Oscar Anniversaries: The Spiral Staircase (1946)

Gorgeously shot thriller, set in 1916, about Helen (Dorothy McGuire), a mute woman who works as a maid for elderly bed-ridden Mrs. Warren (Ethel Barrymore) and her family in their sprawling mansion. A mysterious figure in black has recently been killing women with disabilities and "afflictions," and due to her muteness, Helen begins to suspect she may be next.

Once a murder takes place in the mansion, it's speculated that the killer is one of the parties involved, and over the course of the evening, it's up to Helen to not only stay alive but also try to uncover the murderer, which proves exceedingly difficult because she cannot speak (due to a childhood trauma).

Dorothy McGuire is wonderful as Helen and can express so much without saying a single word, which is so incredibly difficult. Ethel Barrymore was Oscar-nominated, which I specilate was a veteran nomination because she is quite good, especially with her memorably creepy ocular expressions during her lines, but I don't think it warranted a nomination. If anyone else besides Maguire deserved a nomination, it would be Elsa Lancaster as the sassy maid with a soft spot for alcohol and perfectly (and often-times hilarious) witty line-deliveries!

The rest of the cast was fine, as was the story (a thriller leading into a whodunnit of sorts), but the cinematography and lighting were truly masterful in every aspect. An old mansion during a thunderstorm should warrant several images of cinematic beauty created by ominous shadows, and here it does so incredibly well.

****/*****

Oscar Nominations:

Best Supporting Actress (Ethel Barrymore)

Nominations Deserved

Best Picture

Best Actress (Maguire)

Best Supporting Actress (Lancaster)

Best Cinematography

Best Art-Direction

Best Editing