The File on Thelma Jordon

"...SHE'LL LIE...KILL OR KISS HER WAY OUT OF ANYTHING!"

1949 1h 40m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 68

ThrillerDramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Cleve Marshall, an assistant district attorney, falls for Thelma Jordon, a mysterious woman with a troubled past. When Thelma becomes a suspect in her aunt's murder, Cleve tries to clear her name.

“...SHE'LL LIE...KILL OR KISS HER WAY OUT OF ANYTHING!”

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Cast

Barbara Stanwyck
Thelma Jordon
Wendell Corey
Cleve Marshall
Paul Kelly
Miles Scott
Joan Tetzel
Pamela Blackwell Marshall
Stanley Ridges
Kingsley Willis
Richard Rober
Tony Laredo
Minor Watson
Judge Calvin H. Blackwell
Barry Kelley
District Attorney William Pierce

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Siodmak
Writers: Marty Holland, Ketti Frings
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

77 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Siodmak, shot by George Barnes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Victor Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey and Paul Kelly carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "...SHE'LL LIE...KILL OR KISS HER WAY OUT OF ANYTHING!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0041368 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 68 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Siodmak directs. George Barnes behind the camera. Victor Young scores. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

177 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Robert Siodmak, shot by George Barnes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Victor Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey and Paul Kelly carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "...SHE'LL LIE...KILL OR KISS HER WAY OUT OF ANYTHING!".
6IMDB entry: tt0041368 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 68 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: George Barnes
Original score: Victor Young
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The File on Thelma Jordon (1949)

Also by

Robert Siodmak

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2018-07-15
★ 7/10
I'm no good for any man for any longer than a kiss! The File on Thelma Jordon is directed by Robert Siodmak and written by Ketti Frings and Marty Holland. It stars Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, Paul Kelly, Joan Tetzel, Stanley Ridges and Richard Rober. Music is by Victor Young and cinematography by George Barnes. Assistant district attorney Cleve Marshall (Corey) falls for Thelma Jordon (Stanwyck) after she seeks help solving a problem with prowlers and burglars. But is there more to Thelma than meets the eye? Probably due to availability issues in home viewing formats, this appears to be one of film noir legends Siodmak and Stanwyck's under seen pictures. Which is a shame, for although it is often tagged as something of a lesser value Double Indemnity, it's a noir that noir lovers can get great rewards from. As we are in noirville the plot isn't at all surprising. Stanwyck fronts up for what we expect is femme fatale duty, Corey looks to be on course for being a hapless loser dude, Kelly is up for some tough copper portrayal, while Rober stalks the edges of the frame as bad news bloke. A despicable crime is at the core of the story, and characterisations are straight out of the dark alleyway (Thelma has murky secrets and ideals, Wendell is unhappily married with a drink problem). Running at 100 minutes in length, the pic does feel a touch too long, especially given that the first thirty minutes is focused on building the principal players, where they are at in their life and the build up of their relationship. This asks for faith in staying with the piece, in hope it rewards for the following hour plus. Thankfully it does. As the crime arrives, we are treated to noir nirvana as per style of film making. It's the middle of the night in a house menaced by shadows as the wind bashes an open window shutter. For a good twenty minutes, prior to - during - and post the crime, the house is a scary monstrous place, perfect for a dark deed to be enacted. The great Siodmak (The Killers, The Spiral Staircase, Criss Cross) is in his element on this, where aided by the superb photographic skills of Barnes (Rebecca, Force of Evil), the staging of scenes and the visuals enhance the moody machinations of the plot. As does Young's dramatic musical score. So with acting performances comfortably on par for the good the tech credits are high. Irks come with that drawn out first third of film, and the ending poses some question marks as well. Personally I would have liked it to have finished five minutes earlier, but as it stands there's a sort of double whammy with the finale. Some will find it contrived, others will applaud the ultimate outcome since it doesn't cop out. Either way, this is a noir film worthy of seeking out for the like minded purveyors of such things. 7/10

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