Temptation

The Victorian era. A woman whose past is talked about marries an archaeologist. The marriage does not bring her the settling down she expected. She realises she is not ready to live with one man. A relationship that begins with another man puts everything under strain. The film draws its tension not from a murder but from the woman’s own decisions. It is an instance of noir language carried into a period story. The account neither condemns the woman nor clears her. The ninety eight minutes are given to a single marriage. Merle Oberon and George Brent take the leads, with Charles Korvin also in the cast. Irving Pichel’s American film was completed in 1946.