Universal International Pictures
Not part of a collection.
Ivy
Pity the men in her life!
When Ivy, an Edwardian belle, begins to like Miles, a wealthy gentleman, she is unsure of what to do with her husband, Jervis, or her lover, Dr. Roger. She then hatches a plan to get rid of them both.
- Original title
- Ivy
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
John Chard
Dec 19, 2013 · via TMDB
Evil influences are gathering. Ivy is directed by Sam Wood and adapted to screenplay by Charles Bennett from the novel The Story of Ivy written by Marie Belloc Lowndes. It stars Joan Fontaine, Patric Knowles, Herbert Marshall, Richard Ney, Cedric Hardwicke and Lucile Watson. Music is by Daniele Amfitheatrof and cinematography by Russell Metty. Ivy Lexton (Fontaine) has a hunger to be wealthy, and setting her sights on well-to-do Miles Rushworth (Marshall), Ivy plots a fiendish plan that spells trouble for her husband Jervis (Ney) and her lover Roger (Knowles). Well worth discovering, Ivy showcases the dark side of Fontaine’s acting prowess for great entertainment rewards. The beautiful Madame Fontaine actually disowned the movie, and this after she stepped in to the role of Ivy Lexton after her sister Olivia de Havilland turned it down. Her lack of affection for the picture goes some way to explaining why it has remained largely forgotten, which is a shame because it’s a high end gaslight noir propelled by a femme fatale of some considerable substance. The budget was high, and it shows, in the cast list, the costuming and the stunning turn of the century production design by William Cameron Menzies. Metty’s low-key photography cloaks the Edwardian settings with atmospheric snugness, while Amfitheatrof underscores the drama with music that is appropriately tinged with chills. Thematically the piece is focusing on obsessions, by way of man’s ignorant lust and woman’s pursuit of wealth above all else. All characters are defined not by fate here, but by their actions, making for a hornet’s nest of murder and adultery. 1947 was a stellar year for film noir, with big hitting movies like Out of the Past, Nightmare Alley, Kiss of Death, Odd Man Out and Brighton Rock further cementing the growing popularity of noir as a style of film making. As is often the case with the great noir years from the classic cycle, there’s still little gems hidden away waiting to be brought out into the open, Ivy is one such film. Fontaine and the sumptuous noir visual style ensure this to be the case. 8/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Fandango At Home
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Fandango At Home
Joan Fontaine
Ivy
Patric Knowles
Dr. Roger Gretorex
Herbert Marshall
Miles Rushworth
Richard Ney
Jervis Lexton
Cedric Hardwicke
Inspector Orpington
Lucile Watson
Mrs. Gretorex
Sara Allgood
Martha Huntley
Henry Stephenson
Judge
Rosalind Ivan
Emily
Lilian Fontaine
Lady Flora
Molly Lamont
Bella Crail
Una O'Connor
Mrs. Thrawn
Isobel Elsom
Miss Chattle
Alan Napier
Sir Jonathan Wright
Lydia Bilbrook
Mary Hampton (uncredited)
Matthew Boulton
Tom Lumford (uncredited)
Colin Campbell
Chaplain (uncredited)
Paul Cavanagh
Dr. Berwick (uncredited)
Claire Du Brey
Shopkeeper (uncredited)
Herbert Evans
Deck Official (uncredited)
Jean Fenwick
Guest (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
Set Rehearsal (uncredited)
Mary Forbes
Lady Crail (uncredited)
Gerald Hamer
Man from Paris Office (uncredited)
Lumsden Hare
Dr. Lanchester (uncredited)
Holmes Herbert
Mulloy (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin
Mr. Oram (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp
Court Clerk (uncredited)
Carl M. Leviness
Trial Spectator (uncredited)
Alberto Morin
Dockworker (uncredited)
Gavin Muir
Sergeant (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien
Barrister (uncredited)
Manuel París
Cook's Tour Guide (uncredited)
Jack Perrin
Bailiff (uncredited)
Elsa Peterson
Yacht Guest (uncredited)
Leonardo Scavino
Dock Worker (uncredited)
C. Montague Shaw
Stevens (uncredited)
Wyndham Standing
Assistant Chief Justice (uncredited)
Norma Varden
Joan Rodney (uncredited)
Orry-Kelly
Costume Design
Bud Westmore
Makeup Artist
Polly Burson
Stunt Double
Sam Wood
Director
Sam Wood
Executive Producer
William Cameron Menzies
Producer
Charles Bennett
Screenplay
Wild Strawberries
M
Downfall
The Last Samurai
The Big Sleep
It Happened in Broad Daylight
Scarface
Murder She Said
Belle de Jour
2046
Frenzy
The Tin Drum
Heart Blackened
Effi Briest
To Die For
Crash
Next Door
Willenbrock
Seven Years of Night
D Company
Witness for the Prosecution
Dial M for Murder
Strangers on a Train
Shadow of a Doubt
An Inspector Calls
The Web
Angel Face
Each Dawn I Die
The Glass Key
The Dark Corner
The File on Thelma Jordon
Dark City
Time Without Pity
A Double Life
The Locket
Woman of Straw
Madigan
Islands
The Mirror Crack'd
The Quiller Memorandum
Jun 26, 1947
New York City, New York
