Fan’s Film Review: Expriment Perilous (1944)

Some visitors are kind enough to send me their reviews of Hedy films. I’ll be happy to share them in this blog.

We can start with Experiment Perilous (1944) because it’s one of my favorite Hedy looks.

This review below was written by Peter Andres

Good direction and good performances can’t save a confusing and stale script

Hedy Lamarr delivers an adequate performance in this Gothic thriller, directed by the atmospheric RKO director Jacques Tourner and set in 1903 New England and New York City. However, a mediocre script by Warren Duff (who also produced the film) and a downright boring starring performance by George Brent weaken the film considerably.

Hedy, who was born in Vienna, Austria, was under contract to MGM and was considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world at the time. She was offered the leading lady role to Gaslight (1944), a Gothic thriller which was produced by MGM and based on Patrick Hamilton’s play of the same name. However, the role eventually went to Ingrid Bergman, who dearly wanted to star alongside Charles Boyer and, in the process, won an Oscar for Best Actress as the psychologically tortured wife. So Hedy decided to play a psychologically tortured wife in this Gothic thriller produced at RKO, which is nowhere near as intriguing or straightforward as Gaslight. Due to the unsatisfactory script of Experiment Perilous, it’s difficult to imagine Hedy playing the leading lady role in Gaslight as well as Ingrid Bergman played it.

Alec steals one moment with Allida. Soon after is he killed by her husband.

Paul Lukas, another favorite European actor of mine, is excellent as Hedy’s cunning husband. Special mention should go to Margaret Wycherly (White Heat) as a maid in George Brent’s hotel room. The film’s Oscar-nominated production design is exquisite and opulent and Tony Gaudio’s black-and-white cinematography is moody and haunting. RKO composer Roy Webb adds a familiar music score, which includes a waltz on the soundtrack that was later used in Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946). However, that’s all I have to say about the film’s positive elements.

The script seems to indicate that Hedy’s character is a Vermont farm girl (!) and seems so misguided that any plausibility the plot should have contained is thrown out the window. There’s even a spectacular climactic explosion that seems to come out of nowhere! Due to a murky script that lacks focus and plausibility and George Brent’s wooden performance as a compassionate doctor who helps Hedy through her emotional and mental torment, the film leaves a lot to be desired.

Tourner’s atmospheric direction makes good use of Paul Lukas’ superior acting skills and interesting cinematography, which make the film worth watching despite its shortcomings. While Experiment Perilous isn’t a terrible film, it isn’t a particularly good one, either.