Uncle Silas (1947)

Gothic Melodrama - Uncle Silas review by Steve

Delirious and deliciously debauched adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's 1864 locked room mystery. And rather than underplaying or updating the 'tache twirling Victorian melodrama, this revels in its gothic excess. There is clearly some talent on board.  Yet if they cut the budget and the shooting schedule, there's a Tod Slaughter B film left.

After her father's death, a naive but spirited teenager (Jean Simmons) is exposed to the doubtful solicitude of her wicked, avaricious Uncle Silas (Derrick De Marney) and his menagerie of human grotesques. If she doesn't make it to legal age, the inheritance passes to this grasping, murderous relative. So is moved from her comfortable home into his cobwebby, derelict castle.

Nothing is in moderation. The orphan is sweetly innocent. De Marney makes a spidery villain. His son is a bewhiskered blackguard and the female accomplice a hideous, cackling harridan. The huge coachman is mute, the dialogue is ripe, and the climate given to thundery storms. While the photography is impressive, the expressionism is unsubtle.

And yet it is extremely enjoyable. This kind of melodrama usually gets a meagre budget, this is well mounted with fine sets. It is fortunate to feature a future star, with 18 year old Simmons in her first lead. If everyone else overacts, then that is the style. Director Charles Frank is obscure, but he has an eye for detail. It's a kind of guilty pleasure.