Thunder on the Hill (1951) User Reviews (15)

When I find myself in times of trouble.....

[dbdumonteil · 8/10 · 11 April 2009]

....sister Mary comes to me ,speaking words of wisdom:"don't let it be".

The director was famous for his extravagant (and brilliant ) melodramas ,not only as Douglas Sirk ("Written on the wind" "Imitation of live" "there's always tomorrow ),but also as Detlef Sierck (his real name in Germany)("Das Mädchen vom Moorhof" "La Habanera" ;he also tried his hand at thrillers ,as "Lured " (a remake of Robert Siodmak's "Pièges" (=traps),another exiled director who used to work in France before the war)and "sleep my love" attest.In "Thunder on the hill" ,Sirk combined both genres in a single classy movie.

Some will say it's full of implausibilities : all these people who have got something to hide in a case of murder,all gathered in a convent/hospital,because of the flood which prevent them from leaving the place:it's the rule of many an Agatha Christie book;and like in the famous writer's books ,it's a non-professional who investigates : a nun playing the role of Miss Marple.

Implausibilities are all in the game of melodrama too :there are more of them in the first twenty minutes of "the magnificent obsession" than in any thriller you can think of!And melodramatic,"thunder on the hill" is .It's a tear-jerker (not meant pejoratively) of the first order,with great scenes:

-The first scene between Claudette Colbert and Ann Blyth,and the sudden revelation:it packs a real wallop.

-Willie and sister Mary in the fog on their boat ,trying to get to Norwich where "the only person who cares for the condemned woman lives".Willie destroying the boat.

-The scene where Sister Mary desperately rings the bell,a sequence to rival the best of Alfred Hitchcock or Robert Siodmak.

People cry rivers in "thunder of the hill" but anyway Sirk is one of those rare directors who CAN make you cry effortlessly:a person who did not cry when he saw the final of "imitation of life" is a liar.

Religion plays a prominent part in this work ,and the convict who laughed at a "divine intervention" was proved wrong.The last scene is an affirmation of the faith in God;a subject which would emerge again in Sirk's final melodramas (Someone tells Rock Hudson in "magnificent obsession" that a man -Jesus Christ- spent his whole life to help his fellow men and Annie ,the black servant's only dream in "imitation of life" is a great funeral and to be with the Lord).

There are numerous characters and Sirk succeeds in making all of them interesting,with the exception of the nasty nurse,a character we have seen too many times on the screen .Willie,for instance,was probably inspired by Victor Hugo's "Hunchback of Notre Dame"-Quasimodo-.Claudette Colbert shines in her part of a nun with a strong guilt feeling ,because she feels responsible for her sister's death;the rest of the cast is up to scratch ,and "thunder on the hill" is one of Sirk's sleepers.Do not miss it.

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Murder

[dglink · 7/10 · 9 October 2020]

Wildly improbable, often overwrought, and hopelessly melodramatic, Douglas Sirk's "Thunder on the Hill" is nevertheless an engrossing whodunnit. On a dark and stormy night, a dike is about to burst, the waters are rising, and people are crowding into a convent hospital for shelter. Among the arrivals is a convicted murderess en route to her execution, who is accompanied by a male and female constable. One of the sisters befriends the condemned woman, and, quickly convinced of the her innocence, the sister investigates the court case through old newspapers that were used to line pantry shelves. Based on a play by Charlotte Hastings, unraveling the murder mystery uncovers a lilac-saturated letter, a duplicate set of keys, and two aspirin in a bottle of prescription medicine. Although the action is largely confined to the convent, Sirk opens the story up enough to avoid claustrophobia and maintains a steady pace that builds to a suspenseful conclusion.

