Ladies in Retirement

Tagline : The Great Broadway Melodrama Comes to Flaming Life on the Screen!

Runtime : 91 mins

Genre : Drama Thriller

Vote Rating : 6.3/10

Plot : Ellen Creed is a housekeeper who looks after Leonora Fiske, a retired actress living in the English countryside. When Ellen's eccentric sisters visit their sibling at Leonora's home, tensions soon lead to murder.

Cast Members

Reviews

As queer as mice in a cage. Ladies in Retirement is directed by Charles Vidor and adapted to screenplay by Garrett Ford from the Reginald Denham and Edward Percy play of the same name. It stars Ida Lupino, Louis Hayward, Evelyn Keyes, Elsa Lanchester, Edith Barrett and Isobel Elsom. Music is by Ernst Toch and cinematography by George Barnes. A housekeeper takes drastic action when the head of the household insists that her two batty sisters be evicted the next day… Willow, Tit Willow, Tit Willow. Hee, the title conjures up images of some batty biddy comedy set in a retirement home, but the truth is that Vidor's movie is far from it, even if does have a purposely quaint whiff of eccentric based comedy at times. Based on a true story from the 1880's and made into a popular play in 1940; with Flora Robson in the lead role, it's a story that features insanity, murder and blackmail, all deftly performed within an isolated house out in the misty marsh lands. With George Barne's black and white photography suitably cold and Vidor leaving some indelible images, it's a tip-top production without fuss and filler. Cast perform well, especially Lupino and Lanchester, and although it's inevitably stage bound and features long passages of dialogue, the eerie mood and potent thematics don't suffer or get lost in the mix. It was remade as The Mad Room in 1968 with Stella Stevens slotting into the lead shoes. The hook here is that sane people can do insane things if pushed into a corner, and this notion holds the film upright. Yes it could have been more sinister and daring, but there's ample here for the Gothic/thriller crowd to gorge on. 7.5/10

"Leonora Fiske" (Isobel Elsom) is a retired actress, a kindly soul, who lives in a remote cottage with her companion "Ellen" (Ida Lupino) and her maid. When "Ellen" asks if she might bring her sisters down to stay for a few days, they cause chaos to the old lady's normally ordered life and she asks them all to leave. Lupino has other ideas and is soon running the house as "Fiske" has "gone away". Unbeknown to her, though, her rather roguish distant nephew "Albert" (Louis Hayward) had previously stopped by to visit them whilst she was away, and when he returns to discover the old lady gone and his aunt running the place, he - and the servant "Lucy" (Evelyn Keyes) begin to get suspicious. It's a well directed, well paced crime noir with a strong supporting cast - Elsa Lanchester and Edith Barrett play well as the bonkers sisters; and though the ending is a bit of a let-down, it is still one of those films that has fallen down behind the cushion on the sofa - and is a delight to find again.

Similar Movies to Ladies in Retirement

name removed

An Alternative reality, non canon to the original franchise
Movie Star Rating : 0  Read More

Recrudescence or (To Kill an Undying Being)

‘Recrudescence’ takes place in a gothic, dystopian reality wherein a patriarchal judiciary removes the anger of women within whom it is deemed excessive. This is the case for Audrey, a writer of philosophy. But when Audrey’s husband tries to capitalise on her state, her anger returns in an unusual form...
Movie Star Rating : 0  Read More

Underworld: Evolution

As the war between the vampires and the Lycans rages on, Selene, a former member of the Death Dealers (an elite vampire special forces unit that hunts werewolves), and Michael, the werewolf hybrid, work together in an effort to unlock the secrets of their respective bloodlines.
Movie Star Rating : 6.6  Read More

Strangers on a Train

Two strangers meet on a train. They’ve never met before. Both of whom have someone they’d like to murder. So, they swap murders. A psychopath shares this concept with tennis star Guy Haines, whose wife refuses to get a divorce. He agrees, thinking it is a joke. But now his wife is dead, Haines finds himself a prime suspect and the man wants Guy to kill his father.
Movie Star Rating : 7.7  Read More

Murder, My Sweet

After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.
Movie Star Rating : 7.2  Read More

Double Indemnity

A rich woman and a calculating insurance agent plot to kill her unsuspecting husband after he signs a double indemnity policy. Against a backdrop of distinctly Californian settings, the partners in crime plan the perfect murder to collect the insurance, which pays double if the death is accidental.
Movie Star Rating : 8.1  Read More

The Third Man

In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna.
Movie Star Rating : 7.9  Read More

Elevator to the Gallows

A self-assured businessman murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.
Movie Star Rating : 7.6  Read More

The Remains of the Day

A rule bound head butler's world of manners and decorum in the household he maintains is tested by the arrival of a housekeeper who falls in love with him in post-WWI Britain. The possibility of romance and his master's cultivation of ties with the Nazi cause challenge his carefully maintained veneer of servitude.
Movie Star Rating : 7.4  Read More

The Grey Gentlemen

This is the Award Winning short noir film (student film) written and directed by Richard Corso. It is the story a writer, seeking inspiration.
Movie Star Rating : 6  Read More

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

A prequel to the first two Underworld films, this fantasy explains the origins of the feud between the Vampires and the Lycans. Aided by his secret love, Sonja, courageous Lucian leads the Lycans in battle against brutal Vampire king Viktor. Determined to break the king's enslavement of his people, Lucian faces off against the Death Dealer army in a bid for Lycan independence.
Movie Star Rating : 6.5  Read More

Disclaimer - This is a news site. All the information listed here is to be found on the web elsewhere. We do not host, upload or link to any video, films, media file, live streams etc. Kodiapps is not responsible for the accuracy, compliance, copyright, legality, decency, or any other aspect of the content streamed to/from your device. We are not connected to or in any other way affiliated with Kodi, Team Kodi, or the XBMC Foundation. We provide no support for third party add-ons installed on your devices, as they do not belong to us. It is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with all your regional legalities and personal access rights regarding any streams to be found on the web. If in doubt, do not use.
DMCA Policy
- Privacy Policy
Kodiapps app v7.0 - Available for Android. You can now add latest scene releases to your collection with Add to Trakt. More features and updates coming to this app real soon.
Tip : Add https://kodiapps.com/rss to your RSS Ticker in System/Appearance/Skin settings to get the very latest Movie & TV Show release info delivered direct to your Kodi Home Screen. Builders are free to use it for their builds too.
You can get all the latest TV Shows & Movies release news direct to your Twitter. Never miss your fave TV Shows & Movies again. Send a follower request via the social media link.