The Upturned Glass (1947)

The Upturned Glass is a 1947 British film noir psychological thriller directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring James Mason, Rosamund John and Pamela Kellino. The screenplay concerns a leading brain surgeon who murders a woman he believes to be responsible for the death of the woman he loved.

It was made at Gainsborough Pictures’ Islington Studios, with sets designed by the art director Andrew Mazzei. It was made as an independent production overseen by Sydney Box, then head of Gainsborough.

Director – Lawrence Huntington

Writers – John Monaghan (from the original story by), Pamela Mason (screenplay)

Cast –
James Mason as Michael Joyce
Rosamund John as Emma Wright
Pamela Kellino as Kate Howard
Ann Stephens as Ann Wright
Morland Graham as Clay
Brefni O’Rorke as Dr. Farrell
Henry Oscar as Coroner
Jane Hylton as Miss Marsh
Sheila Huntington as 1st Girl Student
Susan Shaw as 2nd Girl Student
Peter Cotes as Male Student
Nuna Davey as Mrs. Deva
Judith Carol as Joan Scott-Trotter
Jno. P. Monaghan as U.S. Driver
Maurice Denham as Mobile Policeman
Janet Burnell as Sylvia
Margaret Withers as Party Guest
Beatrice Varley as Injured Girl’s Mother
Hélène Burls as Farm Laborer’s Wife
Howard Douglas as Lorry Driver
Richard Afton as Lorry Driver’s Mate
Lyn Evans as County Policeman

Watch “The Upturned Glass” (1947)

Plot

Michael Joyce, a Harley Street brain specialist, unhappily married and separated from his wife, falls in love with Emma Wright when she brings her young daughter Ann for consultation. Unfortunately, neither is free to marry, so the affair ends almost as soon as it begins. Later, however, Emma dies after a fall from her country manor’s second-story bedroom window. Upon hearing of the tragedy, Michael attends the coroner’s inquest, where Ann and Emma’s sister-in-law, Kate Howard, both testify. Emma’s death is ruled accidental, but Michael suspects foul play. To gain information, he romances Kate, who is unaware that Michael was Emma’s lover though she knew Emma was seeing someone. Eventually, Michael learns that Kate intended to blackmail Emma for financial gain. He considers the situation a misjustice and resolves to take matters into his own hands.

One afternoon, Michael drives Kate to Emma’s country house, where Michael maneuvers her into the same upper-story bedroom from which Emma fell. He then carries out his revenge, pushing Kate out the same window. Retrieving her corpse from the courtyard below and placing it in the car’s back, he drives toward the cliffs just over the sea, where he intends to dispose of Kate’s body. On the way, however, he encounters a stranded doctor, a general practitioner, who begs a ride to the home of a patient, a young woman whose survival of a head injury is doubtful. But when the doctor asks Michael for a second opinion, the latter examines the woman and decides she might have a chance. And to the immense relief of the patient’s family, Michael succeeds in saving her life.

Resuming his trek toward the sea with Kate’s body, Michael undergoes the realization that he is not “perfectly sane” and that perhaps his status as a “valuable member of society” is indeed questionable. He stands at the edge of the cliff and looks down toward the sea—and then, just as in the case of both Emma and Kate, he falls downward to his own death.