A murder mystery dealing with a convicted murderess named Valerie Carns (Ann Blyth) who's being transported to Norwich to be executed by hanging when a flood strands her and her guards at a convent hospital. Then Nurse Sister Mary (the great Claudette Colbert) becomes convinced of her innocence and sets out to find the real killer , there six desperate people...hiding one guilty secret . There's a simple janitor , an attendant comic nun and a killer visible a mile off adding to fun .
A suspenseful movie in which our starring , the understanding , sweet nun Claudette Colvert , becomes a stubborn detective to discover the true killer throughout the story . Sirkian intrigue/melodrama movie in Agatha Christie style , it melds with the director's earlier , pulpier mode in a Norfolk convent hospital , where a condemned murderess is trapped by a flash flood the night before her execution . Here there is mystery , emotion , a love story , suspense and plot twists . Interesting and attractive plot based on the play ¨Bonaventure¨ written by Charlotte Hastings with agreeable script from Oscar Saul and Andrew Solt. Interpretation actors are first-rate . Colbert is nice as the nun to get her off with blind faith and a casual disrespect for the law of the land and the convent . She is obstinate , comprehensive, perfect and pig-headed , while the allegedly guilty is wonderfully grotesque , then stirring . They are very well accompanied by a fine support cast , such as : Robert Douglas , Anne Crawford , Philip Friend , Gladys Cooper, Michael Pate, John Abbott, Connie Gilchrist , Tudor Owen, among others .
It contains a superb cinematography in black and white by William H. Daniels , Greta Garbo's usual cameraman , mostly shot in interior , as filming Locations : Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California . Likewise, atmosperic and enjoyable musical score by Hans J. Salter . The motion picture was well directed by Douglas Sirk who milks the giant set for all its atmospherics. Douglas was a fundamental filmmaker who gave prestigious movies , usually collaborating with similar technicians as cameraman Russell Metty , Production Designer Alexander Golitzen , Producer Ross Hunter and writer George Zuckerman . Sirk directed a lot of classic melodramas, such as : Never say goobye , Interlude , Summerstorm , The first legion , The lady pays off , Tarnished Angels , A time to love a time to die , Magnificent obsession , All that heaven allows , Written in the Wind . But he also directed other genres as WWII : Mystery submarine , Hitler's madmen ; Thrillers and Film Noir : Shockproof , Thunder on the hill , A scandal in Paris , Lured ; Historical : Attila with Jack Palance ; Adventures : Thunderbolt and Lightfoot with Hudson and Barbara Rush ; and even a Western : Taza with Rocka Hudson , his fetish actor . Rating : 6.5/10 , better than average . Worthwhile. The picture will appeal to Claudette Corbett fans .
