Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Martin Bradley The "Kind Lady" in question is Ethel Barrymore. She isn't so much kind as vain and very foolish, allowing thief, con-man and potential murderer Maurice Evans into her home. This began life as a short story by Hugh Walpole, before being adapted for the stage by Edward Chodorov and having been previously filmed in 1935 with Aline MacMahon and Basil Rathbone. This version was directed, (very well), by John Sturges in 1951 and as well as Barrymore and Evans the excellent cast also includes Angela Lansbury, Keenan Wynn, John Williams and Betsy Blair. However, the real stars of the picture are the house where all the action takes place, (Cedric Gibbons was one of the art directors), and the luminous black and white cinematography of Joseph Ruttenberg. Not quite a small gem, perhaps, but very good indeed.

mark.waltz Ethel Barrymore's whole suburban world is turned upside down by the sudden knock at the door by the curious Maurice Evans who inquires as to the origins of her ornate door knocker. She politely answers his questions, impressed with his knowledge of art, and soon, he is across the street in the park painting her flat. She kindly invites him in for conversation, but he's actually rather insulting to her, even going as far as to steal from her. But she's forgiving, and when he follows her into a bookstore to return the stolen item, she gullibly falls prey to his next scheme which involves his frail wife (Betsy Blair) and cockney friends (Keenan Wynn and Angela Lansbury) who show up and basically take over. There's really nothing Barrymore can do, and she ends up being trapped in terror in her own bedroom as the nefarious villains begin to sell her belongings.On the surface, Barrymore's not quite totally sweet old lady seems more stupid than simply just kind. She's actually quite emotionless, showing no real fear other than annoyance. However, like any great thespian, Barrymore speaks more with her eyes than words, especially when she's standing over the banister in her own home and witnesses a scene between Evans and her loyal housekeeper (Doris Lloyd) that expresses a thousand thoughts. Lansbury is basically playing an older version of her character in "Gaslight", and it certainly would be interesting at this point in her career to see her playing the Barrymore part. Wynn, one of the great character actors of the golden age of cinema, was adept at parts either comical or sinister, and here, he does the later brilliantly. Lloyd also deserves kudos for showing her character's fear after coming off as quite tough when the situation first began to develop. Blair's fragility reminds me of the great character actresses Judith Evelyn and Edith Barrett, women who often played those afraid of their own shadows.The Victorian age setting is brilliantly crafted at the hands of director John Sturges who doesn't put on any pretensions while creating a dark atmosphere which dominated most of his films. Previously made 15 years earlier with a younger actress playing the Barrymore part (Aline MacMahon), "Kind Lady" is the type of predictable "gaslight" thriller that dominated the stage (sort of like "Night Must Fall") and takes great pains in exposing sociopaths for the demented minds that are covered up by alleged sophistication and phony manners.

dougdoepke A kindly old dowager takes a penniless artist into her lavish household, only to find out he's got his own plans.For a filmed stage play, the movie surprisingly never drags. That's a tribute to a tight screenplay and excellent staging. For example, catch how director Sturges in the first confrontation scene positions the four intruders in the foreground so they appear now to loom over the exasperated old lady (Barrymore), symbolizing their gradual reversal of authority. Then too, Sturges has basically only a single set to dramatize with, a real staging challenge.However, the movie really belongs to the mild-looking Evans (Elcott) who manages an effortless study in civilized evil. His manipulations are so understated that his malignant nature sort of creeps up on you. It's one of the slyer incarnations in the history of bad guys. And get a load of the Edwards family, with the shrill Lansbury, the hulking Wynn, and the bratty Aggie. They're household help from heck, and we know Barrymore's in big trouble when this British version of The Beverly Hillbillies walk in the door. Anyway, the tension stays on high as we feel trapped along with the kind lady. All in all, the movie's a minor gem of claustrophobic suspense.

moonspinner55 Anyone who remembers Maurice Evans' kindly turn as Mia Farrow's friend in "Rosemary's Baby" may be shocked to find him so convincingly evil in this gripping melodrama. Ethel Barrymore plays a sharp, sensible woman who gets taken in by a con-man; he moves into her house and she quickly becomes his prisoner. The plot is infuriating (we in the audience feel like prisoners, too) and the inevitable turning-the-tables ploy seems to take forever to arrive. Still, Barrymore's plight is played to the urgent hilt, and Evans (along with his brutish cohorts, Keenan Wynn and Angela Lansbury) is downright despicable. The handling of this story, previously filmed in 1936 with Aline MacMahon, twists all the right screws with grueling accuracy, but calculated pictures like this may turn off many viewers before the final act. Ultimately, too many plot entanglements are left ignored and some crucial moments take place off-screen. Strictly as a masochistic thriller, however, the film is queasy and indeed suspenseful. **1/2 from ****