The Strange Woman

The depth and richness of characterization here is surprising at this low budget level of film-making.

The 1st half of this works great b/c it's not the usual femme fatale scenarios. Lamarr is as hot/kinky as can be as a manipulative temptress engaging in some highly inappropriate seductions, especially for the period. Her victims aren't just men either as she's got a whole town fooled & her main victim is no rich sugar daddy or cucked husband. He starts off pathetic & you start thinking he'll rise above, but... Unfortunately, the 2nd half starts delivering the predictable morality & punishment.

The development of Jenny's character is a successful feat of both Lamarr and the script. Unfortunately, I didn't find the film overall gripping enough.

Edgar G. Ulmer graduates from PRC and poverty row to start making independent pictures through United Artists. And he starts off with a tale about a very manipulative Hedy Lamarr. There's a lot of quality, especially in the character department. With such fine supporting performances from the likes of Gene Lockhart, Louis Hayward & George Sanders, the table was set for a feasty dinner for Lamarr. However, something is lacking to really make the story stick out in the grand manner it deserved.

Lamarr's performance is excellent as a woman full of love and full of hate, self centered and generous and everything in between. Even the child playing her in the opening is great. It has melodrama, but instead of playing it for suspense or conflict it uses it to develop a very complex character, one that reveals as much about herself as those around her and the community itself.

Why is it that Edgar Ulmer's most interesting movies get panned? Hedy Lamarr is an outstanding femme fatale - every time she looks at the camera, you understand the men who do dumb shit for her. She's a heartbreaker. It's a very complex role, too, in that her villainy all comes from her insecurity. You don't see many noirs with characters this well-rounded, and I'm always thrilled with one from a woman's POV. The camerawork is stunning - maybe Ulmer's best since The Black Cat.