A film noir absolutely dripping in atmosphere, "Phantom Lady" stars a fetching Ella Raines as a woman determined to track down a mysterious witness who can provide the alibi that will save her boss from prison. She goes out into the grimy, shadow-lit streets of NYC, visiting a few dives along the way, collecting clues that eventually lead her to the woman (and the hat -- don't ask, it's a long story) she's been looking for. Why exactly the hat is such a key piece of evidence, and what exactly she's hoping it will prove without the woman the hat belongs to in tow, I'm still not entirely clear on, but want it she does, and so does Franchot Tone, the film's psycho. The climactic scene, in which she realizes she's in the lair of the very villain behind the killing her boss is accused of, is supposed to be a nail biter, but the movie leading up to that moment is more engaging than the moment itself.And this may be the only film noir in history to feature an orgasm by drum solo. Just take a watch and you'll see what I mean.Grade: A-

This was the third of fourteen novels/short stories by Cornell Woolrich to be adapted for the screen in the nineteen forties. There had been one in 1929, one in 1934 and one in 1938 but the floodgates opened in the forties and though adaptations continued through subsequent decades it was the forties that were the most fruitful. The original novel, published in 1942, had another claim to fame inasmuch as it was the first time the pseudonym William Irish appeared in print - the publishers felt that the prolific Woolrich had published so many novels so quickly under that name - the name on his birth certificate read: Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich - that there was a danger of the public becoming sated, accordingly they suggested a new name might be in order and William Irish was the result. Woolrich/Irish quickly developed his own 'voice' and genre, psychological thriller-cum-terror and just a handful of forties titles adapted for the screen - The Leopard Man, Deadline At Dawn, Black Angel,Fear In The Night, I Wouldn't Be In Your Shoes, Night Has A Thousand Eyes - illustrate this although arguably the finest adaptation, The Window, had a somewhat innocuous title. Phantom Lady is slightly different to the novel though the premise remains the same; following a quarrel with his wife the protagonist meets a woman in a bar and invites her to spend the evening with him (he already has two tickets to a popular show, one meant for his wife) and she agrees with the proviso that they do not exchange names,, phone numbers, or indeed any scrap of personal information. Returning home he finds his wife has been strangled with one of his own neckties and he, with no real alibi, is the only suspect. Tried and convicted his only chance to escape the chair is for someone to locate the phantom lady, whose only distinguishing feature is a singular hat, so that we are now in a race- against-the-clock scenario which, given the date, 1944, will, we know, inevitably resolve itself happily. Director Robert Siodmak created a fine, atmospheric mood, drawing liberally on the expressionistic roots of his native Germany, whilst the cast comprised some of the names familiar to buffs of forties movies, Andrew Tombes, Thomas Gomez, Elisha Cooke, Ella Raines, Alan Curtis and top-billed Franchot Tone, cast against type. Certainly watchable and a reasonable addition to the 'noir' gallery.

The wired jazz scene with Elisha Cook banging away at the mad drums is worth the whole movie. Plus, there's Ella Raines, looking lovelier than ever. This movie must have really disturbed 1944 audiences. There's a psycho murdering sculptor with strong hands and a fatal weakness. There's fat nasty policemen who breathe down everyone's necks. There's Aurora Miranda trying to steal sister Carmen's act. There's lots of sweating in the August swelter of New York. There's plenty of bad acting and bad dialogue. But, there are also some really unusual shots of street scenes during the long sequence in which Ella pursues the bartender to his death. Strong stuff, indeed. And, did I mention there's Ella Raines looking lovelier than ever? I think I'm in love.

By definition film noir is a shadowy mystery/crime story and yes,there is a interesting story here - man is accused of murder and the only person who can prove that he was indeed spending that evening with her is mysterious lady in a fashionable hat, who disappears not to be seen anymore. He is imprisoned (mumbling about "lady in a funny hat") and now its up to his provincial secretary and a detective to solve the mystery. Secretary must be very provincial and in love indeed, because she puts herself into some very dangerous situations, following people she suspect are hiding the secret. The movie focuses so much on her that at certain point I wondered "hey,but where is Franchot Tone in all this?" - he, the biggest name here is finally appearing half way trough movie and in a role completely different from his usual charming smile performances (camera focuses on his hands so much that I freaked out, its very pure German expressionism). Unfortunately the mystery is solved way too soon so we already know who was the real murderer,for the rest of the movie its all about naive secretary finally discovering the truth.