EXPERIMENT PERILOUS

US, 1944, 91 minutes, Black and white.
Hedy Lamarr, Paul Lukas, George Brent, Albert Dekker, Margaret Wycherly.
Directed by Jacques Tourneur.

Experiment Perilous is an atmospheric melodrama of 1944 (the year of Gaslight). George Brent is the doctor who stumbles on a strange story and is infatuated by Hedy Lamarr as Allida. Paul Lukas is her strange and violent husband. There is a good supporting cast including Albert Dekker, Margaret Wycherley. The melodrama is contrived, is the familiar material of the jealous husband trying to make his wife mad. However, it is done with some atmosphere for New York in the early part of the century. Direction is by Jacques Tourneur, who had directed a number of the atmospheric horror films for Val Lewton at this period.

1. Enjoyable and atmospheric thriller? An enclosed world? Madness and violence?

2. Black and white photography, the train, New York at the turn of the century, the streets, restaurants, apartments? Gaslight world? Musical score?

3. The title, Nick's quotation from the poem? Referring to psychology?

4. Charles Bailey, his memoir? The train ride and the encounter with Cissie, friendship, the mixed handbag, her death? His friendship with Clag, his works of art, seeing Allida? Going to the party and the encounter with Allida? Curiosity about Nick? Their discussions? Wondering about Cissie's death? Getting to know Nick more, realising his mental illness? The infatuation with Allida and trying to help her? In the department store, at the dinner, the device of ringing and following Nicholas to the boy's room, hearing him talk about the witch? His reading of Cissie's diary and the flashback's to Nick's life? His wanting to rescue Allida, at the restaurant, seeing Nick? Nick's device of going to Boston? His return, wanting to kill him? Charles's understanding of his psyche and arguing with him? Rescuing Allida and the boy, the explosion? The happy ending in the country?

5. Nick, Cissie's stories about him, his age, interests, love for Allida and the boy? Talk of madness? Allida's ordering the daisies, etc.? Suave good manners, friendship with Clag? The dinner, menacing to the boy, menacing to Allida? The set-up, the coach and his seeing Charles? The confrontation, his madness, memories of his father? The flashbacks and his growing up, with Allida? The explosion and his death?

6. Allida, her beauty, terrorised? With the boy? Memories of Alec Gregory? Alec as the boy's name? In the store, at the socials, her fear that Charles was there for her psychological health? Urging him to comer to dinner, to follow Nick? The visit to the restaurant? The final rescue? Her lyrical past and her love for Nick? The end, her confrontation of the policeman, not wanting her sone to know about the mental instability? Happy ending?

7. Cissie on the train, her talk with Charles, talk about the diary, the friendship, her death? Her not realising her hatred for Nick?

8. Clag, the artist about town, his work, friendship, Charles's visiting him in the night, his concern, drunk at the phone call, the final drama?

9. The contrived nature of the plot? Atmospheric for audience enjoyment? The blend of the psychological menace and horror?