As Sister Mary Bonaventure, Claudette Colbert may not be everyone's idea of a nun, but she is steady and convincing in her determination to solve the case. Lovely Ann Blyth is Valerie Carns, a young woman facing the noose, and Blyth is likely the best dressed, best coiffed, best made-up woman to ever face execution. Perhaps in England, the condemned carry their make-up case with them to the gallows. Once again, Gladys Cooper plays a no-nonsense Mother Superior, and her performance here recalls the actress's similar role in "The Song of Bernadette" eight years earlier. Character actress Connie Gilchrist is Sister Josephine, whose hoarding of newspapers and string aid Colbert in her research into the murder. The four actresses dominate the film, while the male support is somewhat colorless.

The rich black-and-white cinematography by William H. Daniels is a major asset; the convent's shadowy halls and stairways, a mist enshrouded waterway, the inky black streets of the nearby town illustrate what the visuals of fine film noir are all about. "Thunder on the Hill" is far from perfect; the plot has more holes than Swiss cheese, the immaculately made-up Blyth over emotes at times, and the resolution is too quickly and easily guessed. However, over its well-paced 84-minute running time, the flaws pass too quickly to note, and viewers will be drawn into a slick little mystery that is vastly entertaining.

Sleuth

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 2 January 2008]

A flooding in the country brings together an assortment of characters to Our Lady of Reims Convent and Hospital in rural England. A convicted young woman, Valerie Carns, who is accused of having poisoned her own brother, is brought by the police escort that is taken her to London for execution. As soon as the kind sister Mary Bonaventure, a nun who is a nurse in the hospital, gets to know the accused murderess, she realizes she couldn't have committed the cruel murder.

Sister Mary Bonaventure runs into the Mother Superior's wrath when she goes out of her way to champion the innocence of Ms. Carns. She even goes to bring the boyfriend to the convent so they can spend a few moments before the waters recede, risking her own life. All her efforts in saving the prisoner pay off when the cook of the convent, Sister Josephine, discovers old newspapers she has kept that reveals an important clue that was overlooked by everyone involved in the murder case and subsequent trial.

Douglas Sirk, an English director specializing in these types of melodrama seems to have been a natural for the material the film is based on. Mr. Sirk got good all around performances from this mixed cast that gathered actors from different worlds, such as Claudette Colbert and Ann Blyth, who were products of Hollywood school of acting, and veterans Gladys Cooper, Robert Douglas, Philip Friend and the others that came from the English stage.

In spite of the different accents, "Thunder on the Hill" is an engrossing drama, made better by Mr. Sirk's style. Claudette Colbert does a great job with her nun detective with the heart in its right place. A young Ann Blyth is also effective. Robert Douglas as the evil Dr. Jeffreys, does a good job. Gladys Cooper's Mother Superior rings the right tone for this type of person.

A seldom shown film is worth a viewing thanks to Douglas Sirk.

No Vertigo

[grahamclarke · 29 February 2004]

Based on a undistinguished play, in lesser hands this would have been totally forgettable. Director Douglas Sirk endows it all with a sense of style but still does not manage to salvage the pedestrian stagy dialog.

Claudette Colbert is as always, winning in her role as the nun with a feisty spirit she finds difficult to hold in check and Gladys Cooper lends her renowned haughtiness. While there are some well played smaller parts there's much wooden acting too which bogs the film down measurably.

One can't help wondering if Hitchcock ever saw this, as the climax in the bell tower is a forerunner of the famous scene from "Vertigo", but there the similarity ends.

Since Sirk went on to become an important director, this film is of certain interest, but not one to make any particular effort to hunt down.

Intriguing melodrama, stars a sympathetic nun : Claudette Colbert, resulting in a predictable conclusion

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 3 November 2022]

A murder mystery dealing with a convicted murderess named Valerie Carns (Ann Blyth) who's being transported to Norwich to be executed by hanging when a flood strands her and her guards at a convent hospital. Then Nurse Sister Mary (the great Claudette Colbert) becomes convinced of her innocence and sets out to find the real killer , there six desperate people...hiding one guilty secret . There's a simple janitor , an attendant comic nun and a killer visible a mile off adding to fun .

