Well Deserved Praise

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

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."

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

I'm not quite the fan of this thriller that several other IMDb contributors are. I agree that it has some first-rate acting by Ingrid Thulin as a concentration camp survivor still smitten with her wastrel husband after four years of hell, Samantha Egger as her homicidal stepdaughter and Maxmilian Schell as the penniless scoundrel both women crave. And there's no question that the sensual bathtub murder, complete with a touch of foot fetishism, was well ahead of its time. But from the symbolic opening (a child falling off a speeding railway train while Thulin looks stoically on) through the climactic get-rich-quick scheme, the film is unrelentingly grim. J. Lee Thompson's direction, which assumes that slow-moving and suspenseful are synonyms doesn't help much. And in the end, the characters (aside from Herbert Lom's likable doctor) are not only unsympathetic but don't make much sense.

I have only seen this film once or twice, and it's been four decades ago. It is a sharp little murder story, with a clever scoundrel (Max Schell) who plans to make a real killing - a once in a lifetime shot at a fortune.Schell is a first rate amateur chess player. He happens to meet Ingrid Thulin, a Jewish medical technician who was married before the war to an older, wealthier man. During the war she was in a camp, but she was lucky enough to survive.She is vulnerable now, and she falls for Schell's polite, and then increasingly tender concerns for her. It isn't that she is stupid. She has resumed her career thanks to her closest friend's assistance (more of that later). But her home life is harsh - she only has her step daughter (Samantha Egger) who hates her as a woman who supplanted her mother. Egger is not that much younger than Thulin, and she thinks of Thulin as an adventuress who robbed her (Egger) of her inheritance. Actually Thulin is nice enough to share her house with Egger.Schell sees the set-up as a golden opportunity. He woos Thulin, and marries her, much to the suspicions of her close friend. In the meantime he keeps Egger under control, because she is capable of giving him information useful for his future plans. And when she is no longer useful, but increasingly a romantic problem - she is suddenly found dead in an "accident". This effects Thulin, who is always just on the borderline because of her war experiences. Schell shows concern...he openly worries about possible suicidal tendencies. And then he sets his final plans into operation. And at that point, I will leave the plot line for the reader to seek out and see the film.It turns out (I won't say how) Schell does not really count on the close friend affecting his plans. And that was the final reason I enjoyed the film. I have always been a fan of Herbert Lom. Ever since I saw him in THE LADYKILLERS, GAMBIT, A SHOT IN THE DARK (and the other "Pink Panther" films he popped up in), I have enjoyed his menace, his mania, and his remarkable acting skills. Except for GAMBIT (perhaps - in one scene he briefly shows menace), Lom usually played dangerous men to cross. In this film he finally played a decent guy. I can only say that it's a good thing that he's there at the end, literally, to help pick up the pieces.

In a flash of incredible foresight, I recorded this gem as I watched it for the first time (maybe like 2 years ago...) The signature music has a waltzy, hypnotic cadence that completely draws you in, & a fascinating story unfolds in "post-war Paris", shot in appropriately atmospheric black & white. >From the very opening train scene, I was riveted. This one is on my shelf of films that I watch over & over again. Maximilian Schell is brilliantly handsome/wicked, as Stanislaus. I'd never even heard of Ingrid Thulin before -- someone on here mentioned her character, Michele, as "middle-aged" - that's not the impression I got. Michele is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous, dazzling blonde Swede{?}, who was married to a much older man, with a daughter. So she appears to be a young widow with a step-daughter in her late teens. On top of her late husband's sizable estate, Michele is also an X-ray technician. Ingrid Thulin is wonderful as Michele, combining just the right balance of high intellect yet vulnerability - very believable central character. Herbert Lom & Samantha Eggar also give stand-out performances. I'm completely amazed that this incredible film has never "made it to video".... I'd really love to know who/how/why these decisions are made - seems like some really great work is allowed to sink without a trace.

This film has haunted me right from the start of its release in 1965, thanks to the top players, the tense plot, the effective direction by J. Lee Thompson and the music from John Dankworth. But most importantly (the play of) Samantha Eggar and the melodramatic role she plays in the film are the main reason of my lasting interest in this film. The famous bathroom scenes with her are unforgettable.