Thunder on the Hill
Thunder on the Hill is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Claudette Colbert and Ann Blyth with Robert Douglas, Gladys Cooper, Michael Pate, John Abbott and Norma Varden. The picture was made by Universal Pictures and produced by Michael Kraike from a screenplay by Oscar Saul and Andrew Solt, based on the play Bonaventure by Charlotte Hastings. The music score was by Hans J. Salter and the cinematography by William H. Daniels.
| Thunder on the Hill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Douglas Sirk |
| Produced by | Michael Kraike |
| Written by | Oscar Saul Andrew Solt Charlotte Hastings (play) |
| Starring | Claudette Colbert Ann Blyth |
| Music by | Hans J. Salter |
| Cinematography | William H. Daniels |
| Edited by | Ted J. Kent |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.5 million[1] |
Plot
Sister Mary Bonaventure is in charge of the hospital ward of a convent in the county of Norfolk, England. She is troubled by her own sister's suicide, which she confides to her Mother Superior.
A torrential rain closes nearby roads, causing Sergeant Melling of the police to bring condemned murderer Valerie Carns there. She is being taken to prison.
Valerie was convicted of poisoning her brother Jason, a pianist. Jason's physician, Dr. Jeffreys, is head of the hospital where Sister Mary now works. Valerie still proclaims her innocence, but Jeffreys insists that she gave Jason a fatal overdose of his medicine.
A photograph of Jason clearly disturbs Isabel Jeffreys, the doctor's wife. He gives her a sedative. Valerie appeals to Sister Mary to bring her fiancé, Sidney Kingham, to the convent to see her. A servant tells Sister Mary about the sadistic behavior of Jason Carns and produces a love letter to him, clearly written by Isabel.
Mother Superior is upset by Sister Mary's meddling. She burns the letter. The nun still intends to tell Melling the police sergeant what she knows.
Dr. Jeffreys is the one who gave Jason the fatal dose, and he might be slowly poisoning Isabel as well. He lures Sister Mary to a bell tower, where he attacks her. She rings the bell. Sidney hears it, rushes to her aid and overpowers Jeffreys, who is arrested by Melling.
Sister Mary's faith is restored, believing the rain that delivered Valerie to her to be divine intervention.
Cast
- Claudette Colbert as Sister Mary
- Ann Blyth as Valerie Carns
- Robert Douglas as Dr. Jeffreys
- Anne Crawford as Isabel Jeffreys
- Philip Friend as Sidney Kingham
- Gladys Cooper as Mother Superior
- Michael Pate as Willie
- John Abbott as Abel Harmer
- Connie Gilchrist as Sister Josephine
- Gavin Muir as Melling
- Phyllis Stanley as Nurse Phillips
- Norma Varden as Pierce
- Valerie Cardew as Nurse Colby
- Queenie Leonard as Mrs. Smithson
- Patrick O'Moore as Mr. Smithson
Home releases
The film was released on a Region A Blu-ray in North America by Kino Lorber as part of their Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema II box set.
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thunder on the Hill. |
- Thunder on the Hill on IMDb
- Thunder on the Hill at the TCM Movie Database
- Thunder on the Hill at AllMovie
- Thunder on the Hill at Rotten Tomatoes