A suspenseful movie in which our starring , the understanding , sweet nun Claudette Colvert , becomes a stubborn detective to discover the true killer throughout the story . Sirkian intrigue/melodrama movie in Agatha Christie style , it melds with the director's earlier , pulpier mode in a Norfolk convent hospital , where a condemned murderess is trapped by a flash flood the night before her execution . Here there is mystery , emotion , a love story , suspense and plot twists . Interesting and attractive plot based on the play ¨Bonaventure¨ written by Charlotte Hastings with agreeable script from Oscar Saul and Andrew Solt. Interpretation actors are first-rate . Colbert is nice as the nun to get her off with blind faith and a casual disrespect for the law of the land and the convent . She is obstinate , comprehensive, perfect and pig-headed , while the allegedly guilty is wonderfully grotesque , then stirring . They are very well accompanied by a fine support cast , such as : Robert Douglas , Anne Crawford , Philip Friend , Gladys Cooper, Michael Pate, John Abbott, Connie Gilchrist , Tudor Owen, among others .

It contains a superb cinematography in black and white by William H. Daniels , Greta Garbo's usual cameraman , mostly shot in interior , as filming Locations : Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California . Likewise, atmosperic and enjoyable musical score by Hans J. Salter . The motion picture was well directed by Douglas Sirk who milks the giant set for all its atmospherics. Douglas was a fundamental filmmaker who gave prestigious movies , usually collaborating with similar technicians as cameraman Russell Metty , Production Designer Alexander Golitzen , Producer Ross Hunter and writer George Zuckerman . Sirk directed a lot of classic melodramas, such as : Never say goobye , Interlude , Summerstorm , The first legion , The lady pays off , Tarnished Angels , A time to love a time to die , Magnificent obsession , All that heaven allows , Written in the Wind . But he also directed other genres as WWII : Mystery submarine , Hitler's madmen ; Thrillers and Film Noir : Shockproof , Thunder on the hill , A scandal in Paris , Lured ; Historical : Attila with Jack Palance ; Adventures : Thunderbolt and Lightfoot with Hudson and Barbara Rush ; and even a Western : Taza with Rocka Hudson , his fetish actor . Rating : 6.5/10 , better than average . Worthwhile. The picture will appeal to Claudette Corbett fans .

Good Cast in Solid Mystery

[thomasherlihy · 7/10 · 20 May 2020]

There really isn't anything to criticize about this movie. The plot was interesting and well handled; the cast was good. This is a solid movie and well worth watching.

Mysterious and Religious Melodrama

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 3 June 2023]

When there is a flooding in Norfolk, many locals move with pets and animals to the local convent and hospital that is isolated from the mainland when the dam collapses. Sister Mary Bonaventure (Claudette Colbert) coordinates the arrangement with the Mother Superior (Gladys Cooper) to lodge and feed the unsheltered people. Soon she meets Valerie Carns (Ann Blyth), who was convicted for fratricide and condemned to the gallows on the next day, but is trapped in the convent with Sgt Melling (Gavin Muir). Her brother Jason died of overdose and she was responsible to give his medicine to him. Sister Mary, who is the nurse of Dr. Edward Jeffreys (Robert Douglas), talks to Valerie and is convinced that she is innocent. Dr. Jeffreys' testimony in court was crucial for her sentence. His wife Isabel Jeffreys (Anne Crawford) is very sick in the hospital. Valerie asks Sister Mary to bring her fiancé Sidney Kingham (Philip Friend) to the convent, and she does to Norfolk by boat with the employee Willie (Michael Pate) to bring him to stay with Valerie in her last hours. Willie comments a letter that he kept with him and Sister Mary tries to find evidences in old newspaper that may prove Valerie's innocence.

