Woman of Straw

“It takes a very sane person to plan something perfect,” says handsome homme fatale Tony Richmond (Sean Connery) in Basil Dearden’s Woman of Straw, a British domestic noir whose slow, deliberate pacing effectively portrays the slow, emotional manipulation at work. Richmond is the stepson of the ailing, wheelchair-bound Charles Richmond (Ralph Richardson), an obnoxious, tactless, and exploitative tycoon who abuses his staff (“If the whole world hates you, that in itself is a kind of power”), including his new personal nurse, Maria Marcello (Gina Lollobrigida), whom Tony has hired as part of his scheme to clinch the old man’s enormous fortune: Maria will seduce and marry Charles so she and Tony can share the eventual inheritance. When Charles ends up murdered shortly after the wedding, however, accusations fly, suspects are interrogated, and the real object of the scheme is finally exposed. Right in the middle of his successful run as James Bond, Connery makes an unexpected and unpredictable villain, especially when compared to the crass, obvious awfulness of his stepfather, who at one point makes his two black servants get on all fours and jump over each other to inspire his dogs to play. Shot entirely at the opulent Richmond estate, the film may seem too long or plodding for some, but the excellent performances and Heller’s gorgeous color cinematography make it a must-watch.