As hoary old Victorian melodramas go "Uncle Silas" is as ripe as they come which isn't to say that it's a stinker. It's based on a Sheridan Le Fanu novel so you should have some idea of what to expect and it's been adapted for the screen by Ben Travers. Am eighteen year old Jean Simmons is the heiress who comes to live with her murderous uncle after her father's sudden death. Derrick De Marney camps it up as Uncle Silas and a totally over-the-top Katina Paxinou is Simmons' hard-drinking and scheming governess and they are the most entertaining things in the picture which is actually very handsomely designed and beautifully shot by Robert Krasker. A decent supporting cast that includes John Laurie and Esmond Knight hams it up just as you would expect them to and while anything resembling suspense is conspicuously absent the film is still good daft fun nevertheless.
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