The Upturned Glass

A good example of narration used properly to move a story along. Pamela Mason as Kate Howard gives off the same vibes as Parker Posey in 'You've Got Mail' playing Patricia Eden. I somehow think that the surgery scenes are not true to real life (I mean, major brain surgery completed in 2 hours, c'mon!).

A pretty basic noir that runs a little slowly. I got interested with the umpteen fake endings which finally seemed to raise the stakes. Good performances, but it all felt a little too clinical. (And all the while I was thinking that he was living in the Notorious house.)

Quite good.

James Mason and a cold revenge killing. The devious person he's planing to get is played by none other than his real life wife Pamela Mason! That makes it a little more interesting. Fairly chilling, but a little minimalistic in how it's told. Almost too zoomed-in on its main character to grasp the larger emotional scope. There's certainly aspects to love about The Upturned Glass (1947), no doubt about that.

Engrossing psychological thriller. The narrative is a little contrived at times, especially towards the end, but the consistent levels of suspense make up for any weaknesses in the plot. Mason's god-complex is handled with a surprising amount of subtlety for a film of this period, largely avoiding any great moralising (at least compared to, say, Hitchcock's "Rope", which deals with the same ethical quandary).

A quietly powerful story of contained love, a possible murder and revenge. Clipped 40's style doesn't hide some powerful characterisation although the film is very much of two halves. The first a third party narative is the stronger with believable scenes and plot. However, despite strong acting the second half flags with (by modern standards) an unbelievable and disappointing ending. None the less enjoyable for its acting.