Das Geheimnis der Dame in Schwarz (1960)

Das Geheimnis der Dame in Schwarz: Directed by Michael Gordon. With Lana Turner, Anthony Quinn, Richard Basehart, Sandra Dee. After a married woman and her lover murder her cruel husband, they find themselves targeted by someone who is aware of their crime.

“Oh the heartache and troubles rich people suffer through. Take Sheila Cabot (Lana Turner) for example, an attractive, middle-aged woman married to a wealthy, but ailing, shipping tycoon, Matthew Cabot (Lloyd Nolan). They live in a San Francisco mansion overlooking the Bay, and have multiple servants. But Matthew is gruff, verbally abuses his wife, and generally treats everyone like dirt. Itu0026#39;s enough to make Sheila … well … cry. Making matters infinitely worse, Sheila has a lover on the side. And sheu0026#39;s desperate to exchange the gruff hubby for the lover. However will she manage?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThatu0026#39;s the setup for this melodrama-mystery combo, a story that involves passion, suspicion, deception, and ultimately murder. The filmu0026#39;s easy to follow plot gets a needed boost when a card addressed to Sheila arrives in the mail. All the card says is: u0026quot;Congratulations on the success of …u0026quot; That scene sends the plot hurling into mystery territory. Who wrote the card, and why?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe scriptu0026#39;s two main characters behave in ways that do not seem credible, given their circumstances. And the idea that a grown woman living in California has never learned to drive is a tad dubious.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe filmu0026#39;s overall look and feel is that of a typical 1950s melodrama. Elegant, expensive clothes, dreamy violin background music, and melodramatic acting conjure up visions of some sudsy 1950s film directed by Douglas Sirk. I donu0026#39;t recall any scene in which Lana Turner is not wearing an expensive dress and, in some scenes, a full-length mink coat.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eColor cinematography is acceptable, if unremarkable. Casting favors well-known actors. And they perform well enough. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of Sandra Dee.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf youu0026#39;re looking for a believable story, look elsewhere. If youu0026#39;re looking for a sudsy melodrama and/or mystery, u0026quot;Portrait In Blacku0026quot; will appeal. I could have done without the pretentious suds of these very rich people. But the plot puzzle provided enough mystery to keep me hooked.”