Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

This Gothic drama is set primarily in the upper Hudson valley in the castle-like manor house of Dragonwyck, beginning in the year 1844. It's based on the novel of the same name. It seems evident that this estate is modeled after the huge estate which was derived from the Dutch feudal-like estate Rensselaerswijck. Dragonwyck suggests to me its late medieval origins, with perhaps an ominous master or wife. Clearly, that master: Nicholas van Ryn(Vincent Price), still thought of himself as a feudal lord, and the maintenance of that status for himself and a hopeful successor seemed to be his chief purpose in life. Thus, he is the natural villain of the story. The hero is Dr. Jeff Turner(Glenn Langan), who is the self-appointed leader of rebellion by the many tenant farmers. He also saves the heroine: Miranda Wells(Gene Tierney), from an untimely death by poisoning by her husband, Nicholas. Initially, Miranda had been chosen to be the new governess for the daughter(Katrine) of Nicholas and his wife Johanna(Vivienne Osborne). But, after Nicholas secretly poisoned Johanna, he soon asked Miranda to marry him. He was desperate to have a son so that his estate could be passed on to his heirs. Johanna had provided him with a daughter, instead of a son, and was constitutionally unable to have further children. Besides, the two had never been happy together. Thus, it was time to replace her with a younger, prettier, woman who could bare him a son. But, Miranda, her successor, also failed, initially. She bore a son, but with a defective heart, who soon died. Apparently, Nicholas decided she must be cursed, thus must be done away with, for another replacement. Besides being cruel to his wives and child, and to his tenants, he complained that the new maid that Miranda had chosen was unworthy because she had a bad limp. Miranda pointed out that this was how God planned her to be, not being her own fault. When he lost his son, and a new law was passed giving his tenants the right to buy the land they had been tilling, he saw his main purpose in life going down the drain. Thus, he shut himself up in a remote room in the manor and soothed his worries with opium, which made his behavior more bizarre. Inevitably, he would clash again with Dr. Turner in a final confrontation which would end his misery.I have several questions or comments about the screenplay:1)It seems odd that Nicholas should request that a distant small farmer relative he has never met, in rather distant Greenwich, Conn., should send him one of his daughters(how did he know he had daughters)to be governess to his daughter. He must have been planning even then that this girl would be his replacement wife. As it turned out, Nicholas seemed to be exactly what Miranda wanted in a husband and vice versa.2)Why was Oleander chosen as the mode of poisoning? The fact that Johanna dies soon after the plant was brought into her room suggests that a volatile component was involved. But the poisons are not volatile. They must be ingested. And it's not just of matter that the person succumbs within a few hours with no preliminary distressing symptoms. Thus, she probably should have made a commotion about her symptoms before dying.3)After Nicholas is shot dead, who inherits Dragonwyck? Doesn't Miranda, as his wife. Or weren't women allowed to own property in this circumstance? Or perhaps his daughter, if he so willed it? In any case, Miranda clearly has had enough of Dragonwyck, and returns to her native Greenwich. By the way, why did daughter Katrine disappear from the story not long after she was introduced? Was she sent to a boarding school?With these caveats, I can recommend this film for those interested in Gothic stories and history. See it at YouTube.

Joe Mankiewicz's first film as a director is like all his subsequent ones a paragon of clarity and thoroughness, attaching much attention to every detail, while at the same time the actors are generously given free room to reign. Consequently in all his films, all actors appear outstanding, especially in his early ones. His next film was even darker than this one, maybe his deepest dive into the noir genre, "Somewhere in the Night" about the mystery of a lost identity and even more intriguing than this one - here Vincent Price completely dominates the drama by you in suspense as you never can know or even guess what he is up to. He appears as the perfect gentleman, and yet you must suspect that he has terrible secrets to hide, which don't become evident until the very end, as he masks them so well. Gene Tierney is equally good, and they match each other perfectly - just previously they had been together in Otto Preminger's priceless "Laura".The other actors are good as well, especially Walter Huston as the terrible but honest father, while you must observe the young Jessica Tandy entering the scene after Gene Tierney has been married. You can't recognize her, but her performance as a cripple is quite remarkable.Alfred Newman's music is equally perfect, never too intrusive but properly enhancing the Gothic atmosphere whenever it is stressed. Only Glenn Langan as the doctor is a bit simplistic, while the tenants are impressive in every scene. A special tribute to the always admirable Anne Revere as Gene Tierney's wise and hardy mother.

Walter Huston is billed over Vincent Price in Dragonwyck, but Mr. Price has much more screen time and prominence in this film. Neither, however, manages to distract our attention from the angelic presence of Gene Tierney or to upstage the saturnine wit of Spring Byington as a domestic.The story has been compromised by the production code, so we do not see the drug addiction of Price's character and what causes his deranged behavior. But the horror is still there, creeping just beneath the surface. Still, too many of the hideous, more dramatic aspects of the narrative are left to the viewers' imaginations, and in this case, we are expected to make quite a few assumptions about the characters and the true nature of their interactions. As a result, visiting a madman's home becomes what it should never have been: a somewhat dull movie.

This is one of my all time favorite movies! I know some people who don't think it's that great, but personally I love it. I read the book afterward, it's even better after you have watched the film because then you can imagine it with Vincent Price. If you're a fan of his, you need to see his performance in this movie. It's really the first time that he played the villain on screen, and he plays that villain so seductively that you fall in love with him even though you know he's the bad guy. Gene Tierney, who normally plays the smart, brassy female lead, in this film plays the naive young country girl. She's got spunk, but it's great to see a change of pace from her. She gives a phenomenal performance. So, again, this is a fantastic film, and I recommend it.