Ivy main backdrop
Ivy main poster

6.8/10 • 23

1947-06-261h 39m

DramaCrimeThriller

Pity the men in her life!

When Ivy, an Edwardian belle, begins to like Miles, a wealthy gentleman, she is unsure of what to do with her husband, Jervis, and her lover, Dr. Roger. She then hatches a plan to get rid of them both.

Directors
Sam Wood
Editors
Ralph Dawson

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Joan Fontaine

    Joan Fontaine

    Ivy

  2. Patric Knowles

    Patric Knowles

    Dr. Roger Gretorex

  3. Herbert Marshall

    Herbert Marshall

    Miles Rushworth

  4. Richard Ney

    Richard Ney

    Jervis Lexton

  5. Cedric Hardwicke

    Cedric Hardwicke

    Inspector Orpington

  6. Lucile Watson

    Lucile Watson

    Mrs. Gretorex

  7. Sara Allgood

    Sara Allgood

    Martha Huntley

  8. Henry Stephenson

    Henry Stephenson

    Judge

  9. Rosalind Ivan

    Rosalind Ivan

    Emily

Reviews1

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Dec 19, 2013

8/10

Evil influences are gathering. Ivy is directed by Sam Wood and adapted to screenplay by Charles Bennett from the novel The Story of Ivy written by Marie Belloc Lowndes. It stars Joan Fontaine, Patric Knowles, Herbert Marshall, Richard Ney, Cedric Hardwicke and Lucile Watson. Music is by Daniele Amfitheatrof and cinematography by Russell Metty. Ivy Lexton (Fontaine) has a hunger to be wealthy, and setting her sights on well-to-do Miles Rushworth (Marshall), Ivy plots a fiendish plan that spells trouble for her husband Jervis (Ney) and her lover Roger (Knowles). Well worth discovering, Ivy showcases the dark side of Fontaine’s acting prowess for great entertainment rewards. The beautiful Madame Fontaine actually disowned the movie, and this after she stepped in to the role of Ivy Lexton after her sister Olivia de Havilland turned it down. Her lack of affection for the picture goes some way to explaining why it has remained largely forgotten, which is a shame because it’s a high end gaslight noir propelled by a femme fatale of some considerable substance. The budget was high, and it shows, in the cast list, the costuming and the stunning turn of the century production design by William Cameron Menzies. Metty’s low-key photography cloaks the Edwardian settings with atmospheric snugness, while Amfitheatrof underscores the drama with music that is appropriately tinged with chills. Thematically the piece is focusing on obsessions, by way of man’s ignorant lust and woman’s pursuit of wealth above all else. All characters are defined not by fate here, but by their actions, making for a hornet’s nest of murder and adultery. 1947 was a stellar year for film noir, with big hitting movies like Out of the Past, Nightmare Alley, Kiss of Death, Odd Man Out and Brighton Rock further cementing the growing popularity of noir as a style of film making. As is often the case with the great noir years from the classic cycle, there’s still little gems hidden away waiting to be brought out into the open, Ivy is one such film. Fontaine and the sumptuous noir visual style ensure this to be the case. 8/10

Media

  • Ivy poster
  • Ivy poster
  • Ivy poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
adulterypoisoninvestigationtrialmurderperiod dramascheming wife