Corridor of Mirrors

A FilmStruck find, Corridor of Mirrors is a deliciously creepy 1948 British film directed by Terence Young (who would go on to direct three James Bond films). It stars Eric Portman as a sophisticated man who has been searching for a woman who looks just like the woman in a 400-year-old painting. He finds her in Edana Romney, which is not real good news for her.

Corridor of Mirrors has a common film subject--obsessive love--but it's handled in such a fashion as to make it endlessly fascinating. Told in flashback, it begins with Romney, now a happily married woman, getting letters from Portman, threatening blackmail. He asks her to meet him at Madame Tussaud's Chamber of Horrors. The film then recounts how she met Portman at a club, and finds him intriguing.

Once she sees his elaborate house, she's even more intrigued. Portman is surrounded by beautiful things, but also has a thing for mannequins. Romney finds herself in a corridor full of closets with mirrors on the doors, and in each one is a costumed dummy. Like a peeling onion, we learn more about the depth of Portman's insanity.

Corridor of Mirrors was based on a novel by Christopher Massie, and while it may remind one of other films and books (such as Laura or Jane Eyre) it has a distinct originality. It's unpredictable and intelligent, though highly twisted.

Of note: it was Christopher Lee's first film, though I didn't recognize him. It also featuredm in a small role, Lois Maxwell, who would go on to play Miss Moneypenny in Bond films. Perhaps this film with Young is what got her the gig.