A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Based on a 1941 novel by Ben Ames Williams, whose 'Leave Her to Heaven' had just provided the 40's Hollywood melodrama with one of its most memorably manipulative female psychos in the form of Gene Tierney as Ellen Berent. Hedy Lamarr chose this as her first independent production and cannily selected Edgar Ulmer to direct, who makes the most of the opportunities provided by unaccustomedly decent production values and a solid supporting cast, while giving Ms Lamarr her head to create a memorable femme fatale. In early 19th Century Maine, Hedy learns as a child how to manipulate boys for her own spiteful ends. So far, so promising - particularly as portrayed as a worldly, spiteful little vixen by Jo Ann Marlowe - but one apprehensively suspects she will inevitably prove less enjoyably sociopathic when she grows up to be Hedy Lamarr.Hedy herself as a young woman initially shows promise, wearing lots of lipstick and making eloquent use of her eyes while otherwise cultivating an intriguing stillness as she twists men round her little finger and declares "I don't want the youngest. I want the richest!". Learning to cultivate her feminine wiles in the face of brutal patriarchy in the person of her drunken and violent father (played by Inspector Lestrade, Denis Hoey), she promises to become a more alluringly damaged adult than she ultimately proves to be. SPOILER COMING: Ms Lamarr - whose accent increasingly slips as the film approaches its conclusion - loses her nerve towards the end of the film, when she falls victim to true love and dies misguided rather than Bad.The title is taken from Proverbs 5:3 and doesn't really fit Ms Lamarr; but 'The Wicked Lady' was already taken, although she doesn't prove that wicked either.

I recently bought a Noir Collector Set(Dark Film Mysteries) with 12 movies, and The Strange Woman was included which was one film I had never seen before. Many other reviews will give you the story line, and spoilers which I always hate to read before watching, so I tend to watch first and read reviews later to see if I agree with the opinions or not. If you like Hedy Lamar I think this is the movie for you. Except for the first 10 minutes where they show her character growing up, she appears in just about every scene. She is at her sultry, sexy and evil best in this one. This is strictly a 19th Century, small New England town melodrama, with very little action, but that's not bad here. The director here, Edgar Ulmer, directs the noir classic "Detour" also included in the set. Strange Woman is not as tough edged as Detour, but some scenes do excel, and even with her evil manipulations she can still get you to feel sympathetic towards her. Hedy shows great range in a few scenes, representing the character, Jenny's emotional complexities well. Also, a well cast supporting actor group that do a good job helping the plot move along. Hedy makes for a great femme fatale.

This turgid hodge podge of a movie features some good performances along the way, but Hedys'character is too often unfathomable. Could prove OK for lovers of over ripe potboilers in the Mills and Boon category.Most actors do well with their over baked rolls, and even though George Sanders is cast a little against type, he handles it well. The Kids, during the somewhat cruel opening scenes try hard, but the script is a little over the top.It's all quite lurid for its day, with B grade specialist Edgar Ulmer, giving it some dark moodiness. There's a good traveling Preacher segment with a fiery sermon waking up some guilt in Hedys'twisted persona.Offers some odd interest, especially as a comment on the dangerous levels of lawlessness in backwoods towns in the mid 1800s. But the overall effect, is one in need of better handling.

Imagine my shock when I popped this into the DVD player. The beautiful Hedy LaMarr acting instead of standing still,etc. It is a period piece and it requires Hedy to play a part reminiscent of Scarlett O'Hara, complete with the multiple husbands and moral expedience.This must be arguably her best performance. There is lots of storyline here and she is ably supported by veterans George Sanders and the underrated Louis Hayward,who play it straight minus their signature smirks.Dennis Hoey (Insp. LeStrade from the Holmes series) plays her father but for most of his time on screen he is in a drunken stupor. Well worth seeing, this is a very good film. I don't know if it was an A or a B in its time but it qualifies as an A.It is a shame it is in Black in White - Miss LaMarr should only be seen in Color.