THE HOUSE OF THE ARROW (1953)

In Dijon, France, the rich widow Madame Harlowe has died, and Boris, her brother-in-law, is expecting a nice settlement from her will. However, it turns out that she has left most of her estate to her adopted daughter Betty (Yvonne Furneaux). Boris goes to the police and claims that Mme. Harlowe was poisoned, naming Betty as the prime suspect—though a butler, a maid and a nurse also live in the house, as does Betty's mild-mannered English friend Ann (Josephine Griffin). Boris theorizes that Betty put poison in the old lady’s orange juice, based on the fact that he saw her make a suspicious visit to a shady neighborhood herbalist. The renowned inspector Hanaud (Oscar Homolka) works the case and, though he's not sure that Boris' theory is right, he does believe that Harlowe's death may have been the result of foul play. Ann, frightened for the vulnerable Betty, brings in Jim (Robert Urquhart), a lawyer from England, to be present during the investigation. Hanaud finds a book on African poison-laced arrows at the herbalist's shop, and the hunt for an arrow in the house is on. Ann suddenly remembers hearing strange whispering and seeing figures in the dark the night of the old lady's death. Betty seems sure that the killer is Boris, but what about the nurse, the person who would have had best access to Mme. Harlowe?

Based on a novel by A.E.W. Mason, a well-known British author of the early 20th century (The Four Feathers), this has the look of a film noir (inky black shadows) but the feel of an almost whimsical cozy mystery, largely due to the playful performance of Homolka as Hanaud. Apparently Hanaud, who appeared in a handful of Mason's novels, was an inspiration for Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, and Homolka at times comes off a bit like Peter Ustinov did in his Poirot films—in my mind, that's a plus. There is a lack of tension for much of the running time, but the final confrontation scene plays out nicely. The rest of the actors are fine, if not particularly memorable; Urquhart has one of those supporting-actor faces that made him look familiar to me, though the only other movies of his I've seen is THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. There is an irritating accordion score but that's the only real negative I can come up with. Pictured are Furneaux, Urquhart and Griffin. [Amazon streaming]