Whirlpool (1949)
Directed by Otto Preminger

Film Review

Whirlpool would be a very respectable film noir were it not for the brazen absurdity of its storyline (which stretches credibility so far beyond breaking point that you would be well advised to wear a safety helmet) and some equally implausible characterisation.  Fortunately, there are some saving graces - the appropriate noir cinematography lends the film a mood of tangled intrigue and dark menace which helps to distract the viewer from the hideous plot contrivances, and Gene Tierney - her second collaboration with director Otto Preminger, after the superb Laura (1944) - brings a touch of class which adds greatly to the film's enjoyment value.   The best performance comes from José Ferrer, who, as the sinister Dr Korvo, exudes an aura of villainous charm which is both irresistibly seductive and deeply disturbing, not unlike a cross between Noel Coward and Peter Lorre.  Not a great film, but certainly one that scores highly in the entertainment stakes.

Film Synopsis

Ann Sutton, the wife of the renowned psychoanalyst Dr Bill Sutton, is out shopping one day when she is caught shoplifting in a Los Angeles department store.  David Korvo, a hypnotherapist, comes to her aid, assuring the store manager that it would be best for everyone if he spoke with Ann in private and offered her treatment.  Having recently experienced bouts of sleeplessness and emotional strain, Ann reluctantly agrees to allow Korvo to subject her to his hypnotic techniques in the hope of curing her of her kleptomania.  Having seen Ann and Korvo together, one of Sutton's patients, Theresa Randolph, becomes concerned and warns Ann that Korvo is a dangerous man who is probably only after her money.  A short while later, just after Ann has allowed Korvo to hypnotise her for the first time, Theresa is murdered and Ann is found sitting beside her.  Unable to account for what happened that night, Ann is arrested and it is Lieutenant Colton's belief that she killed Theresa out of jealousy because she was in love with Korvo.  Sutton cannot believe his wife is capable of murder and is convinced that Korvo must be the killer.  But Korvo has the perfect alibi - he was in hospital recovering from surgery at the time Theresa was killed, so he couldn't possibly have been the murderer - or could he...?