Storyline

Barbara (Glynis Johns) is a teenager with a crush on her teacher, Stephen Barlow (Leo Genn), who tries to discourage Barbara's fantasy. After Stephen's wife, Kay (Gene Tierney), scolds Barbara for her feelings, Stephen goes after the girl to console her. When Barbara disappears, Stephen is suspected. As the town seethes with gossip and Barlow's reputation is forever damaged, Barbara's father, Henry (Walter Fitzgerald), tries to decipher whether Stephen is hiding the truth or not.

Plot Keywords

teacher, teen girl, wife, father, aunt, emotional, powerful, tense, gutsy, england, small town, family home, disappearance, adult-child romance, suspicion, small-town life, gossip, discovery, forbidden love, 1950s

Short Review

Taunt tight suspenseful drama, I don't want to to say to much about the plot. Gene Tierney is very good in this very talkie film. Tierney is expressive and restrained and gives a great performance. Despite a few flaws in the script the film held my attention. Leo Genn was also very good as the besieged teacher, nice to see him in as a leading man. Glynis Johns seems a little too mature for the part of a teenage girl, overlooking that a nice performance. Pamela Brown is wonderful as the bitter Aunt. The direction seemed very controlled. Overall an interesting film about gossip and the damage it can do to peoples lives. The performances from the two stars to supporting cast make this Film, Tierney and Genn stands out. The strong production value of the film is grade A. Beautifully filmed in England.

Trailer

Streaming Service

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