Director: Sam Wood
Screenplay by: Charles Bennett
Based on a Novel by Marie Belloc Lowndes
Starring: Joan Fontaine, Patric Knowles, Herbert Marshall, Richard Ney, Cedric Hardwicke, Lucile Watson, Sara Allgood
Country: USA
Running Time: 99 min
Year: 1947
Ivy (1947), which has been released on Blu-ray by Imprint Films, was directed by Sam Wood towards the end of his long career and only a couple of years before he died in 1949. Wood is perhaps not a household name, but he helmed several classic films, including two of the Marx Brothers’ most famous comedies (A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races) and several popular dramas from the 30s and 40s, including Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Kings Row and The Devil and Miss Jones.
Coming as it did after WWII, on top of being written by one of Hitchcock’s go-to writers, Charles Bennett, and based on a novel by The Lodger scribe Marie Belloc Lowndes, Ivy had a darker edge than most of Wood’s films prior. It’s set in Edwardian England and tells the story of the titular character, played by Joan Fontaine. She is a woman desperate to leave her poor husband, Jervis (Richard Ney), for a wealthy suitor. She meets just the man, Miles (Herbert Marshall), who is already infatuated with her but also currently with a partner.
This doesn’t deter the driven Ivy though. She devises a plan to poison her husband and have her lover, Roger (Patric Knowles), blamed for the crime. This plot seems to fall into place all too easily, until Police Inspector Orpington (Cedric Hardwicke) starts investigating, urged on by Roger’s doting mother (Lucile Watson).
Before watching Ivy, going by a short synopsis not dissimilar to the one above, I thought it would be a film noir. In a number of ways, I guess it could be classed as such. However, I thought it played out more like a sordid melodrama, which wasn’t entirely to my taste. It took a while for the poison plot to begin, instead spending the first half developing Ivy’s selfish romantic interests, which I didn’t find compelling.
Also, once the darker elements eventually did kick in, I found the ensuing murder plot to be rather generic. There aren’t enough twists and turns to keep you interested, and the Ivy and Roger characters are both villains in some ways, leading to little care for who is punished for the crime.
It’s not all bad though. The cast is decent. Ivy was originally supposed to be a vehicle for Olivia de Havilland, but she’d just come off The Dark Mirror and didn’t want to take another villainous role so soon after. Her agent still put her down for the film though, making her furious. She dropped out of the project when she found out about this, though it had already had the effect of leaving a six-month gap in her diary, as her agent had turned down other jobs meant to shoot at that same time.
The role eventually went to Joan Fontaine, a surprising casting choice at the time for audiences accustomed to her playing relatively innocent heroines. Despite the box office failure of Ivy, Fontaine reportedly believes it to be one of her best roles, and her performance is strong. Her charm, in particular, is undeniable, making it easy to understand why these men are drawn to her, even as she reveals herself to be a truly despicable character.
Ivy is visually appealing too. It was lensed by Russell Metty, the legendary DOP behind films such as Spartacus, Touch of Evil and several of Douglas Sirk’s most beautifully-shot titles. He makes great use of depth, light and shadows. There are some other nice visual touches in the costumes and production design too, such as having Ivy wear white most of the time, until she goes into ‘mourning’ in the latter portion of the film.
However, whilst Fontaine is magnetic and the visuals impressive, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Ivy feels a little too straightforward, with not enough surprises to engage or keep the pace up. This makes for a film that feels slower than it should and never rises above average.
Film: 
Ivy is out now on Blu-Ray, released by Via Vision as part of their Imprint Collection. It looks great. There are barely detectable traces of minor damage and dirt, but largely the picture is sharp and shadows are suitably deep, without losing too much detail in the overall image. I’ve used screengrabs throughout my review to give you an idea of how it looks. I had no issues with the audio either.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
– 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
– NEW A Classic Duplicity – interview with Jeremy Arnold, author of ‘Turner Classic Movies: The Essentials’ (2025)
– Suspense: The Story of ‘Ivy’ – 1945 radio adaptation of the original novel by Marie Belloc Lowndes starring Ann Richards, Raymond Lawrence & Wally Maher
– Theatrical Trailer
– Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono
– Aspect Ratio 1.37:1
– Optional English HOH Subtitles
– Limited Edition Slipcase
Jeremy Arnold talks about Fontaine and Ivy in a video essay. This is relatively short but informative.
The radio adaptation is well worth a listen. The story plays out rather differently here, and Ivy is more openly deceitful towards her husband and lovers. I can see why it was changed for the film but I think I preferred this truncated, gleefully nasty audio version.
Overall, whilst I wasn’t a massive fan of the film, those with a taste for scandalous, dark melodramas might get a kick out of it, and the extras are worth your time.
Disc/Package: