staircase" "the dark mirror" or "the killers" it is not ,of course!But it allowed Siomak to make in France several interesting works such as "Mister Flow" or "Pièges" (remade by Sirk as "lured").
