I post reviews (Film Noir Flashback) of movies from, and inspired by, Hollywood’s Golden Age of Noir, the 1940s and 1950s. I am a film noir enthusiast. Maybe, like me, you are looking to enjoy films that are different, or of a different era. Films you may not have seen, ones encompassing cynical detectives, seductive femme fatales, flawed sidekicks all tossed together into intricate plots. Not forgetting the snappy dialogue too.

Backstory: Film Noir has its roots in German expressionist cinematography and American crime fiction. During the 1930s Hollywood became a perfect storm of film artists fleeing the threat of Nazi Germany, emigrating to America, and specifically to the Film studios of Hollywood. This included great directors such as Fritz Lang, Jaques Tourneur, Michael Curtiz and Robert Siodmak.

This new dramatic visual style combined with American hardboiled crime stories (noir fiction), emerged during the Great Depression and produced many classic noirs. Some of these writers include: Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, Dashiell Hammett, Patricia Highsmith, Jim Thompson and Mickey Spillane.

I hope to showcase some of these memorable noir movies here for you. And advance apologies for a mixture of British and US English occasionally and potential spoilers, although I will always try to avoid revealing the full ending. I have applied the link below, to the Amazon.com DVD of today’s featured film. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases).

Inspired by hardboiled detective stories and film noir, I have written the Sterling Private Investigator Series, set in present-day London. I have also posted a link to my books at the bottom of the page. For more of my Film Noir Flashback blogs: https://johnkempauthor.com/blog-film-noir-reviews/

Today’s Film Noir Flashback is: 

My Name is Julia Ross

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“My name isn’t Marion and I’m not married to you or anyone!”

Film Studio: Columbia Pictures 1945 B&W

Director: Joseph H. Lewis

Original Music: Mischa Bakaleinikoff

Cinematography: Burnett Guffey

Film Editor: Henry Batista

Story: The Woman in Red by Anthony Gilbert (novel)

Screenplay: Muriel Roy Bolton

Main Actors: Nina Foch, Dame May Whitty, George Macready, Roland Varno

Produced by: Wallace Macdonald

Run time: 64 minutes

Preview

Courtesy of Wikipedia:

My Name Is Julia Ross is a 1945 American film noir thriller directed by Joseph H. Lewis and starring Nina Foch, Dame May Whitty, and George Macready. Its plot follows a young woman in England who is hired as a live-in secretary for an ailing widow, where she awakens one day and is gas lit by those around her, claiming she is someone else. The screenplay is based on the 1941 novel The Woman in Red by Anthony Gilbert. The film received a loose remake called Dead of Winter (1987), starring Mary Steenburgen.

Director Joseph H. Lewis is best known for one extraordinary film, Gun Crazy (1950). My Name is Julia Ross and The Big Combo (1955) are only slightly lesser achievements. Despite his obvious talent, Lewis always worked with limited budgets, producing interesting films dominated by his unique visual style.

Synopsis

My Name is Julia Ross begins outside 51 Carrington street, Bloomsbury, London. An attractive young woman, umbrella in hand, stands in a downpour of rain – which could easily be a metaphor for the financial plight of Julia Ross (Nina Foch), the woman in question. As she heads inside to her boarding house, we quickly learn that she is three weeks behind on her rent and looking for employment. Dampened spirits alright.

The landlord’s daughter, Bertha (Joy Harington), who, is on hands and knees scrubbing the floor, tells the tenant there is a letter on the table. We get our first inkling that Bertha isn’t, how shall we say, completely scrupulous, as she appears to know the exact contents of the letter; an expired wedding invitation from Dennis Bruce (Roland Varno), a former tenant.

Bertha makes an aside about Julia Ross (romantically) missing out on the young man who was recently betrothed. “You wouldn’t have to be looking for work now, would you,” she says. “Or bother about the three weeks rent you owe Mrs Mackie.” Bless her.

In between Bertha’s, I told you so’s, and further caustic comments, Julia checks the classifieds, seeing an advertisement for secretaries from an unfamiliar agency. She heads over to Alisons Employment Agency and interviews with a Mrs Sparkes (played by Anita Sharp-Bolster), who is insistent the contract be for a year and there be no distractions or ties (Mrs Hughes has “lost” three secretaries already this year). Julia Ross assures her that she has no relatives and no “young men” in her life who could be an issue in this regard.

Mrs Hughes (Dame May Whitty) and her son Ralph Hughes (George Macready) come to the office to meet the candidate. Mrs Hughes, on first appearances, seems a sweet elderly lady (More about that later). The two agree a salary and the only surprise is that Julia is expected to be a live-in secretary (albeit, Henrich Square in London), starting that same evening. Everyone is happy and Julia is hired. After she departs the remaining three concur that she is perfect, “There’s even a small resemblance,” Ralph says ominously. Who might she resemble? And more importantly, why would that be a qualifying expectation for a new hire? Hmm…

Nevertheless, Mrs Hughes has given the new employee an advance on her pay too. Surprisingly, when Julia returns to her digs, she sees Dennis Bruce has moved back into his old ground floor room. “Didn’t you get married?” she asks quizzically. “She didn’t like it when I kept calling her, Julia,” he says. Well, it is only appropriate to call your future wife by the correct name I suppose... So, no surprise there. A few other reasons are given too, but the upshot is, the wedding was called off, and Bruce is back to being eligible again (just as Julia is moving out too…). They arrange to meet up the next evening, “In the square at 7.30”.

