This film is wound a bit too tight for its own good. Mostly because of the incredibly intense performance from Ida Lupino who manages to almost melt the screen. It is a relentless one-note onslaught of jangled nerves and jitters.What's needed here is a contrasting scene or two to let things settle a little. There are some good moments but the anxious anxiety quickly destroys the drama and we are off to the races once again. The hotel convention scene is almost unbearable in its loud and ridiculous rendering of a confrontational setup that is suppose to be suspenseful and claustrophobic.The ending looks ominous enough and the factory setting has a film-noir feel that is missing in most of the film and the subtlety of shadows would have been a welcome relief from the persistent, pulsating, and predictable performances.

This review is replete with spoilers. The plot-line of this movie is ridiculous. It begins with the car going into the drink, and the voice-over saying something like, "They think I'm dead. I'll have to stay 'dead'". Why? Why not come forward and tell everyone what has happened? She thinks they won't believe her? A quick examination of the car will reveal that it's been tampered with.Another major plot hole is where she flees to another town and then acts like Richard Kimble. She hasn't committed any crime, so why is she so afraid of everyone, especially the police? Then, the husband manages to convince the fellow who's been dogging her that she is "ill". Why is Duff so ready to believe that she is "ill"? I suppose it's understandable, since no one has ever murdered a spouse for gain.Then, when the husband finally gets his clutches on her, he informs her that he is going to put her in an institution, because she is "ill". It can't be that easy to put someone in an institution just because it is to someone else's benefit.The whole thing is a crock.

Selden Clark, the ambitious manager of a mill in North Carolina, has an interest in getting the business, something that the owner, John Chandler, would never agree to do. Instead, Selden, who has an affair going on with the pretty Patricia Monahan, decides to get rid of his boss by killing him in what appears to be an industrial accident at the plant. Selden then makes a play for Deborah Chandler, the daughter who never liked him, capitalizing on her vulnerability at a crucial time in her life.As the two get married, Selden proposes a honeymoon up in the mountains. His sole purpose is to kill her as well, thus getting the business all to himself and restart his affair with Patricia again. To Selden's surprise he, and his new bride, find Patricia waiting for them in the cabin. Patricia tries to kill him without success. Things do not go well with his plan to kill Deborah, as she manages to survive the accident her new husband provoked when he rigged the car brakes. Selden, who senses Deborah survives the accident, and is still alive, when her body never surfaces, decides to offer a reward to anyone that will know her whereabouts.Deborah ends up in Raleigh trying to find Patricia Monahan, to prove that Selden tried to kill her. In the process, she attracts the attention of Keith Ramsey, a former soldier that is working his way to California. When he sees her photograph in a pictorial magazine, Keith gets interested because he has seen Deborah at the newsstand where he is employed. Thinking he is doing her a favor, he calls Selden, who gets confirmation that she is still alive.Michael Gordon directed "Woman in Hiding", which is based on a novel by James Webb. The material was adapted by Oscar Saul and Roy Higgins. The result is a satisfying film that is seldom seen these days. We were lucky in watching a pristine print recently shown on a cable channel, a DVD transfer, probably. This satisfying drama relies on the strength of the cast that makes it worth a look by serious fans of the genre. Ida Lupino, always delivered, as it is the case here. Her Deborah proves to be a likable heroine because the viewer identifies with her plight. Stephen McNally does a fine job with his Selden, a bad guy that does not get any sympathy. Howard Duff appears as Keith and Peggy Dow as Patricia Monahan.Veteran cinematographer William Daniels captures in vivid images the work of Michael Gordon. "Woman in Hiding" will not disappoint.

Excellent movie full of suspense ,action-packed story with first-class actress Ida Lupino -who directed herself an excellent film noir:"the hitch hiker" 1953.In the first minutes ,you do think that it's a corpse that is speaking and that the movie will be a long flashback ,à la "Sunset Blvd" .The flashback is actually relatively short and then begins a long chase .This is really an absorbing tale which involves stairs where you jump or where you're pushed ,trains running in the night to put you away,people you try to trust and who betray you,people who try to help you but might ruin you.All that makes a thriller exciting.Recommended