by Daniel White
A miscast Ida Lupino manages to turn in a commendable performance in Ladies In Retirement (1941). This, despite being about forty years too young for the character she's playing. Lupino is Ellen Creed, paid companion to a former chorine (Isobel Elsom) and primary caregiver to her two batty sisters (Elsa Lanchester, Edith Barrett). Forced to house them under her employer's roof, things take a turn for the sinister when they wear out their welcome.
Based on the successful stage play, director Charles Vidor and writers have made a near-fatal mistake: failing to "cinematize" the project. Stage-bound and creaky, the film reeks of "the boards."
However, several key elements help save the movie.
One is the excellent performances. Except for Edith Barrett, whose theatricality falls flat, the players ably energize the flick and keep it watchable. A special shout-out to Miss Isobel Elsom, who was in the Broadway production. She remains fresh in her role of murder victim, Leonora Fiske, wisely modulating her acting for the screen (pay attention, Miss Barrett).
Other winning components are the set designs and cinematography. David Hall has created a moody, fog-drenched setting and George Barnes has filmed it accordingly, lending a gloomy air to the proceedings (the opening credits are especially clever). Though technically not a film noir, Ladies In Retirement benefits from its atmospheric look.
Finally, the story itself holds up. When ne'er-do-well distant relation, cousin Albert (Louis Hayward), shows up, snooping about, Ellen begins to crack. Will our devoted, determined, devious protector of her demented, deranged, dotty sisters get away with murder? Produced by Columbia Pictures, with Evelyn Keyes as an easily-manipulated maid and Emma Dunn as a neighborly nun, Ladies In Retirement is currently available on YouTube.
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