Devil and the Deep

6/13/2022

Talulah Bankhead is "Diana" - unhappily married to naval commander "Charles Sturm" (Charles Laughton). Everyone thinks he's a swell sort of guy, but it turns out that he is a jealous and possessive creature and when it emerges that his wife is in love with someone else (Gary Cooper), he decides to seek a particularly selfish form of revenge. The cast - which also includes Cary Grant - is strong but the script is pretty meagre. Laughton's famous laugh features prominently, and one can see him getting into training for his forthcoming role as "Lt. Bligh", but otherwise it's a rather sluggish tale of envy and jealously that seemed to me to be a waste of the talent at Marion Gering's disposal here.