"Thunder on the Hill" is a melodramatic film directed by Douglas Sirk and with Claudette Colbert and Ann Blyth in the lead roles. Despite the mystery, the plot is too religious and has many flaws. For example, how Sister Mary is convinced that Valerie is innocent after talking for a short period with a bitter and aggressive woman? How easy is to her to find evidences in the newspapers and no lawyer had given much attention to the detail. But for fans of old movies, there is not much importance these flaws. The performance of Claudette Colbert is great. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Agonia de Uma Vida" ("Agony of a Life")

Reminding the viewer that people of the church are only human.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 2 April 2024]

Hard as nails church officials try to stand in the way of possible justice in this thriller that on a dark and stormy night shows once again how horrible people can when standing up for one's conviction the person who ends up being right faces a lot of blockades. Claudette Colbert is a questionable choice to play a nun in a hospital who becomes convinced that a convicted murdereress Ann Blyth is actually innocent. She is far too glamorous even in her nun's habit, her well groomed lashes and clear face distracting.

From the very beginning of this film there are some characters who will have the audience hissing at them, particularly a nasty nurse (Phyllis Stanley) and the controlling doctor (Robert Douglas) who gossip and try to stand in Colbert's way. Gladys Cooper, as the mother, superior is a bit more understandable, but she even has a few moments where a good shake might wake her up to her prejudices. Then there's the simplistic handyman (Michael Pate) who the audience will cheer on as he goes after Stanley, obviously very loyal to Colbert.

Blyth, accused of murdering her dying brother, Is tough as nails at first, but when she comes to see that Claudette is on her side begins to change her attitude. This film deals with showing the difference between stubbornness assuredness, and the script strongly makes the case for Colbert's actions truly honorable. To most viewers, the most satisfying elements of this film will be to see these oh so righteous people put in their place, and even a few who ends up being humbled by their mistakes. Definitely a good thriller, but the choice of the leading lady still bothers me a little.

Highly charged drama of Innocence Condemned unjustly

[lora64 · 10/10 · 18 November 2003]

One needs to enter into the atmosphere of this taut emotional story to really appreciate the fine acting done by all. Have seen "Thunder on the Hill" countless times and it's still riveting. The dialogue unfolds splendidly like a fine dramatic stage play of intrigue and mystery.

Claudette Colbert gives a fine performance as Sister Mary who is haunted by certain memories of her past and yet feels compelled to do what is right according to her conscience even though it conflicts with those in authority especially Mother Superior (Gladys Cooper).

Ann Blyth as Valerie really does make one feel that life is very precious - no one wants to die when there's so much to live for especially when young, very much in love and with plans to marry being dashed by this unjust verdict of guilty which will destroy everything.

Philip Friend as Sidney, Valerie's intended, is distraught with despair but eventually comes round and being convinced of her innocence tries to help in some way, offering Valerie his love and support in their emotionally charged scenes together.

Michael Pate as simple-minded Willie does add texture to the story of intrigue in the beginning - he holds an important letter - his voice and minor dialogue reveal a well-acted character role.

Robert Douglas as the doctor is suave and believable (well-oiled you might say) and he cares for his wife's delicate mental condition to the extent of becoming very possessive and controlling which becomes his downfall eventually.

It's a strong story of deep human conflict that everyone can relate to. One of my favourites.

What a classy movie

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 29 August 2016]

What an utterly wonderful film this is, I watched it based on a few reviews I'd glanced over and was not disappointed. From a time of film making where story telling and acting were order of the day, as opposed to violence and special effects.

Two beautiful performances from Claudette Colbert and Ann Blyth, both are wonderful in their respective roles, Blyth was such a screen beauty, such a shame her career didn't sky rocket.

A great story, and such an unusual premise, you could be forgiven for thinking that the situation would be ordinary and dull, but far from it. The closing action is brilliant, and done in a way that looks very believable.

