Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (January 5, 2025)
When I last experienced the work of director Vincent Sherman, it came via a screening of 1939’s mediocre horror tale The Return of Doctor X. I hoped to find something more interesting via 1947’s noir thriller Nora Prentiss.
When an auto accident causes minor injury to Nora Prentiss (Ann Sheridan), Dr. Richard Talbot (Kent Smith) treats her. Richard soon becomes smitten by the charming nightclub singer and he attempts to woo her.
The problem stems from the fact Richard remains married to staid and conservative wife Lucy (Rosemary DeCamp) and acts as father to teens Bunny (Wanda Hendrix) and Gregory (Robert Arthur). This sets off a romance with dire consequences down the road.
Which the movie’s opening tells us, as the very first scene indicates that a mysterious figure murdered Richard. The film traces the path to show us what brought this unknown man to this point as well as his identity.
In a way, this follows the Hitchcock concept that thrillers work best when the audience knows information the characters lack. Since we know the situation won’t end well for Richard, we find ourselves on edge from the start.
That said, I will admit that the reveal at the end doesn’t come as an actual surprise. No spoilers here, of course, but I suspect many viewers will figure out the identity of the shadowy figure we meet at the start pretty quickly.
Despite that potential drawback, Prentiss provides a pretty good take on the noir genre. It does so largely because it avoids some of the standard simple genre tropes.
Normally flicks like this set up the characters and situations in a largely black and white manner. That doesn’t occur here, as matters evolve gradually and with surprising nuance.
Richard seems more innocent than usual, and Nora comes across as too level-headed and nice to resemble the noir femme fatale we expect. She comes with no obvious ulterior motive and seems to regret her impact on Richard’s family life.
Prentiss focuses on Richard’s wife and kids more than anticipated, and it depicts them in a similarly three-dimensional manner. While we initially view Lucy as an overly-regimented stick in the mud, the movie allows us to see her perspective as well and doesn’t turn her into an unlikable shrew.
The movie’s lack of cheap melodrama and simplistic characters becomes its biggest strength. All involved seem much more relateable than the usual potboiler participants.
This allows Richard’s psychological descent to play better, and Smith’s performance helps. He takes Richard from sweet family man to psychological mess smooth and plausible.
Sheridan also resists the urge to overplay The Other Woman. She gives Nora the right flair but she never camps it up or turns Nora into a standard temptress.
Pair this with gorgeous photography that helps paint the movie’s gradually darkening mood and Prentiss becomes a winner. Even without a lot of surprises, it develops into a rich character drama.
