Themes: Blackmail, Servants and Employers, Witnessing a Crime
Main Cast: Stewart Granger, Jean Simmons, Bill Travers, Finlay Currie, Ronald Squire
Release Year: 1955
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 90 minutes
Plot
Footsteps in the Fog is a cat-and-mouse Victorian melodrama in the grand tradition. Jean Simmons plays scheming servant girl Lily Watkins, who was hired by sinister nobleman Stephen Lowry (Stewart Granger) and his ailing wife. The wife dies of "natural causes," but Lily knows better, and uses this knowledge to her advantage. In exchange for her silence, she forces Lowry to cater to her every whim. He is forced to go along lest he face the gallows, but in a switch reminiscent of the "lost" ending of 1987's Fatal Attraction, he sees to it that Lily herself is carted away by the constabulary. Filmed in appropriately dank Technicolor, Footsteps in the Fog is an unusual foray into Gaslight territory for director Arthur Lubin, normally a comedy specialist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Thrillers such as Footsteps in the Fog, which depend upon extremely intricate plotting, can be difficult to pull off: one misstep and the whole house of cards comes tumbling down. Fortunately, Footsteps has an expertly crafted screenplay that is as sure of foot as they come. The twists and turns follow naturally, avoiding falling into the trap of being merely mechanical and becoming a puzzle in which the pieces all fit together but don't create a picture with real impact. Of course, a film is more than simply a screenplay, and Footsteps is fortunate to have both a fine director and a sterling cast. Arthur Lubin does a marvelous job of creating and maintaining tension and of giving the film the appropriate Victorian feel. He's a bit too leisurely with his pacing in a few instances, but otherwise his direction is just what is called for. Footsteps also benefits from an ideally cast Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons. Granger, who sometimes suffered from roles that were simply outside his range, is excellent playing the sly and superficial cad, and Simmons is a scheming delight. Add in some solid support from Bill Travers, Finlay Currie, and Ronald Squire, and the result is a first-rate murder mystery. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
After poisoning his wife, the master of the house (Stewart Granger), is blackmailed by his Cockney maid (Jean Simmons) who demands promotion. As she steadily takes the place of his dead wife, he again attempts murder.
Notes
Granger and Simmons were a married couple at the time, "and their scenes together are perversely touching, even as they seek to outwit one another. Simmons delivers another superb performance as one of the most sweetly innocent femme fatales of the big screen, recalling her role in Angel Face. The scene where she switches from victim to ruthless avenger when she usurps the power of the loathed housekeeper is brilliantly played." (Alex Davidson B.F.I. British Film Institute). [1] It was the third and final time that Simmons and Granger starred together - after Adam and Evelyne and Young Bess.
