The Seventh Veil (1945)

(On Cable TV, November 2022) Film history has no shortage of films that can be called problematic or troubling, but even those steeled against much of the worst may find themselves unpleasantly surprised at the conclusion of The Seventh Veil, in which the heroine goes running back to her abusive, possessive, controlling second cousin for romance. Not that it’s the only weird thing in this hypnotherapy film about a pianist who has lost the use of her (intact) hands—yet this was a box-office success in 1945 United Kingdom and won an Academy Award for best screenplay. What maybe saves it (well, aside from the fascination of an unavowable undercurrent of gender-aligned domination/submission) is a sense of melodrama, some choice lines (including the explanation for the titular seventh veil) and James Mason as the utter cad at the centre of the mixture. One of Mason’s most endearing trademarks is that he could be both very likable and completely repulsive in the same role (usually by playing impeccably mannered villains) and this duality is perfectly showcased here. The Seventh Veil can’t really be recommended as innocent entertainment viewing—but it is a mesmerizing film to watch, a piece of old-school filmmaking that really wouldn’t (or shouldn’t?) work today.