Watch The Upturned Glass

The Upturned Glass from 1947 is a British thriller directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring James Mason, Rosamund John, and Pamela Mason. The movie is loosely based on the 1920s novel A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake. James Mason played Dr. Michael Joyce, a London neurosurgeon. The movie opens with Joyce attending a lecture given by a famous writer, Travers (Brefni O'Rorke), about the perfect murder. The lecture sets the tone for the movie's central themes of murder, guilt, and desire.

From this point on, The Upturned Glass twists and turns as Joyce becomes embroiled in a dark and complex love triangle that threatens to unravel his carefully controlled life. He meets and falls in love with the beautiful and alluring Christine (Pamela Mason), the wife of his friend and colleague, Dr. Roland Gerrard (Robert Newton). However, his feelings are not reciprocated, and Christine repeatedly rejects his advances.

When Christine dies suddenly of meningitis, Joyce is devastated. However, a chance encounter with a woman who looks just like Christine leads him to believe that there might have been more to her death than meets the eye. Joyce sets out to uncover the truth, and as he delves deeper into the mystery, he discovers shocking secrets about Christine's past, her marriage to Gerrard, and his own desires.

The Upturned Glass is a dark and moody film noir that explores complex themes of guilt, obsession, love, and loss. The movie's cinematography is moody and atmospheric, creating an eerie and foreboding ambiance that underpins the tension and drama. The script is well-written and manages to keep viewers guessing until the final moments with a few twists and turns along the way.

At the heart of the movie's success is James Mason's performance, who plays his character with a restrained intensity that makes him both intriguing and repulsive. His obsession with Christine borders on pathological, and his increasingly erratic behavior makes it hard to root for him even as he uncovers the truth.

The female performances are also notable, particularly Pamela Mason's portrayal of Christine, a femme fatale with a tragic past. Her character is complex, and it's not always clear what her motivations are, which keeps the audience guessing throughout. Rosamund John provides a strong counterpoint to Mason's allure as Joyce's supportive and loving wife Ann.

One standout scene in The Upturned Glass occurs when Joyce is performing brain surgery on a patient while he's consumed with thoughts of Christine. The surgery is depicted in a graphic and unsettling manner, with close-up shots of the surgical instruments and the patient's skull. The scene is a masterful example of how to create tension and drama within the constraints of a low-budget production.

In conclusion, The Upturned Glass is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that has stood the test of time. Its themes of obsession and desire remain relevant today, and the movie's performances and production values are a testament to the quality of British cinema in the 1940s. James Mason's magnetic performance as Dr. Joyce anchors the movie and is a must-see for fans of film noir and classic British cinema.

The Upturned Glass is a 1947 crime movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 22 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.9.