October 15 - The Woman in White

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.