Noir with many melodramatic overtones directed impeccably by Lewis Allen with a grandiose use of black and white seasoned with excellent shadow play.
Olivia's character is immediately interesting, she is immediately positioned as a woman who he thinks and helps others, on the boat he goes to visit the sick Mark, in the continuation of the film the meeting with Mark will bring to light various aspects of his personality; a life lived "at the service" of her husband (now dead) without ever having truly realized her dreams.
Furthermore, Mark's character, through their love story, does not "give birth" to a "dark" side of hers " but if anything it makes it emerge and nourish it given that Olivia herself tells how as a girl she was a "leader" at school and Allen manages to fully show us the feeling of "enjoyment" that Olivia tries to "command" certain situations but always with previous drama; therefore a duplicity of the character's characters.
So it is really interesting to see the whole arc and parable of Olivia's character from a super altruistic woman, even in a forced way, to a devious and ruthless woman for various actions where the Allen's direction always manages to capture her internal drama.
Consequently, her friend Susan is also well described, of whom the film almost plays with their (presumed) love relationship but without ever showing or delving too much into the topic, also given the times in which the film was shot.
Susan is also living a life "at the service" of her husband, she is totally overwhelmed by him so much so that he controls all her financial securities and the house.
The film will focus on Mark and Olivia's plan to take possession of this wealth.
Therefore the film also talks about a certain repression that women suffer in married life and how they seek their "freedom".
Mark, immediately seen as selfish and a swindler, is a character who takes advantage of all situations but, unlike the other women he has seen, he seems to really fall in love with Olivia which will also lead him, perhaps for the first time, to have a "weakness" to the detriment of his nature.
A certain "metacinematographic" discussion about Mark is also interesting which comes out given that he is (would like) to be a painter and also explains that painting is not photography, and done even if cinema is made up of paintings it is art in movement and above all through the cutting of the shot, the light, the position of the camera you choose what to bring out from the scene and its subjects, just like Mark does when portraying Olivia.
The sequences where the shadows are walking are emblematic, as if to show the dark personality of the character who is carrying out the action.
The scenes of Olivia at the window, imprisoned by his actions carried out with the direction that perfectly captures his state of mind and when the light turns on as if to indicate a change of heart and a turn towards more "healthy" feelings.
So an excellent film both in direction and staging but also in how it deals with the situations posed and narrated during its development.