Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Corridor of Mirrors

The film debut of both director Terrence Young (From Russia with Love, Thunderball) and actor Christopher Lee (albeit in a minor role), 1948's Corridor of Mirrors is an atmospheric thriller involving an eccentric bachelor (Eric Portman) who falls in love with a young woman (Edana Romney) who eerily resembles a Renaissance painting he keeps in his home. Their relationship mostly involves Mangin (Portman) dressing Mifanwy (Romney) in a variety of dresses and jewelry that fit her perfectly. As she struggles against his control, and the warnings of an older woman (Barbara Mullen) in the house suggesting dangerous ulterior motives in Mangin's actions, their relationship ends disastrously, and, years later, tragically.

Although it may feel a bit dated in places, the tone and tension of the story hold up well as does Young's direction and the cinematography of André Thomas. Re-released on Blu-ray and DVD as part of the Cohen Film Collection, Corridor of Mirrors is worth visiting for fans of the era or the genre.

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