Main Cast: Lana Turner, Anthony Quinn, Sandra Dee, John Saxon, Richard Basehart
Release Year: 1960
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
Plot
Wanting to be free of her crippled husband but not his enormous fortune, a glamorous wife talks her lover, who is also her spouse's personal physician, into injecting poison into the ailing industrialist. This crime melodrama chronicles the chain of events that leads to the murderous lovers' downfall. Though they successfully offed the husband, the two are not allowed to enjoy their new wealth and happiness for a letter sent to the wife reveals that someone knows about the crime. Believing that the anonymous author is her late-husbands investment advisor, the wife and her lover quickly dispatch him. When his body later turns up, another is blamed with the crime. Unfortunately, the villainous twosome, the accused is to marry the granddaughter of the deceased tycoon. Matters don't improve when the doctor/lover's conscience flares up and he decides to confess. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Review
Revelations concerning Lana Turner's sordid personal life propelled Portrait in Black to respectable box office returns. Seen decades later, without the immediacy of the Turner scandal, there's little to recommend this glossy murder/soap opera. Sure, the production has all the glitz and glamour that one expects of a Ross Hunter production of the period. Turner is outfitted in some stunning Jean Louis creations, and she drapes herself in jewels that take the breath away. The star is also looking smashing, perhaps thanks in part to some careful soft focus lensing from Russell Metty, but also due to the fact that Turner simply had one of the most camera-friendly faces in films. But take away these surface assets, and there's really nothing to recommend Portrait. Turner's acting is by the numbers; it gets the job done and pushes the right buttons, but it's all mechanical. Anthony Quinn seems ill at ease, unable to make sense of a character whose motivations are hard to justify and even harder to play. Sandra Dee does perhaps better than one might expect, but her performance is not good enough to elevate the rest of the film. And Michael Gordon directs in a play-down-to-the-audience manner that helps not one whit. Those in the mood for some decent trashy fun will enjoy #Portrait -- but truth to tell, even they will find it a bit boring after a while. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Lloyd Nolan - Matthew Cabot; Ray Walston - Cob O'Brien; Virginia Grey - Miss Lee; Paul Birch - Detective; John Wengraf - Dr. Kessler; James Nolan - 1st Detective; Robert Lieb - Detective; John McNamara - Minister; Charles P. Thompson - Sid; George Womack - Foreman; Harold Goodwin - 1st Patrolman; Henry S. Quan - Headwaiter; Anna May Wong - Tani; Richard Norris - Mr. Corbin
Based on a play, Sheila Cabot (Lana Turner) becomes increasingly disturbed as she cares for her ailing, disagreeable husband (Lloyd Nolan). Along the way, she falls in love with Dr. David Rivera (Anthony Quinn), who is tending her husband. This leads to a series of unfortunate events, resulting in the death of the husband and an ensuing murder investigation.
Cast and crew
The cast and crew for the Technicolor production included:[2]
