for the fans of noir movies, it is a really interesting. for each viewer, it can be a sort of gem. precise, dramatic, seductive, slice from golden age, Experiment Perilous has entire air of Hitchcock masterpieces. sure, it is not unique but it remains seed for a form of art who gives to thriller not only fear lines, tension or atmosphere but a special charm. it is a drawing. correct, interesting, beautiful. the virtues of 1944 cinema is basic note but , like important films of period, it represents a little more than part of chain. secret - the wise director who gives perfect nuances to each detail. dialogs. and the science to make ideal tension like a medicine.

A doctor has suspicions about a curious married couple in the early 20th century. There's more than a passing similarity to GASLIGHT here, which may be mere coincidence, although it did come after the 1940 version and several months after the remake. Whereas Cukor focuses on the wife, however, Tourneur sticks with the outsider character, revealing information through investigation and flashback. As a result, this tale feels far less immediate and tense and takes on more of an air of mystery. But the film is crippled by dull characterizations. George Brent is absolute zero and Paul Lukas is only slightly more interesting. Hedy Lamarr is lovely (as we're told MANY times before she appears... few entrances have such a buildup) but quite wooden. I've only seen her in a couple of other movies, but beyond her looks she hasn't impressed me at all. There's also a rather overbearing score, although it is nice at times. I dunno, I feel like I should have liked this movie more. It does have that kind of dreamlike Tourneur vibe to it, I just couldn't engage with the characters and the plot doesn't have a very satisfying payoff.

That HEDY LAMARR was one of the great beauties of the screen goes without saying. But whether she had the acting abilities to play a woman being driven slowly out of her mind by a calculating doctor husband (PAUL LUKAS) still remains questionable. There is no evidence in EXPERIMENT PERILOUS to suggest that she would have been up to the demands of the Ingrid Bergman role in GASLIGHT, which she turned down.Instead, she chose to star in this murky melodrama full of flashbacks and with an obscurely motivated script by Warren Duff. While it's by no means a complete failure, neither is it a resounding success.GEORGE BRENT as the friend who comes to Lamarr's aid is as stiff and wooden as ever, using just one expression throughout and obviously not too well connected to his role. Whether this was the director's fault or not, I can't say, but a more persuasive performance on his part would have made the whole thing more effective. PAUL LUKAS gives his usual professional performance as the doctor with an unhealthy perspective on how to deal with his wife and child.Jacques Tourner's direction leaves a lot to be desired. This is a story in the same mold as GASLIGHT, but nowhere as effective with a murky script and a dull payoff for the climax. As for Hedy Lamarr, she was much more at ease in other films, even though this is said to be one of her own favorite films.

If you are a fan of Jacques Tourneur, "Experiment Perilous" is a must-see. This sinister and beautifully photographed period thriller ranks with Tourneur's supreme masterpieces, "Out of the Past", "Stars in My Crown", "Canyon Passage", "Curse of the Demon", "I Walked with a Zombie", and "Cat People". It is imbued with Tourneur's trademark touch of ambiguity and mystery. One of the reasons "Experiment Perilous" is so underrated is that the story does not flow logically. You have to do a bit of brain work to understand it, but if you are already familiar with Tourneur's cinema, this may come as a revelation. The film has often been compared to Cukor's similar costume thriller "Gaslight" which was also released in 1944 but "Experiment Perilous" is a better and more personal work. The opening chance encounter between Dr. Bailey (George Brent) and Cissie (Olive Blakeney) on the train resembles the mysterious chance meetings of "Cat People" and Tourneur's 1956 film noir "Nightfall". It has been said that the film was set in 1903 as opposed to 1944 because Heddy Lamarr wanted to wear period costumes. Lamarr is undoubtedly beautiful and her scenes with Brent and Lukas are exquisite and sensual.There is an excellent analysis on the film in Chris Fujiwara's book, JACQUES TOURNEUR: THE CINEMA OF NIGHTFALL (1998).