Seance On A Wet Afternoon (1964)

A medium (Kim Stanley in an Oscar nominated performance) convinces her weak willed husband (Richard Attenborough) to kidnap the child (Judith Donner) of a wealthy young couple (Nanette Newman, Mark Eden). The idea being that her psychic powers would help "find" the missing child and she would become a well known medium for helping the police crack the case. Based on the novel by Mark McShane and directed by Bryan Forbes (THE WHISPERERS). A low key thriller more dependent on psychology and atmosphere rather than excitement and shock, the film is notable for one of the rare film roles of the great stage actress Kim Stanley. Unlike most actresses more comfortable in the theater rather than film (and a far cry from her actressy performance in THE GODDESS), Stanley delivers a subtle and affecting portrait of a woman slowly, almost imperceptibly falling apart. Her performance alone would be reason enough to see the film but director Bryan Forbes has given us an astute and fascinating thinking man's thriller. There's a nice muted score by John Barry. With Patrick Magee and Gerald Sim.