A wonderful movie 9/10

Nun Shall Sleep

[writers_reign · 5/10 · 14 July 2009]

In Popular Culture there are some pairings that seemed doomed to fail should any entrepreneur/producer be foolish enough to gamble; Sinatra and Moog Synthesiser and Astaire and Rap spring to mind and personally I would supplement that brace with Douglas Sirk and Claudette Colbert. Colbert was born to play the sassy sophisticates created by Billy Wilder (Midnight, Arise, My Love) and Preston Sturges (Palm Beach Story) and is light years away from the schmaltz sentiment of Sirk yet here they are, yoked together, however improbably, in 1951, a time when good, strong, meaty roles were thin on the ground for Colbert. A very good friend of mine - who actually burned this film for me - is a great admirer of Sirk and he loved it but I must differ. The plot was old chapeau when Asterix was a toddler, the one about an assorted group of travellers forced together by circumstances - in this case a storm. Just to make it more improbable one of them, Ann Blyth, is a convicted murderess on her way to rendez-vous with the hangman in the a.m. The setting, so we're told, is Norfolk County, England, though for all the detail supplied it could just as well be Upper Sandusky or Kokomo. It seems that in Norfolk convicted murderesses travel in their own clothes by private car and escorted by only one man, also in plain clothes, rather than in a police van accompanied by uniformed officers. Presumably agreeing that there was no credibility left to strain Sirk and Colbert opted to crank up the improbability by having Colbert, a nun, no less, take one look at Blyth and decide she's innocent after which nothing will do but she must prove it and have Blyth set free (even more improbably, once Colbert has exposed the real murderer, Blyth IS turned free on the spot, no formalities such as a re-trial or an order from a judge, her escort merely leaves her to get on with her life. It's well made and there are people like Gladys Cooper and Ann Crawford along for the ride but it has to be seen to be believed.

Released as THUNDER ON THE HILL, superb early Douglas Sirk

[robert-temple · 9/10 · 14 April 2024]

This film is based on a play, entitled BONAVENTURE, the title of which refers to the lead character, the nun named Sister Mary Bonaventure. But the film was released in 1951 as THUNDER ON THE HILL and has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray recently under that title as well. The story is highly dramatic, indeed can properly be described as a melodrama, and is powerfully directed by Douglas Sirk. It is set in the county of Norfolk, 8 miles from the city Norwich. Enormous floods have made the land impassable, so that some travellers cannot reach Norwich and they take refuge in a large convent, where they are welcomed by the sisters, who feed and shelter them. Amongst those taking refuge there are a policeman and a woman prisoner, as well as her female guard. We learn that she is on her way to Norwich to be executed for murder, and is due to be hung by the neck on a gallows the very next morning. But she will be late for her own execution, because there is no way to get to Norwich, and the phone lines are down so that a police boat cannot be summoned either. This sets the scene for a high intensity situation. A very saintly young nun feels instinctively when she meet the supposed murderess that she is really innocent. The nun is played by Claudette Colbert, and the condemned girl by Ann Blyth. The cinematography is terrific, evoking moods and atmospheres with every shot, and is by William H. Daniels. The combination of his camera work, Sirk's direction, and standout performances by the actors (Gladys Cooper play the Mother superior) make the drama immensely powerful. This is a major early work by Douglas Sirk. And it focuses intently on questions of guilt and innocence, and highly emotional scenes with a great deal of tension, as the confrontations play out one after the other, things are revealed, and there are surprises in store.

Claudette can't play a nun

[HotToastyRag · 3/10 · 19 May 2019]

Claudette Colbert is far too pretty and made-up to play a nun. She's one of my favorites, but she just can't pull it off. So, in Thunder on the Hill, with her Harlequin eyebrows, her glossy lips, and her passionate tearful expressions, she doesn't pull off being a nun. Nuns are a different kind of people, and they have a constant hold over their emotions. Remember the difference between Julie Andrews and Peggy Wood in The Sound of Music? Claudette is much more Julie than Peggy.

