Dreadfully Boring

An absolute waste of money

Absolutely brilliant

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Accidentally ran across this--awesome, with Aline MacMahon so good and gracious and Basil Rathbone at his skin-crawling best. I enjoyed the evil personalities of the confederates, too. No one seemed ready to help this lady but her courage won the day. This story takes place all inside the lady's house, outdoor scenes only by reference, so it did come across rather like a play than a movie.Rather dated, of course, but a great little thriller to root for the "good guys". And, of course, I enjoyed the costumes and room decorations. I recognized "Mr Wiggs" at the very end. All the players were very convincing.

I enjoy watching a lot of older movies. Most suspense films that have caught my eye are in part comedies. This one has an intensity that I seldom see in this period. The other reviews have done a super job of describing the performers, so no more here. The story is so well done that it is almost painful to experience -- the feelings are .. don't do that .. how can they treat her the way they do .. why isn't someone helping .. etc, etc. Whether you will be able to 'enjoy' this production, may be part of your own preference, but everyone that has selected movies to watch from this period needs to watch this one.

"Kind Lady" is based on a stage play. This version stars Aline MacMahon, Basil Rathbone, Nola Luxford, Mary Carlisle, and Donald Meek. It was remade with Ethel Barrymore and Maurice Evans in 1951."Kind Lady" is the story of Mary Herries, a wealthy British woman who takes pity on a starving artist, Henry Abbott (Rathbone), his wife, and baby and take them in. Her home and life are soon taken over by Abbott and his gang, and Mary is a prisoner in her own home while she is gradually robbed.Somehow, with a younger Mary and Henry, this film has a different and better dynamic, although the denouement in the 1951 film is more interesting than the ending here. Here, Mary still has the possibility of romance in her life, and though it isn't explored (or, given the class distinctions, probably not even a thought), there is some chemistry in the beginning between Mary and the debonair, dashing Rathbone.Aline MacMahon, normally in character roles, is excellent as Mary, a formal though generous and honest woman who cares for the less fortunate. Rathbone is dastardly and smooth as silk as Henry, whose aggressiveness becomes apparent almost immediately as he pressures Mary into buying one of his ugly paintings.This version is a little less cruel in its treatment of poor Mary, who seems to have the freedom to move around; in the '51 version, she doesn't, and Henry actually does her portrait.Both films are very good, as it's a strong story, but the '51 comes out as slightly superior. I did love this cast, though.

This is a great example of an original film and its remake being nearly identical. Perhaps the remake is a tiny bit better, but they are just so close that if you've seen one, there's no reason to see both.Both are extremely frightening movies--more so than many "horror films" because the terror is more believable and threatening. It all starts when a nice rich lady helps out a supposedly nice guy down on his luck (Basil Rathbone). Soon, Rathbone's entire family is living in the woman's home and the doctor advises the sick wife and baby stay there until they are able to be moved. However, after a few days, it becomes apparent that they are NOT ill and the family is milking the woman's kindness for all its worth. When she tries to throw them out, the family refuses and have replaced the servants with a band of thieves who terrorize and bleed the woman of her money! It's all very tough to watch, as the people are so evil and cruel and you really get pulled into her nightmare. However, for lovers of suspense films, it's an excellent picture. Just be warned that it is pretty intense stuff--definitely not a film for the kids!