SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Sexylocher Masterful Movie

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

st-shot Concert pianist Francesca Cunningham (Ann Todd) flees from her hospital bed late one evening and attempts suicide by tossing herself off of a bridge. Accomplished and successful artist that she is Francesca is a car wreck in the relationship department and once rescued agrees to some intense therapy by Dr. Larson (Herbert Lom) employing the "Seven Veils Theory." After focusing on a school days setback she moves on to boyfriends and the overwhelming supervision of her distant cousin and patron Nicholas (James Mason). Some movie stars are known for dispatching heroes and villains with guns or some other form of weaponry, James Mason does it with words and in The Seventh Veil he lands some savage blows with magnificent condescension and curtness on his protégé. Cold, distant, he remains firmly on point at creating his own Trilby and dashing her "petty" desires. Ann Todd is fine as she moves well between vulnerability and an icy coolness, though her early teen look is a bit of a stretch. Lom as Larson is both assured and convincing showing controlled understanding where the equally sophisticated Nicholas has none. The film with nearly every scene an interior retains a crisp look throughout while editing and cinematography economically tell the story. Director Compton Bennett directs this psychological drama ably, weighting each character with enough interest to retain pertinence and intention nebulous. Well crafted as the picture is overall it is Mason's bravura Svengali that remains with you.

BILLYBOY-10 James Mason dressed to the nines sitting in a hideous high back chair chain smoking and brow beating his pathetic second cousin to play until he turn her into a concert pianist then whisks her off to Europe against her will to endlessly play then she comes back to London and then she is depressed and then she plays some more and then she is still depressed and then she has her portrait painted but gets in a car crash and is paranoid her hands are destroyed but they aren't so they cart her off to the nut house and a psychiatrist opens her up with hypos, hypnosis, records and suddenly she is cured and she loves her cousin who has been mean to her and never makes her smile. This poor thing is a poster child for the psychotic, neurotic, paranoid, weak, sniveling and morose. I kept waiting for a plot and wanted to hit the stop button so many times, but kept in there hoping one would develop. The whole thing is a sloppy melodrama and all gussied up to look intellectual. Its rubbish. I want the wasted time watching this clap trap back.

jotix100 As the film starts, we see a woman escaping from what appears to be a sanatorium. She runs through deserted streets up to a bridge; it becomes clear she wants to commit suicide. In flashbacks, we get to know the story of Francesca Cunningham, the woman at the center of this tight psychological drama.Francesca, an orphan, is made to go and live with her guardian, Nicholas, a solitary man that was not ready to assume the responsibilities that came with his duty. Several years her senior, Nicholas does not know what to do with the young woman living in his large house in London. It takes little before he realizes Francesca has a gift for playing the piano. He encourages her to enter an institution where her talents can be better developed.Nicholas pushes Francesca to the limit until he realizes she is ready to take her place in the music world. When he realizes Francesca has developed an affection toward a young band player, he takes her away with the excuse she must go on with her studies until she becomes a soloist. Nicholas, a cold man, never expresses any sympathy toward Francesca.Nicholas decides to have Maxwell Leyden, a famous painter to do her portrait. Francesca realizes she has stirred something in Max, and believes she is in love with him. Trying to escape Nicholas' manipulation, they decide to run away, only to get into a serious accident that lands her at a hospital. Her injuries to her hands send her into a panic, but with the help of Dr. Larsen, a Freudian man, he is able to unsnarl the tangled web in Francesca's mind. When all is well, it does not surprise us her choice for the man she really loves.A 1945 British classic, directed by Compton Bennett, this is a fine example of the better made melodramas of the era. It had all the right elements that were necessary for a good story. In a way is a rework on the Pygmalion legend, with musical overtones. The screenplay by Muriel and Sidney Box, was based on their original story.The great James Mason was perhaps too young to play Nicholas, but he makes a valuable contribution to our enjoyment of the film. Mr. Mason always delivered, as he does with this enigmatic and selfish man, a natural ingredient for this genre. Ann Todd plays Francesca. To her credit, her performance in front of the piano looks real. Herbert Lom is seen as Dr. Larsen, the man that sees all that is wrong with his patient and sets a plan to cure her of her fears, as well as her insecurities. Hugh McDormott and Albert Lieven are seen as Peter and Maxwell, the men that took an interest in Francesca."The Seventh Veil" is worth a look by fans of this genre.

blanche-2 Ann Harding is a young girl who must take off "The Seventh Veil," referring to the last veil of Salome, in this 1945 psychological drama also starring James Mason and Herbert Lom. Harding plays Francesca, who becomes the ward of Nicholas (Mason), a friend of her father's, when she is a young girl. Learning of her musical talent, Nicholas molds her into a first-class concert pianist, and she launches on a career. All the while, she is completely under his control. When she falls in love with a jazz musician, Nicholas takes her to Paris to study. Once her career is in full bloom and she is of age, she falls in love with an artist and runs away with him. A terrible accident hospitalizes her, and after a suicide attempt, a psychiatrist (Lom) begins to work with her, as she now believes she cannot ever play the piano again.This is a very well-done film with excellent performances. Mason is passive, mysterious and intimidating as Nicholas, a man who also has an edge of violence when pushed too hard. There is a scene where he stands backstage and watches Francesca play the piano; his face softens as he smiles, and the character reveals more of himself. As Francesca, the pretty Harding has the right mix of submission and then passion when she needs it. Lom, ever the chameleon, does a wonderful job as the psychiatrist.The music played by Francesca throughout the film is fantastic as is the somewhat dreary atmosphere in which Francesca lives. The ending is too abrupt but also in a way satisfying. One hopes that both Francesca and Nicholas are on their way to becoming whole people.Highly recommended.