WHIRLPOOL

US, 1949, 98 minutes, Black and white.
Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, Jose Ferrer, Charles Bickford, Barbara O’ Neil, Eduard Franz, Constance Collier.
Directed by Otto Preminger.

Whirlpool was co-written by celebrated playwright Ben Hecht. It was directed by Otto Preminger who had emerged as a significant director in the mid-1940s with Laura and Forever Amber.

Gene Tierney had starred in Laura and was one of the key Hollywood stars between 1940 and 1955. Richard Conte is an unlikely candidate to be her psychiatrist husband. He seemed more at home in playing offbeat characters and criminals. Jose Ferrer, at the beginning of his career in Hollywood, the same year as his Dauphin in Joan of Arc and winning the Oscar the next year for Cyrano de Bergerac, is the quack hypnotist. Charles Bickford is reliable as the detective.

The film focuses on psychoanalytic practice of the time, the use of hypnotism, authentic psychiatrists as well as quacks. The film is something of a psychological drama – and climaxes rather melodramatically.

1.A film of the 40s? Psychology? Relationships? Deceit?

2.The black and white photography, the Los Angeles locations, the stores, homes, hotels, police precincts? The musical score?

3.The title, Ann Sutton’s experience, the emphasis on hypnotism?

4.The portrait of Ann Sutton, being accosted outside the store, her denial, in the store, stealing the pin, kleptomania, Doctor Korvo and his intervention, the bill being paid on the account, her being free? Her not wanting to tell her husband? Her love for her husband? On edge at home? Wondering what was wrong with her? The phone call from Korvo, the appointment, her presuming that he was blackmailing her, writing the cheque, his tearing it up, her apology? Her going to the party with him? The encounter with Terri Randolph and the clash, Mrs Randolph’s? warning? Korvo hypnotising her, urging her to sleep, her refusal to touch his hand? Her sleeping, going to his hotel, not going to his office in his room, her willingness to have treatment? His setting her up, the broken glass, his stealing the glass with her lipstick, the phone call? Her being hypnotised, going to Mrs Randolph’s house, discovering the body, her arrest? Her not being able to remember anything? Detective Colton and the interrogation? Her husband coming from his meeting, not believing her, wanting to believe her? The interrogation, being taken to the house, her beginning to remember, the taking of the records, the confrontation with Korvo? The happy ending?

5.Korvo, his skills in getting money from women, meeting Ann, going into the store, defending her, manipulating the manager, his wife being a client, tearing up the documents? His phone call, his self-righteousness, Ann’s suspicions of him, his answering them? Taking her to the party, with Tina, his talking about Count di Ravallo’s condition (and later revealing that he had learnt most of this from Tina)? A conman? The hotel, his office, Ann not wanting to go, the discussions with her? The benefit of the hypnosis? His setting her up, his going to hospital, the operation, self-hypnosis, the murder? Interrogation by Colton, the confrontation with Bill Sutton? His injuries, going to the house, trying to get the records, listening to them, his being confronted, his bleeding to death?

6.Bill Sutton, the psychiatrist, loving his wife, not realising the demands he made on her, her inability to tell him the truth about her kleptomania, at school, her father and his hold over her, Bill paying all the bills and repeating the pattern of the father? His going to San Francisco, return, the interrogation, his coming to his senses, talking with Korvo, wanting to take Ann to the house, the slow results?

7.Detective Colton, experienced, on the job, the interrogation, wanting the facts, wary about going to the house, his relenting? Talking with Korvo?

8.Theresa Randolph, her relationship with Korvo, her changing psychiatrists, the disc, the revelation of the truth about Korvo getting the money from her, her wanting to give it back to her daughter, his murdering her?

9.The lawyer, his help? Tina and her parties? The count and his girlfriend? The social setting of New York?

10.Psychiatric theory and theories about hypnosis at that time?