Year: 1945
Director: Joseph Lewis
Country: US
Language: English
Back in the Golden Age of Hollywood, when movies were churned out like cars in a factory, studios had a quota of B-movies they could play alongside the big budget productions as a "double feature". Most were forgettable, but some mesmerized audiences and could be better than the main attraction itself. My Name is Julia Ross (1945), made for very little money even for a 1940's budget, was certainly a flick that had people glued to their seats.
Julia Ross (Nina Foch) secures employment, through a rather nosy employment agency, with a wealthy widow, Mrs. Hughes, and goes to live at her house. 2 days later, she awakens - in a different house, in different clothes, and with a new identity.
Women being domestically terrorized was a popular strain of psychological thriller in the 1940's. The most popular of these films being George Kukor's Gaslight (1944). Perhaps this is a product of post-war tensions between gender roles. In World War Two women stepped out of their husband's shadows and went to work in factories to be the breadwinners of their families. Once the men returned from war the women were largely reduced to domestic servitude once again. These films were a cry out that women wanted more in life than to be wives & mothers.
My Name is Julia Ross has a tightly structured screenplay, believable dialogue and a string of fine performances all help to sell every twist as plausible. Joseph Lewis' directing is commendable, as his many camera choices (such as the use of close-ups) help cover the fact that this film had an incredibly small budget. Overall, a worthwhile film.
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