The Strange Woman (1946)

In 1834 Maine, a cruel young girl (Hedy Lamarr) with ambitious dreams of wealth marries a rich older man (Gene Lockhart) she doesn't love. She does love his son (Louis Hayward) however. But her lies and manipulations to get what she wants destroys everything around her. Based on the novel by Ben Ames Williams (LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN) and directed by Edgar G. Ulmer (DETOUR). Normally thought of as a beauty rather than an actress, this vehicle provides Lamarr's with one of her best roles and best performances.  The similarities between the amoral (or evil depending on your point of view) Lamarr here and Gene Tierney in LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN are obvious. It's not as polished as HEAVEN but Ulmer gives the film a feverish ferocity. The elegant George Sanders is miscast as a lumberjack who falls under Lamarr's spell. Sanders is usually the one who sees through everybody else but here, he's a dupe and it doesn't play. They would be better paired three years in SAMSON AND DELILAH.  With Hillary Brooke, Rhys Williams, Alan Napier, Ray Teal and Edith Evanson.