Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

jswfiddler Having been a professional violinist for several decades, and having played the orchestral scores of the piano concertos performed in The Seventh Veil, I have seen this film at least 25 times!!! There are some "glitches" as several persons have stated already, but a correction that I haven't seen yet is the comment about Herbert Lom and Albert Lieven not speaking German to each other, in the film. The fact is that Herbert Lom was Czech (not German!) and Albert Lieven, obviously was German.I agree that Ann Todd did a fantastic job of 'faking' the piano playing, especially with the likes of the Grieg and Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos--not an easy thing to fake! I am, and forever will be, a devout fan of the great James Mason. He went through such a metamorphosis of character performances in his life and the mellifluous voice was ever present, ever molded into the character's psyche. He has written that "The Seventh Veil" was his most successful film, (but that "Odd Man Out" was his favorite.) Suffice it to say, that "The Seventh Veil" is a classic masterpiece!

atlasmb "The Seventh Veil" is significant for its depiction of therapeutic hypnosis--one of the first ever in films.The story is told mostly in flashbacks--the memories of a suicidal, nearly catatonic, pianist (portrayed by Ann Todd from age fourteen upward) who has suffered horrible emotional traumas. A therapist (played by Herbert Lom) seeks to unlock her debility through regression, using music as a trigger to recall key emotional moments.The depiction of hypnosis, as might be expected, is rather simplistic and too easy. The acting is strong. And the music, which pervades the entire film, is enjoyable.The end of the film is reminiscent of the final scene of a whodunit, when the detective assembles the suspects for his final revelation, but the final scene holds an interesting surprise.

st-shot Concert pianist Francesca Cunningham (Ann Todd) flees from her hospital bed late one evening and attempts suicide by tossing herself off of a bridge. Accomplished and successful artist that she is Francesca is a car wreck in the relationship department and once rescued agrees to some intense therapy by Dr. Larson (Herbert Lom) employing the "Seven Veils Theory." After focusing on a school days setback she moves on to boyfriends and the overwhelming supervision of her distant cousin and patron Nicholas (James Mason). Some movie stars are known for dispatching heroes and villains with guns or some other form of weaponry, James Mason does it with words and in The Seventh Veil he lands some savage blows with magnificent condescension and curtness on his protégé. Cold, distant, he remains firmly on point at creating his own Trilby and dashing her "petty" desires. Ann Todd is fine as she moves well between vulnerability and an icy coolness, though her early teen look is a bit of a stretch. Lom as Larson is both assured and convincing showing controlled understanding where the equally sophisticated Nicholas has none. The film with nearly every scene an interior retains a crisp look throughout while editing and cinematography economically tell the story. Director Compton Bennett directs this psychological drama ably, weighting each character with enough interest to retain pertinence and intention nebulous. Well crafted as the picture is overall it is Mason's bravura Svengali that remains with you.

drednm Excellent psychological thriller about a repressed pianist (Ann Todd) and her equally repressed cousin (James Mason) who is also her guardian.Slow but compelling story about a young girl with musical talent who is sent to live with her odd cousin. They seem to despise one another and have only music in common. He tries to mold her into a concert pianist but she falls in love with an American band leader (Hugh McDermott). He whisks her off to Europe to continue her education. She becomes a famous pianist but is always under the Svengali-like spell of her lame cousin until she attempts suicide by jumping off a bride. Enter the doctor (Herbert Lom) who tries to unlock her secrets.The music is glorious but it's the stunning Ann Todd who is mesmerizing here. A cool icy blonde with a Garbo mouth, Miss Todd (once married to David Lean) is one of the greatly underrated English actresses of the 40s. She is just superb here as Francesca (not Francis and she's NOT Ann Harding as mentioned in other reviews here). Todd has an uncanny ability to play repressed yet volcanic women. She was equally excellent in films like SO EVIL MY LOVE, MADELEINE, TIME WITHOUT PITY, and THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS. She also got to work for Hitchcock in the US in THE PARADINE CASE.As Todd and Mason play cat and mouse, the viewer is left to guess what their secrets are and how the men in her life fit in. Todd's story is basically told in flashback while she;s under hypnosis. We never learn Mason's story.Handsome film and well worth sticking with. Also a word must be said for Todd's amazing piano-playing scenes. She displays about the best keyboard work in any film I can think of. Her scenes as the pianist as excellent; my guess is she could also play in real life.While Deborah Kerr, Greer Garson, and even Margaret Lockwood became major stars and well-known in the US, Ann Todd remains virtually unknown. What a pity. She's superb.