Undescribable Perfection

Best movie ever!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

I wasn't sure how I'd react to this film. The title is a bit awkward and very often period films are enough off-the-mark in the set department to make me dissatisfied. But, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed "Experiment Perilous." I won't deny that there are some plot holes: Why does Nick Bederaux have a strong German accent while his sister sounds totally American despite their having been raised together? For that matter, why does his wife, a Vermont country girl, have a Mittel European accent? But I chalked this up to suspension of disbelief and after a bit I forgot about it.George Brent is his usual excellent, understated self and Hedy Lamarr, whose films I've not been very familiar with, was also very good. Ditto, Albert Dekker and Paul Lukas. In a film that could easily tempt anyone to overact, I found all the performances credible. Other reviewers have compared the film to "Gaslight," but I find "Experiment Perilous" more subtle, less overwrought.And the period sets? More believable than usual in this kind of film. I've been looking at a lot of turn-of-the-century New York City photos over the past year or two and it looked to me like the art director tried to get at least the exteriors right. For example, near the beginning of the film, when Bailey first visits the Bederaux home with Claghorn, you catch a glimpse of the Madison Square Garden tower in the distance down Madison Ave., a satisfying detail.My recommendation: catch this one if you can.

A chance encounter on a train between Dr Bailey (George Brent) and Cissie (Olive Blakeney) brings the doctor into the world of Nick (Paul Lukas) and Allida (Hedy Lamarr). When Cissie dies, Dr Bailey is suspicious and he he starts to look through Cissie's travel case which has been sent on to him by mistake from their train journey together.The story keeps you watching and the cast are good, although Hedy Lamarr comes across as slightly too feeble on occasion. There is no complicated plot twist and it is pretty obvious who the evil one is. The psychological torture that is portrayed is extremely lame ("Gaslight" is far better at achieving the required effect) and may have you wondering what the point of the film is. There seems to be nothing suspicious to be investigating. It's an OK story about love that doesn't work out and the moral is don't marry someone who is way older than you......unless you like daisies....

If you are a fan of Jacques Tourneur, "Experiment Perilous" is a must-see. This sinister and beautifully photographed period thriller ranks with Tourneur's supreme masterpieces, "Out of the Past", "Stars in My Crown", "Canyon Passage", "Curse of the Demon", "I Walked with a Zombie", and "Cat People". It is imbued with Tourneur's trademark touch of ambiguity and mystery. One of the reasons "Experiment Perilous" is so underrated is that the story does not flow logically. You have to do a bit of brain work to understand it, but if you are already familiar with Tourneur's cinema, this may come as a revelation. The film has often been compared to Cukor's similar costume thriller "Gaslight" which was also released in 1944 but "Experiment Perilous" is a better and more personal work. The opening chance encounter between Dr. Bailey (George Brent) and Cissie (Olive Blakeney) on the train resembles the mysterious chance meetings of "Cat People" and Tourneur's 1956 film noir "Nightfall". It has been said that the film was set in 1903 as opposed to 1944 because Heddy Lamarr wanted to wear period costumes. Lamarr is undoubtedly beautiful and her scenes with Brent and Lukas are exquisite and sensual.There is an excellent analysis on the film in Chris Fujiwara's book, JACQUES TOURNEUR: THE CINEMA OF NIGHTFALL (1998).

Wow, Hedy Lamarr was so exquisitely beautiful in this film. I really must see some more of her films. There was an obvious similarity to "Gaslight" of the same year, and I wonder which film was released first. I enjoyed this film and recommend it. Grade: B