I Watch Films: Corridor Of Mirrors

Corridor Of Mirrors

A 1948 gothic drama, which was the film debut of Christopher Lee in a very minor role. Mifanwy Conway has been getting threatening letters, so goes to London to sort it out, leaving her husband and three children in Wales. In London she goes to Madame Tussauds and sees the murderers’ gallery and has a flashback.

Back when she was single she met Paul Mangin, a rich eccentric who dresses and lives as though he is in the renaissance. Behind the doors of the corridor of mirrors are all kinds of costumes from the period, which Mifanwy enjoys dressing up in. Eventually Paul reveals he believes them to be reincarnations of people from Italy in the 15th century, showing a painting that looks just like her that he became obsessed with when wounded during the war.

She flees him, but goes back for his grand Venetian Carnival. But of course the renaissance wasn’t just about dressing up and festivals, but about jealousy and murder.

Watch This: Even in black and white it looks good and has cool ideas
Don’t Watch This: It sort of loses steam at the end, the final resolution is a bit weird rather than rooted in renaissance tragedy