This week on Screen It Now! has been declared Femme Fatale week, and in honor of that theme we'll be showcasing the very best, most deliciously evil femme fatales in all of film noir. For today we're jumping right in with one the nastiest villainesses in movie history, and that's socialite Ellen Berent, who drained the life out of everyone she knew, often in a fatal manner. Played by Gene Tierney in a performance that won her an Oscar nomination, Ellen is the bearer of "suffocating love" as she calls it, and it leads to the ruin of all those who surround her. We never quite know exactly what Ellen's motives are, which makes her even scarier- what's on her mind? What is she thinking? Is she possessively jealous or just mentally ill? This is a lesser known noir from the mid 1940's, but it holds up really well, and for Tierney's character and haunting performance alone, it's a can't miss.
Original 1945 Trailer:
