That passage from the book of James in the bible is the scripture that vicar Reginald Tate should have read after announcing the suicide of someone wrongly accused of sending accusatory letters in a small English village where people get along, as long as they are native born. Any newcomers are looked upon with suspicion and resentment, and rather than learn a lesson from the suicide, the majority of the people of the town become even worse, petty and filled with pride, creating a war amongst themselves to the point where they didn't need another world war which was lingering outside. Tate's sister, Flora Robson, is aghast by the attacks, and tells off the brigade of gossips, led by the paranoid Marjorie Rhodes who may look shocked and briefly guilt-stricken when she learns about the suicide, but doesn't remain contrite for long.
Assumptions of who the culprit writing these letters creates the most absurd of theories, laughable from the viewer's point of view, made all the more ridiculous because the people suggesting these things are supposed to be educated elders of the community, and the guiders of morality. The situation gets worse as the vicar's daughter (Anne Todd) gets the worst of the poison letters, creating scandal within the church, and by this time, the whole situation is completely out of control, turning a once peaceful town into the place where you do not want to raise your children.
An outstanding ensemble guides this movie, led by Robson's sensible performance and trickling down to the most minor of characters. Rhodes, whom I know I've seen in at least a dozen movies, became embedded in my memory for for all as the most hideous of all nagging wives and mothers in "Watch It Sailor", and here is equivalent to Margaret Hamilton in *Way Down East", although I've seen her in sympathetic roles as well. She reminds me of Siobhan Finneran's O'Brien from "Downton Abbey" in her dialect and similar character disposition.
Robert Newton, Wilfred Hyde White, Catherine Lacey and Geoffrey Toone are other familiar character actors in the movie, and coming out in 1939, the year considered the greatest in motion picture history, this has one of the greatest ensembles. The fact that it is not considered a classic among the dozens of films from that year isn't quite surprising, but it is certainly a terrific discovery. Robson, who want to claim as Ellen that year in "Wuthering Heights" and also played the vindictive wife of Paul Muni in "We Are Not Alone", certainly ranks among the year's best supporting actresses. Top notch production values and a gripping tension will keep the audience glued to the screen. Certainly one of the most unique mysteries ever made.