Maybe Alfred Hitchcock got ideas for the film "Vertigo" from this- Especially the long shot down the stairwell of the unfinished building.<br /><br />More of a "Psychological Thriller" than a Film-Noir: This movie had elements that could have put it on a higher level, the editing, the effects, the film stock were all high caliber. However, as a story, I found it highly unbelievable- And on the verge of being unintentionally Laughable.<br /><br />Sanders as an ex, or even current, Nazi would have been scrutinized a lot heavier by the police. Stanwyck would not have been shoved into an insane asylum so easily without her own permission or a court order. That the police chief was singly able to commit her was totally unbelievable and the scene in the police station that precedes the asylum scenes is a laugh ready to burst from my gut, but does not quite escape, because we know it was not intended to be funny. One asks if the whole asylum scene was even necessary, but in fact I'm glad it is in there, as we get to see (And hear) Juanita Moore, with Adeline De Walt Reynolds and Claire Carleton. as additional inmates and great character actresses.<br /><br />However bad the script and story was, and it appeared to me that maybe Nunnally Johnson wrote a lot of it "on the fly" - There was actually a core of a great story, and if one ignores the small shortcomings of the film I mention above, then it is fairly enjoyable.<br /><br />The whole production seems to play like an elongated Television Episode from the mid-50's.