Reeling Backward: Corridor of Mirrors (1948)

This curious mix of twisted romance, film noir and Gothic horror featured stage star Edana Romney in her first -- and only -- major screen role.

Edana Romney just said no.

A rising young star of the British stage, Romney had two small film roles before coming across the novel “Corridor of Mirrors” by Chris Massey. Barely into her 20s, she formed a production partnership with Rudolph Cartier and wrote the screenplay with him, with the intention that she would star and he would direct.

Studios wanted to buy the script, but without Romney and Massey attached. She refused, and so the project languished all through the war until it finally got made after seven years of waiting. Terence Young, who would go on to be known for a slew of James Bond films, was tabbed as director, his first stint behind the camera.

It’s a lush, psychologically dense picture that combines elements of a dark romantic drama, film noir and even elements of horror. It’s got some amazing photography by André Thomas, full of reflections, refractions and warped viewpoints that is very reminiscent of Orson Welles’ “Lady from Shanghai,” which came out a year earlier.

“Corridor of Mirrors” is also notable for being the very first screen credit for Christopher Lee, who turns up for a brief glimpse and one line of dialogue as a night club patron.

Despite Romney’s earlier film roles, the credits for “Corridor” give her the “And Introducing” treatment. Alas, although I found her to be an arresting screen presence, her gamble did not launch her screen career. It would be her first, and last, major film role.

It’s now out in a terrific Blu-ray reissue from Kino Lorber.

She plays Mifanwy Conway, a smart and independent young woman enjoying the high life of London society, going out drinking and dancing every night. She boasts about having only short, casual flings with men. But then she is swept away by Paul Mangin (played by Eric Portman), a mysterious wealthy artist at least 20 years older.

We know from the start that things will not turn out well for their darkling romance. In the opening sequence, Mifanwy is happily married and living in the country with three small children. But she is receiving threatening telegrams about her affair with Paul seven years earlier.

She is beckoned to Madame Tussauds wax museum in London, where she speaks to a recreation of Paul, whose figure resides in a forbidding display of famous murderers. The next 90 minutes or so as she recalls their tortured relationship play out in flashback.

Paul is an intriguing figure to Mifanwy and her fellow young socialites. He is a famous painter who made a fortune for himself and lives in a sprawling mansion all alone — his few servants are barely seen, except for his coachman, Mortimer (Leslie Weston).

Yes, even though the story is set in modern(ish) times, Paul still gets about by horse and carriage. He also dresses in Renaissance-era capes and other finery — the sniggering youngsters dub him Hamlet. Certainly his perennial somber mood matches the insult.

Upon first glimpsing Mifanwy, Paul is immediately entranced, striding across the club as if no one else is present, and taking her in a twirling dance. Later that same night he takes her back to his house, showing off the titular corridor, each mirror hiding a mannequin with a unique custom dress from the era he favors.

For her part, she’s completely enraptured by this treatment, and begins spending more and more time at his place — even entering when he’s not home to explore its various far corners, the home using antiquated levers and devices instead of locks to open doors.

Eventually, Paul reveals the reason behind his obsession: he’s become convinced that Mifanwy is the reincarnation of a woman from 400 years ago, whom he loved and lost in a prior life. This delusion pushes her away briefly, fleeing to the country to canoodle with family friend Owen Rhys (Hugh Sinclair), a famed explorer.

But she returns for a massive party Paul stages in her honor. I can only guess at the production values involved in filming this, with tons of costumed guests, fireworks, dancing, bands, literal slabs of food and boat rides around the lake.

Interestingly, despite the torrid romance between Paul and Mifanwy, they barely touch beyond dancing and I don’t believe they even kiss once. Paul is essentially an asexual deviant, wanting to control her mind and body rather than possess them.

Later, we’ll meet Caroline (Joan Maude), a servant of sorts living “below stairs” in Paul’s house, who quietly creeps about the place, spying on Mifanwy from afar, harboring her own secrets.

Barbara Mullen plays Veronica, a singer and part of the crowd at the night club, who will turn up — and out — near the end.

The musical score by Georges Auric is a mix of syrupy strings that will take on a frantic tone and tempo as Mifanwy’s plight becomes more dire.

The mood of the movie is essentially Gothic horror, even if the story is more Byronesque and the look seems borrowed from American detective stories. It can be quite an intoxicating experience, even if the plot doesn’t exactly move along at a hurried pace.

Mifanwy is a distinct and engaging heroine, someone who isn’t afraid to confront her own foibles and weaknesses. She’s stalked spiritually by Paul, who bears the trappings of a gentleman but sees her as the object of his obsession rather than a thinking, feeling person to cherish.

“Corridor of Mirrors” is an eclectic film, and an interesting example of female-centered storytelling at a time when there wasn’t much of it. Edana Romney didn’t wind up becoming a movie star, but maybe she deserved to.