Dragonwyck

 I guess I've been in a Gothic mood lately, with the 1949 version of The Secret Garden and then Frankenstein because I just finished watching Dragonwyck (1946), starring Gene Tierney and the inimitable Vincent Price. It's based on a novel by Anya Seton which I have not read, but I'm interested in reading it now.

The story centers on a  young woman named Miranda, who lives on a simple farm in Connecticut with her God-fearing parents and sister. One day the family receives a letter from a distant cousin-by-marriage, inviting the family to send one of the daughters to New York, to be a governess and companion to their child (reminiscent of Jane Eyre). Miranda convinces her parents to let her go, and she meets her distant relative Nicholas Van Ryn, who is descended from the original Dutch settlers of the Hudson Valley. He brings her to his huge, castle-like estate named Dragonwyck, where she is enamored by the luxurious appointments, many servants and high-society parties.

But of course, there is mystery and deception lurking beneath the stylish ballgowns and antique tapestries. When she arrives, the housekeeper observes to her "You like being waited on.  . .you like peaches out of season.  .  .you like the feel of silk sheets against your young body.  .  .but one day you will wish with all your heart you'd never come to Dragonwyck."

She comes to realize that the Van Ryn family is loveless and focused on their outward appearance to society, and Nicholas has other intentions towards her.

He resents his wife because she was unable to bear him a son, and he resents his daughter Catrine simply because she is not a son. Catrine is agreeable with Miranda, but admits there is no love between her and her parents.

Of course, no Gothic romance/drama would be complete without a couple deaths, an ill-timed mariage proposal and arguments about God versus the arrogance of man.

Overall, I enjoyed the film, and you really can't go wrong when it comes to Vincent Price.