Dragonwyck (1946) - film review

In 1844, Connecticut farm girl Miranda Wells goes against the wishes of her puritanical father by accepting an invitation to live in the house of her aristocratic cousin Nicholas Van Ryn.  Dragonwyck Manor is an imposing gothic mansion, home to the Van Ryns for two centuries, a place that is haunted by dark secrets and memories of a tragic past.  When Nicholas’s wife dies suddenly, Miranda eagerly accepts her host’s proposal of marriage.  It is a decision she soon lives to regret...

Dragonwyck is a film that will appeal to any fan of gothic melodrama.  Whilst it may lack the dramatic and emotional impact of other more memorable examples of the genre (such as adaptations of Jane Eyre and Rebecca), it makes up for this in other areas.  Arthur C. Miller’s sombre expressionist cinematography conveys a mood of sustained menace and oppression which builds to a memorable climax, complementing the set design that perfectly evokes the atmosphere of the classic gothic novel.

Vincent Price is hardly the most original casting choice for the part of the creepy chatelain – he seems to have spent his entire career playing Mr Sinister on shadowy gothic sets – but his performance is faultless, exuding pathos and demonic evil in equal measure.  He works well opposite his co-star Gene Tierney, who portrays the strong-willed but vulnerable heroine with charm and conviction.  The two actors had previously appeared together in Otto Preminger’s film noir classic Laura (1944).

Dragonwyck was originally to have been directed by Ernst Lubitsch, but he fell ill and asked his friend and collaborator Joseph L. Mankiewicz to take his place.  Mankiewicz had by this stage earned a solid reputation in Hollywood as a producer and screenwriter and, after his successful directorial debut with Dragonwyck, he went on to make a name for himself as one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed film directors, winning an Oscar in the Best Director category for All About Eve (1950).

© James Travers 2008

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