Granted, early in the film, she shares with Mother Superior, played by Gladys Cooper, that she harbors guilt and upsetness over her sister's suicide, but that doesn't mean she should act like a normal, emotional person for the rest of the film. If Claudette were a novice, like Julie Andrews, or a nurse volunteering at the church during the storm, she would have done a wonderful job, as she usually does.

Trapped by an unexpected flood, a woman condemned to hang, Ann Blyth, stays in a church. One of the nuns believes she's innocent and tries to help prove her case before it's too late. If you think this sounds interesting, you can rent it. However, almost everyone in the film overacts, leading me to believe director Douglas Sirk intended them to. Ann has a very small part, even though the plot revolves around her, and someone really should have rewritten the movie to make Claudette a nurse.

Despite being a Douglas Sirk film and starring Claudette Colbert film, I wasn't bowled over by it.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 19 April 2023]

"Thunder on the Hill" is a film I thought I should like. After all, it's directed by Douglas Sirk and stars Claudette Colbert. However, all the film's many parts didn't add up to a film I particularly liked. It's a shame...it could have worked had the script been a little better...such as having more subtlety.

Colbert plays Sister Mary...a nun who works at an isolated hospital. The place has been cut off from the mainland and a prisoner on the way to her execution (Ann Blythe) arrives with her police escort. They, too, have been trapped by the storm. Soon after Sister Mary meets the condemned woman, she's completely convinced of her innocence and spends the rest of the film trying to prove this.

So why was I left flat by the film? Well,the major problem was having Sister Mary THAT sure of the woman's innocence...only moments after meeting her! It simply didn't make much sense. Had she said that she THOUGHT the woman might not be guilty it would have made a lot more sense. Likewise, nearly everyone thought there was no chance the woman was innocent...none. That sort of black/white thinking seems more like bad writing than real life. As a result, it took me right out of the picture.

Before it's too late

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 21 January 2024]

This tale about religion and justice was made at Universal and directed by Douglas Sirk, just as he was beginning his run of notable '50s melodramas. He had previously directed Claudette Colbert in the independently produced noir thriller SLEEP MY LOVE. This time she is not playing a victimized wife but is instead a benevolent nun drawn into a murder mystery.

The script is based on a hit British play by Charlotte Hastings, which had transferred to Broadway the same year this film was released. Margaret Webster had the lead on Broadway. In England, the sleuthing nun was portrayed by Flora Robson, and a BBC radio recreation from 1968 with Miss Robson can be found online. Robson had a role in another play written by Hastings in the early 1970s called The Enquiry.

I mention The Enquiry, because in that later offering, Hastings revisits some of the same themes that she presents in Bonaventure/The High Ground (which was the title before Universal rechristened it as THUNDER ON THE HILL). The Enquiry concerns itself with punishment, strained relations and various crimes surrounding the imprisonment of several convicted women.

This earlier story by Hastings is also about a convicted woman. In THUNDER ON THE HILL, Ann Blyth is cast as Valerie Carns (named Sarat Carn in the play), a convicted murderess who is about to be executed the following morning. She is being transferred to the facility where the execution is to take place, but a raging storm and subsequent flood force the guards that are transporting her to take refuge with her inside a British convent in a village near Norwich in the fenlands.

The convent houses an order of nursing nuns, and Sister Bonaventure (Colbert) is in charge, though she reports to a Mother Superior (Gladys Cooper). Bonaventure meets Valerie, hears her story, and decides the young woman sentenced to death is not guilty. From here, the story shifts gears into a detective drama, with Sister trying to put the pieces together of what really happened. Once she figures out who the guilty party is, she works to procure a confession out of said individual. It's all quite gripping, with excellent performances by Colbert and Blyth.

Part of what helps this sort of spiritual/detective drama work so well with the audience is that it combines faith and justice. Also, we have a group of respectable characters (the nuns) juxtaposed with a supposedly hardened villain (the convicted killer)...even though the head nun doesn't believe the girl is really a killer. Time is running out; tension mounts throughout, and the two main characters ultimately work together towards a solution, which leads to a second chance at life.