"The Lady Forgets" was a frustrating thriller in that the sultry ambience often overwhelmed the film. With the interesting central character, there could have been a greater focus on how Mrs. Rebecca Simms discovers the identity of Miss Julie Black.
All too often, Rebecca seems to be running away from someone. There were too many characters, and the plot about an art forgery was overly complicated. Rebecca happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, which becomes a familiar trope in the film.
There were two men in the protagonist's life. One was Andrew Simms, a good father, who was reluctant to take Rebecca back after her two-year absence. The other was the dashing Tony Clay, an art enthusiast and playboy. But it never seemed credible that Rebecca/Julie genuinely loved either of those men.
There was a nice touch in the relationship of Rebecca and her young daughter Priscilla. The search to reconnect with the daughter would have sustained the film better than Rebecca's travails with Andrew and Tony. The selective amnesia of Rebecca seemed more like a plot device that a genuine blockage of memory.
In the end, "The Lady Forgets" was a slow burner mitigated only by the strong performance by Donna Mills and the evocative jazz score. Those production values were not enough to salvage the film.
All too often, Rebecca seems to be running away from someone. There were too many characters, and the plot about an art forgery was overly complicated. Rebecca happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, which becomes a familiar trope in the film.
There were two men in the protagonist's life. One was Andrew Simms, a good father, who was reluctant to take Rebecca back after her two-year absence. The other was the dashing Tony Clay, an art enthusiast and playboy. But it never seemed credible that Rebecca/Julie genuinely loved either of those men.
There was a nice touch in the relationship of Rebecca and her young daughter Priscilla. The search to reconnect with the daughter would have sustained the film better than Rebecca's travails with Andrew and Tony. The selective amnesia of Rebecca seemed more like a plot device that a genuine blockage of memory.
In the end, "The Lady Forgets" was a slow burner mitigated only by the strong performance by Donna Mills and the evocative jazz score. Those production values were not enough to salvage the film.