The legendary Sir Ralph Richardson gives a delightful performance as a crippled multi millionaire who marries nurse Gina Lollobrigida as part of nephew Sean Connery's revenge plot against him. Having been mistreated by him for years, Connery claims that all he wants is a million pounds of the estate but the reluctant Lollobrigida becomes wary of the scheme, having seen various bits of vulnerability in the outrageously cruel Richardson. A bizarre twist of fate leads Lollobrigida to go on trial for murder but there's hidden truth inside the Downton Abbey like mansion that Richardson owned and the lavishly yacht he sailed on.
For the hour and fifteen minutes that Richardson is on screen, this is his film completely. He's malicious beyond words, making his black servants act like circus dogs and jump over each other (strictly for amusement) and delays the rescue of one of them when they fall off his yacht during a huge storm at sea. There's the most vile of insults towards everybody who works for him, is related to him, or does business with him. Then how does he get the sympathy? The character Richardson plays is unrelentingly demanding, but the performance is absolutely commanding.
Coming off of several Bond films, Connery is elegant, romantic, but brutal towards Lollobrigida, striking her viciously when he thinks she's not going through their plans. Part of the plot line is oh so predictable, but there are moments when you are not sure that the script is going to go there. It reminds me of a modern set version of a 1955 Gothic thriller, "Footsteps in the Fog", where Stewart Granger found himself blackmailed by servant girl Jean Simmons. Lollobrigida seems too good to be true, but it's nice to see a female character in a scheme like this not being a deadly femme fatale. Beautiful art direction and location photography add to the film's strengths. Alexander Knox adds a brief commanding presence as the detective who uncovers everything.
For the hour and fifteen minutes that Richardson is on screen, this is his film completely. He's malicious beyond words, making his black servants act like circus dogs and jump over each other (strictly for amusement) and delays the rescue of one of them when they fall off his yacht during a huge storm at sea. There's the most vile of insults towards everybody who works for him, is related to him, or does business with him. Then how does he get the sympathy? The character Richardson plays is unrelentingly demanding, but the performance is absolutely commanding.
Coming off of several Bond films, Connery is elegant, romantic, but brutal towards Lollobrigida, striking her viciously when he thinks she's not going through their plans. Part of the plot line is oh so predictable, but there are moments when you are not sure that the script is going to go there. It reminds me of a modern set version of a 1955 Gothic thriller, "Footsteps in the Fog", where Stewart Granger found himself blackmailed by servant girl Jean Simmons. Lollobrigida seems too good to be true, but it's nice to see a female character in a scheme like this not being a deadly femme fatale. Beautiful art direction and location photography add to the film's strengths. Alexander Knox adds a brief commanding presence as the detective who uncovers everything.