The Seventh Veil

Infobox Film
name = The Seventh Veil


caption = "The Seventh Veil" film poster
director = Compton Bennett
producer = Sydney Box
writer = Sydney Box, Muriel Box
starring = James Mason
music = Benjamin Frankel
cinematography = Reginald Wyer
editing = George Hales
distributor = Universal Pictures
released = flagicon|UK 1945
runtime = 94 minutes
country = UK
awards =
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0038924

"The Seventh Veil" is a 1945 British melodramatic film made by Sydney Box Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures.

Plot

Francesca Cunningham (played by Ann Todd) is a suicidal, amnaesiac, mental patient being treated by Dr. Larsen (Herbert Lom). Larsen leads her to describe her life so he can investigate the events that brought her to attempt suicide. The film largely consists of a series of flash-backs in which Francesca talks about her life, removing successive “veils” to recover memories.

Francesca discovers she has had a difficult life and been abused by many. Only her second cousin and guardian Nicholas, a crippled musician (played by James Mason), has ever shown her compassion, though he is jealous, faintly sadistic and has relentlessly driven her on to practice the piano and avoid romantic entanglements. When she does become interested in another man, she becomes involved in a car crash with him and severely burns her hands.

During the therapy, Francisca discovers who her real love is.

Production

The film score was written by Benjamin Frankel (credited as Ben Frankel). In addition, original piano works by Chopin, Mozart, and Beethoven are heard, and Francesca plays parts of the Grieg and Rachmaninoff 2nd piano concertos. Eileen Joyce doubled the concert scenes, without credit.

Reception

Filmed for less than £100,000, the film was the biggest British box-office success of 1946. It won an Academy Award for Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay (for Sydney and Muriel Box).

Cast

*James Mason
*Ann Todd
*Herbert Lom
*Hugh McDermott
*Albert Lieven

Stage adaptation

In 1951 Ann Todd, Herbert Lom and Leo Genn appeared in a stage adaptation in London.

References

Notes

Bibliography

*The Great British Films, pp 88-90, Jerry Vermilye, 1978, Citadel Press, ISBN 080650661X

External links

*imdb title|id=0038924|title=The Seventh Veil