The Spiral Staircase Posted 13 September 2008 in Screening log 1945 US Dir Robert Siodmak Cast George Brent, Dorothy Maguire, Ethel Barrymore, Kent Smith, Gordon Oliver IMDb

An elegant and moody psychological thriller, its delicious moments of suspense not diminished for a moment by my knowing from the first glimpse the identity of the killer. [Spoiler: Hells yeah I recognize George Brent's eyeball in extreme close-up!] It’s pure glee watching all the manifestations of silence and watching unfold, one character always lurking in the shadows of a scene, observing; one clearly outlined suspect entering the mansion through the door another has just exited. Dorothy McGuire, as the fragile mute pegged as the murderer’s next victim, carries the film with just the right level of silent expressiveness in a role that could have easily been overplayed and broken the film’s flow. Ethel Barrymore steals the show among a cast of delightful oddball support, hilarious and creepy as the half-mad bedridden matriarch of a socially maladjusted clan. Every character in this is somehow weak and wounded, and at its core are the two fraternal rivals who, in different ways, never could live up to Daddy’s manly ideal. Brilliantly puzzled together, full of clever compositions, gorgeous to look at. I need more Siodmak immediately.

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