Rule 5 Goes International!

Today's episode of Rule 5 goes overseas.

Shirley Ann Richards (born in Sydney, Australia, mates!) never made it big in Hollywood, but was outstanding in several important supporting roles. In one of those ironies that characterize the movie industry, she was bumped from the lead in the 1945 film, Love Letters, in favor of Jennifer Jones, but nonetheless gave a great performance in an important secondary part. I was hard-pressed to find any decent photos of her, but finally settled on this one, which really doesn’t do her justice. I don’t know anything about her private life, but her screen persona was unmatched in conveying innocence and devotion, and her eyes were not only among the loveliest I have seen, but certainly the kindest.


A famous actress in France before coming to the U.S., Simone Simone’s career in Hollywood never took off, and she eventually returned to her home country. Nonetheless, she appeared in three American movies that I think are of genuine merit - The Cat People, The Return of the Cat People, and The Devil and Daniel Webster. The first two are modestly-budgeted, but well-made, horror films that have become classics of the genre. The Devil and Daniel Webster is among my favorite movies, and Simone truly shone as the lovely, devious minion of the Devil (the scene in which she makes her first appearance – stoking the fire and glancing around with a big grin at her startled employer and soon-to-be lover) is a simple, but striking, bit of cinematography.


Véra Clouzot, the Brazilian-born French actress, only made three films, but one of them was Les diaboliques (released in the U.S. as Diabolique), a first-rate thriller with (deceptive)supernatural overtones. She is the much-abused wife of the headmaster at a private school (played by the sinister Paul Meurisse), and she plots with his ex-lover (portrayed by Simone Signoret) to kill him. The film has one of the most interesting plot twists you will ever see, and Clouzot is wonderful as the increasingly terrified wife (and she sure looks fine in that semi-translucent nightgown toward the end; don’t get your hopes up too much, boys – emphasis is on “semi”).


Update: Donald Douglas has a terrific roundup of Rule 5 links!