The Woman in the Hall

Ursula Jeans has two daughters and a yen for a better life style than she can afford. So she goes among the wealthy, tells each of them a sob story, and gets some cash. One day one of the daughters, Jean Simmons, runs away and gets a job, and proceeds to give gifts to everyone.

There are a couple of loose ends in this movie, like Joan Miller's character, who seems to be a maid-of-all-work for Miss Jeans, I suppose the details of what she is doing there got lost in the transfer of G.B. Stern's novel to the screen. What we are left with are two very good performances. Miss Simmons, still early in her career, and gives a very waiflike and woebegone performance. Miss Jeans, gives a perfectly modulated performance that speaks volumes and says nothing. She wheedles and threatens her daughters - the other one is played by Jill Freud - and submits to threats in a manner that leaves one wondering if she actually cares about anything other than the pleasure of her successful confidence games. Her biggest one is landing Cecil Parker playing a surprisingly tender version of his comic fuddy-duddy.

It's a beautifully executed movie, but I'm left with a sense of dissatisfaction. What's the point of it all? Is it supposed to be a story of redemption? If so, in the end, it is trite. Is it a matter of a bravura performance? That's not really enough. Any movie that exists in its own little universe and has no meaning greater than itself is a pointless game. Even the most puzzle-like murder mystery is about the wrecking of the moral universe, and it's restoration by bringing the murderer to light.

Perhaps people take some interest in violence for its own sake, but even in the most chaotic of spaghetti westerns, there is is a conclusion and a warning. Perhaps that is the point of this movie: that a workable world has a balance between pure self-interest and generosity.