Today’s movie is a
mystery film with a scene that happens on October 15. Watch it tonight and
enjoy.
THE WOMAN IN
WHITE
Walter Hartright arrives at Limridge Court to teach drawing to Marian
Halcombe and Laura Fairlie, her half-sister. Laura has inherited a fortune from
her mother, while Marian is poor. Walking from the station to the house he sees
a mysterious woman in white. Their guardian, Frederick Fairlie is a
hypochondriac. The woman in white, who resembles Laura re-appears and screams,
but Hartright can’t catch her. Walter falls in love with Laura, but Marian
warns him off , as Laura is engaged to marry Sir Percival Glyde. The sister’s lawyer Mr. Gilmore does not
like the terms of Laura’s marriage settlement, but Frederick Fairlie is too
indolent to protest. The woman in white is identified as Anne Catherick, the
daughter of a servant of the Glyde family, who was put in an asylum. Hartright
is accused of accosting a female servant and fired. Laura marries Sir Percival
and after their honeymoon Marian goes to live with the couple at their estate,
Blackwater Park. Laura tells Marian she is sure Percival wants her money and will
do anything to get it. Count Fosco, a friend of Glyde’s arrives. Glyde tries to
bully Laura into signing over her money to him. The sisters meet Anne, but
before she can tell them her secret, she is caught by Glyde and returned to the
asylum. The sister’s attempt to leave Blackwater Park is thwarted by armed
guards. Marian’s attempt to eavesdrop on the Count and Glyde cooking up a
scheme to get Laura’s money results in a twisted ankle and a feverish illness.
When Marian comes out of her delirium, she is told that Laura fell from the
church tower and is dead. Marian goes to stay with Count Fosco and his wife,
but can’t find out anything about her sister’s death. She tracks down
Hartright, who agrees to help her. Marian blackmails the doctor who committed Anne
Catherick into telling her where Anne is locked up and that Anne is Marian’s
half sister. Anne’s mother was a servant on their estate. Marian and Hartright
go to the asylum on October 15, 1870
[1:33:27 to 1:37:35] and discover the patient is Laura, not Anne, who was
thrown from the tower. Glyde and Fosco drugged Laura and substituted her for
Anne. Marian figures out Anne hid her father’s will that disclosed that Glyde
was illegitimate and could not inherit. Marian gets the will, but Glyde shows
up and burns it. In a struggle with Marian, the church catches on fire and
Glyde is killed. Laura slowly recovers and she and Hartright get married.
A good Victorian mystery
melodrama. Does a god job of creating the appropriate Gothic atmosphere for
this film. The costumes and set decoration are very good.
The Woman in White by
Wilkie Collins (Bantam Books, New York, 1985) at page 382 gives the date
Hartright and Marian go to the asylum.
Producer - Gareth Neame
Director – Tim Fywell
Runtime – 2 hours 5 minutes
Released – April 5, 1998
Starring
Tara FitzGerald as Marian
Halcombe
Justine Waddell as Laura Fairlie
Andrew Lincoln as Walter
Hartright
Susan Vidler as Anne Catherick
James Wilby as Sir Percival Glyde
Simon Callow as Count Fosco
John Standing as Mr. Gilmore
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.
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