With bags packed and “Mrs ‘M’ “gone to the cinema”, Julia gives Bertha a note informing the landlord, Mrs Mackie of her immediate notice, with the owed rent money added. The way Bertha’s eyes light up seeing those banknotes, you can guess it’s unlikely Julia will be getting a receipt for that money, either now or later. Indeed, after she leaves, we see the letter ripped up and the money secreted into Bertha’s apron pocket. “Thanks for… nothing,” she says initially. Then, “Thanks for… something.”

Julia heads over to Henrich Square and is greeted by Ralph, “I’m the doorman tonight,” he says showing her to her room, whereby she unpacks, and then falls asleep. In the night, we see a hand remove her handbag from the bedside table. Then later, Julia’s “employers” are seen going through her personal documents and destroying them in the fireplace. 1940s style identity theft by the looks of things. And this secretarial gig may not be quite as advertised.

The next evening, we see Dennis Bruce waiting in the square for his pre-arranged date with Julia. Except, she doesn’t show. Restless, he knocks at the address with no reply. A passing policeman informs him that the owners have all gone, “Left last night,” he adds. Meanwhile Julia awakes – it’s 24 hours later and she’s been drugged – in a strange (and locked) room, in an isolated mansion high on the rocky cliffs of Cornwall. The heroine trapped in the castle… 

Stranger still, Mrs Hughes addresses Julia as “Marion” and the wife of her son, Ralph. The staff have been told that “Marion” has had a nervous breakdown, is in recovery and to ignore any bizarre claims she makes and to ignore any odd behaviour. And talking of odd behaviour; why is Ralph sitting on the settee and pointedly shredding a cushion with a knife?

All of Julia’s initial attempts at escape or cries for help are ignored and subsequently foiled. Julia pleas for help another way: in the form of a letter to her admirer, Dennis Bruce. The first letter is intercepted (and replaced by a blank piece of paper) but she has written a second which she-re-inserts which fools her captors. Clever girl. Once realising, they send the fake doctor to London to intercept the letter before it reaches her friend.

Julia discovers a secret passage from her locked bedroom and overhears Ralph admit to killing his wife and throwing her body into the sea. Julia is a sort of replacement for her, except instead of murder, this time, it will be a suicide…

Things to like

Quotes

Julia Ross: (after Bruce offers to take her to her new employment) “Oh, but I don’t think you’d better take me there. You see, only this afternoon I told them I had no family and no young men.”

Dennis Bruce: “Well, I’m not your young man, or am I?”

Julia Ross: “I don’t know, are you?”

***

Bruce: (referring to his cancelled wedding engagement), “Julia, let me take you out tonight and help me figure out why I’m not more upset.”

***

Sparkes: (to the maid, not part of the conspiracy): “She thought I was the queen last week.”

Maid (Alice): “Coming down in the world, aren’t you.”

Must-see scene

I really enjoyed the denouement, but leaving that possible spoiler aside, I have chosen an equally impressive scene featuring Julia Ross coming round in an unfamiliar bed, bedroom and house… Confused, she checks the calendar on the desk: Saturday, 5th of May. It appears that 24 hours have passed. She murmurs aloud in frustration because somehow, she has missed her date with Dennis Bruce, arranged for the previous evening.

The initials “MH” are prominent throughout: on the bedspread, an ornate hand mirror, on her nightgown and on the headed stationery. It almost seems someone wants to convince her she is “MH” (Marion Hughes as we later find out). She goes to the door, tries the handle but it is locked. Her initial fears are confirmed; she is being held captive. Unbeknown yet; an incursion of her identity and (ultimately) an assault on her life will be forthcoming too.

Stepping across to a window, she draws the curtains. Looking out, she views a seascape, then peering down to a sheer drop, she sees the ragged rocks and the crashing waves below. No way out. Her uneasiness is interrupted by a maid called Alice (played by Queenie Leonard) who enters. Julia questions whether it really is Saturday (it is) and asks where she is. “You’re right here, in your new home,” she tells her, as if everything is perfectly normal. “We’ve been expecting you,” she adds.

Alice reveals Julia is in Cornwall, “A good, healthy place. The sea air will soon get you well.” If that wasn’t bad enough, she says, “I better get your husband, he’s been that worried about you.” Turning pale, Julia notices a foreign ring on her finger. She struggles to remove the wedding ring, quickly slipping it on again when her “husband”, Ralph Hughes greets her, “Marion darling…” And in a way, the film starts right here…

Summary

My Name is Julia Ross is a delightful noir thriller condensed into 64 minutes. A B picture made on a shoestring but despite that, it has a great script, terrific actors and first-rate photography.

The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale: Maid Maleen may sound like an obscure inspiration, but a princess locked in the tower waiting for her knight to come along and rescue her, is the basic premise here too. In the German fairy tale, the father does the locking up of both the princess and the maid servant (for seven years), forbidding her to marry the prince. Here, Julia Ross is drugged and incarcerated in a castle-like tower (with the visiting maid not party to the conspiracy) and forced to accept a sham of a marriage until they murder her.

The film is filled with plenty of gothic elements, laden with suspense for the viewer, and fear and trepidation for the protagonist. The camera work involves Julia looking through bars placed on her window, pacing about her antiquated room and crawling through secret passages! Julia is a strong woman and unlike many thrillers, she does not succumb to the usual histrionics a screenwriter might have the heroine do, when placed in a predicament such as this. She is resourceful and independent, and well, if her knight doesn’t come to her rescue, she’ll figure it out for herself. Bravo Julia Ross!

Seek out this – noir in a tower – treat, if you can.

For more of my Film Noir Flashback blogs: https://johnkempauthor.com/blog-film-noir-reviews/

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