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starring: Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey
directed by: Lewis Allen |
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| Sales Rank: 16,221; Release Date: 27 August, 1992; Media: VHS Tape; Theatrical Date: 01 January, 1944; MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Features:
Black & White
HiFi Sound
NTSC
Browse: Video:Horror, Books:Horror, DVD:Horror
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Rating: 
Rating:  - YOU CAN ALMOST SMELL THE MIMOSA!
Based upon Dorothy Macardle's 1942 novel "Uneasy Freehold" THE UNINVITED is a wonderful and unique film which keeps the viewer mesmorized throughout. On the last day of their vacation in May, 1937, Rick and Pam Fitzgerald (brother and sister!) find an empty house on the seaside which they purchase for a ridiculously low price. Naturally, the place has "disturbances" in the form of two spectres,one of which just happens to be the daughter of the previous owner, Commander Beech (Donald Crisp).The other ghost is the spirit of Carmel Casada an artist's model. The commander's grand-daughter, Stella Merideth makes friends with the Fitzgeralds and she is ecstatic about visiting them in the childhood home she loves dearly. Gail Russell is luminous as the moonstruck Stella; this was her second film and her lack of acting experience is actually an advantage-her eerie lustre and shy, naive demeanor suit her role perfectly. There is a great sequence involving a seance, complete with Russell going into a trance (as a Spanish Gypsy) and the mysterious scent of mimosa which permeates the room. The very tall Dr.Scott is played by Alan Napier of BATMAN fame. The unsavory Miss Holloway is played to the hilt by Cornelia Otis Skinner (hers is a key role in the mystery) That's Angela Lansbury's mother Moyna MacGill in the tobacconists shop asking for a copy of "Amateur Gardening". The Cornish sets are done quite well and Windward House is a gothic beauty which I've always wanted to own myself! Ruth Hussey had to sleep with the lights on while making this movie! The voice of Mary Merideth was provided by Betty Farrington and Victor Young's "Stella by Starlight" is the lovely theme. Absolutely brimming with charm, this movie has ingenious atmospheric touches: the scent of parfum mimosa, a rose which wilts in the cold, dank studio, candles that burn dim and the classic scene where the French doors abruptly burst open. THE UNINVITED is chilling old-fashioned ghost story which takes itself seriously; there's no trick ending in this ingenious film. Highly Recommended.
Rating: - STELLA BY STARLIGHT.
While many may find this classic film more charming than terrifying, it's an undeniably ingenious and atmospheric ghost story with a unique twist. In May of 1937, music critic Roderick Fitzgerald and his sister Pamela are nearing the end of their fort-night seaside holiday in Cornwall, England. While walking along a path, chasing their terrier "Bobby", the siblings are overwhelmed by the beauty of a gorgeous but deserted Georgian house. The Fitzgeralds meet the owner, a dour man named Commander Beech, (excellently portrayed by Scotsman Donald Crisp) and purchase the small mansion for an extremely low price......Because I am such an unbelievably avid fan of this beautiful and ingenious film, I don't want to ruin it for others by giving away details of the plot; you MUST see it for yourselves!! Just know that there's no trick ending in this classy and unforgettable movie. The acting is top-drawer and the characters are really neatly drawn. The screenplay was adapted from the popular 1942 book UNEASY FREEHOLD, (which was later re-titled THE UNINVITED in America) by Dodie Smith and Frank Partos. The author of the excellent novel was an Irish woman named Dorothy Macardle who also wrote two other novels with supernatural themes: THE UNFORESEEN & DARK ENCHANTMENT. Macardle also wrote the highly acclaimed THE IRISH REPUBLIC, which was published just before her death in 1958. THE UNINVITED - which contains sub-plots which were wisely ommitted for the film - can still be found in used bookstores. As Pamela Fitzgerald, Ruth Hussey speaks with an accent more Providence than London, but her playing of Pam is charming and warm. Hussey read the book while traveling on the train in preparation for making the film and she later stated that she literally had chills running down her spine whilst reading! - she slept with her berth light on all night! Milland is clearly having a good time playing Rick - he's flippantly boyish, a sophisticated rascal who later tells the malevolent spirit of Mary Merideth to "get lost". Mrs. Holloway is portrayed by the once highly esteemed stage actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and she's a creepy dame with an evil glare and a sinister presence (critics of the day compared widely the character with Mrs. Danvers in REBECCA). The special effects are moody, subtle and genuinely eerie - the scene in which the French doors burst open totally unexpectedly is a Hollywood classic; the seance scene is beautifully realized (and creepy in it's realism). Symbolism is rampant throughout the movie: the cold uninviting studio where a rose is seen to wilt in seconds - the uniquely sweet scent of mimosa (which symbolizes a mother's love and protection) - candles which go dim when there's oppression - the nightlight in the nursery............ Russell is very effective when she goes into a trance as the Spanish gypsy girl (Carmel Casada) and the photography during these scenes is spectacular as it invokes a mood of danger, tension and apprehension from the participants. Gail Russell plays the moonstruck Stella Merideth and she's about the most ethereal beauty you're likely to see in in a haunted house! In this, her second film, she seems born for the role since her natural awkwardness and shyness made her perfect for the part. The beautiful black and white cinematography by Charles Lang is spooky and magnificent (it was nominated for an AA, but lost to LAURA). Victor Young's haunting melody STELLA BY STARLIGHT was written for the picture and it's an inspired theme, perfectly suitable to the moody atmosphere ....... This gem is very likely the BEST ghost story ever put on film!!
Rating: - Supernatural Classic that cries out for DVD
In an era when paranormal or "spooky" films seemingly "must" be made with grue and gore and hair-trigger graphic violence (compare the re-made "The Haunting" with the superb classy orginal)..or when computer graphic special effects (generally of the "gross out' variety) are wont to take over the entire thrust and direction of a movie story ("The tail wagging the dog")...a film like "THE UNINVITED" is like a breath of fresh air. It is a marvelous cinema achievement, made back at a time when people in "Hollyweird" still knew truly HOW to make movies. This one eschews any and all grue and gore and lets the story (yes, there IS one of THOSE!) and the relationships of the characters (YIKES!! It has THOSE too!!!! And they are actually DEVELOPED!!!!
Who'd have THOUGHT????) carry the viewer through a tale of mounting tension to a thrilling climax and denoument. This is just plain good old fashioned top-notch STORYTELLING. The photography is excellent, the music haunting and brilliant, the acting first rate. "THE UNINVITED" is just a gem of a motion picture. The biggest question about it is, WHY is it not yet on DVD????? Seems to me one of the best ghost stories out there OUGHT to be on DVD! I know this is one reviewer/viewer who would snatch one up in a minute. This movie IS that good. And, while we're on the subject of getting good movies out on DVD, where the heck is John Wayne's "The High and the Mighty"? Or the excellent Robert Mitchum/Robert Wagner Korean War fighter pilot opus, "The Hunters"? Surely makes one wonder.
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