Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

mark.waltz Starting off slowly and moving to a boil, this movie quickly cools and sadly never regains momentum. But for those middle of the movie moments, this is like a volcano that suddenly burps and dies. With the gorgeous Maureen O'Hara, you'd think it's her, but the honors of making this rise up is the unrecognizable Dame Sybil Thorndike who, complete with wart and mustache, becomes as close to a Dickens character in a non Dickens character. She's a vicious blackmailer, seemingly just around the corner from death, but being the daughter of Satan plaguing the London slums, she's the type of character that you could see living forever.O'Hara is completely ladylike member of the upper middle class (not quite rich, buy mighty close...) who falls for a sophisticated but poor artist (the unrecognizable Dana Andrews) who secretly drinks and turns her marriage into a nightmare. Thorndike, stalking O'Hara and Andrews, witnesses what appears to be his accidental death, and viciously manipulates O'Hara into a payoff. Along comes a promising puppeteer (also Andrews!) who gets the pleasure of dealing with this vicious hag. That's where this loses steam, going from hag to sag within just a very short time.This had so much potential for becoming a classic Gothic thriller, with Thorndike as unforgettable as Martita Hunt in the recent "Great Expectations", but changes to the direction don't really help sustain complete interest. This is gorgeous to look at with upper middle class homes and the peasant setting stark contrasts to each other yet both stunning to look at. Wilfred Hyde White is commanding as O'Hara's father, and the rest of the ensemble seems perfectly suited to the period. Had I been an Academy voter in 1949, I would have pushed Thorndike for Best Supporting Actress, one of the great movie villainesses I've seen in a long time.

wes-connors While a little girl, beautiful Maureen O'Hara (as Adelaide "Addie" Culver) was fascinated by a seedy section of 19th century London known as "Britannia Mews". Quickly developing into an adult woman, Ms. O'Hara appears enchanted by both the area and her art teacher – British-accented Dana Andrews (as Henry Lambert). A romance develops, but O'Hara's wealthy parents do not approve of O'Hara seeing the artist. He turns out to have a weakness for alcohol and not much money, but Mr. Andrews is expert at making charming and lifelike puppets. Later on, Andrews appears as another character (Gilbert Lauderdale) – he is a similar man, but learns to control his alcohol intake. Both men are involved in an increasingly complicated relationship with O'Hara...The oddest thing about "The Forbidden Street" is that the first Andrews character's voice is dubbed by another actor. While the voice matches Andrews' lip movements, it sounds like it is coming from another room – via a deep echo chamber. Playing the film on mute during a second viewing reveals Andrews would have made a fine "silent" film actor; it is interesting to study his performance. O'Hara shows some of the same skills...The cast works very well for director Jean Negulesco, who creates an atmospheric story with fine black and white photography from Georges Perinal. The soundtrack, while good, could have been a little more subtle. The obvious dubbing, perhaps done to differentiate Andrews' two characters, wasn't wise. However, stay tuned as Andrews' voice and the film improve. Also watch for a couple of outstanding supporting performances – from haggish old "sow" Sybil Thorndike (as Mrs. Mounsey) and O'Hara's inquisitive little brother Anthony Tancred (as Treff Culver). The two not only perform exceptionally, they also perfectly illustrate the "opposite sides of the tracks." And, surprise visitor Mary Martlew (as Milly) is quite memorably amusing, in her single scene.******* The Forbidden Street (Britannia Mews) (3/31/49) Jean Negulesco ~ Maureen O'Hara, Dana Andrews, Sybil Thorndike, Anthony Tancred

blanche-2 Dana Andrews and Maureen O'Hara star in "Affairs of Adelaide," also known as "Forbidden Street," a 1949 film directed by Jean Negulesco. Andrews has a dual role, sort of - he plays a drunken artist/teacher, Henry Lambert, who teaches a young woman, Adelaide (O'Hara) and her cousin. O'Hara falls for Lambert, and when her family announces that they are moving to the country, she declares her love for Lambert, and the two marry. They move to Lambert's digs in Brittania Mews, a slum-like part of the city. It's not a happy marriage. One day, they have a fight while Lambert is soused, and Adelaide pushes him out of the way. As he's intoxicated, he loses his balance and falls down the stairs of their apartment.Adelaide hopes to return to her family, but an old lady (Sybil Thorndike) who saw the event convinces the police that it was an accident and then blackmails Adelaide, refusing to let her leave the Mews. About two years later, Adelaide meets a man, Gilbert Lauderdale (Andrews) who looks exactly like her late husband.I say that Andrews has sort of a double role because his voice as Henry Lambert was dubbed by someone with a lower voice and a British accent. When he shows up as Lauderdale, he makes an attempt at a British accent but doesn't hold onto it.This is an interesting film, almost like two different films. Once Lauderdale shows up, the film becomes less dark and heads in a romantic direction.Fascinating set, satisfying story, enjoyable.

BldrGal A charming film, set in Victorian London, features gorgeous Maureen O'Hara as the daughter of a upper-class businessman, fascinated by the mews behind the family home (and which was forbidden territory to this gently-reared young woman); and Dana Andrews in a dual role...that of a fortune-seeking art teacher turned drunkard, and a decent young man fallen on hard times who proves to be Maureen's eventual savior. Wonderful performances by Wilfred Hyde-White as O'Hara's father, and Dame Sybil Thornedyke as a horrid old woman who blackmails O'Hara's character when she ends up living in those same forbidden mews. There's even a delightful dose of jolly good humor toward the end. One of my all-time favorite movies.