Footsteps in the Fog (3 stars)

Footsteps in the Fog, from 1955, is a Victorian England period drama starring Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons.  I have had little exposure to Mr. Granger; with the exception of Green Fire, which I watched solely because I want to see all of Grace Kelly's films, I haven't seen any other of his works.  And I haven't seen a whole lot of Jean Simmons' work either, perhaps four or five films.  Even so, though, I enjoyed this film, and I thought both Granger and Simmons were quite good in their roles.

Stewart Granger portrays Steven Lowry, a man whose wife has just died.  Telling his friends that he must learn to be alone, Steve returns home after the funeral and proceeds to drink to his wife's portrait...smiling all the while.  Housemaid Lilly Watkins (Jean Simmons) tells him that she gets a queer feeling when she looks at the portrait, almost like the mistress is trying to tell her something.

A bit later, Lilly discovers dead mice in the cellar, an empty medicine bottle lying in the midst of them.  Having done an experiment with the contents of the medicine bottle, Lilly knows that Mrs. Lowry did not die of gastroenteritis, as had been supposed, but by poisoning.  With this knowledge, Lilly begins blackmailing Steve, at first into obtaining the deceased woman's jewelry, then into dismissing every servant except herself.

In love with Steve, Lilly wants full control over his household...and him. Steve, however, who is in love with another woman, wants nothing to do with Lilly.  Desperate to be rid of her and the hold she has over him, he will stop at nothing...including another murder.

Footsteps in the Fog is a very interesting, well-acted, mildly suspenseful film.  While not a favorite by any means, I enjoyed it very much and definitely recommend it. It is out on DVD, so it should be fairly easy to track down.  Happy viewing!!