A Portrait Of Rosemary
"Strangers in the Night" is a short, obscure 1944 B film noir with something in common with Otto Preminger's classic noir film "Laura" of the same year. Both films feature a portrait of a mysterious beautiful woman hanging on the wall. The portrait is shown in a climactic scene in "Laura" while in "Strangers in the Night" the beautiful, haunting portrait appears repeatedly. The portrait in this B film purports to be of a mysterious beautiful woman, Rosemary, who, the story goes, lives with her aged mother, Hilda, in an old Gothic house on top of a mountain net to a sharp drop-off to the ocean below.
The film is an early effort by the noted director Anthony Mann and was produced by indendent film company Republic Pictures, known for doing much on a low budget. It is based on a story by noted crime writer Philip MacDonald. A wounded seargeant stationed overseas in WW II, Johnny Meadows, has been writing to Rosemary and apparently fallen in love with her. When he returns stateside, he meets a beautiful woman doctor on the train home who is beginning her practice in the town where Rosemary lives and who has met Rosemary's mother. A triangle of sorts develops between the young man, the doctor, and the mysterious Rosemary who is seen only in her portrait. The film builds in suspense to a surprising resolution.
Less than one hour in length, "Strangers in the Night" features dark shadowy photography, a train wreck, lonely, unhappy people searching for love, and crime, violence, and despair.The Austrian actress Helen Thimming gives an outstanding performance as the tormented Hilda Blake, mother of Rosemary. The film is off the beaten path for film noir and rewards watching by lovers of the genre.
Robin Friedman