Ladies in Retirement

In the 1800s, a lady's companion Ellen (Ida Lupino) has to care for her recently evicted dotty sisters (Elsa Lanchester, Edith Barrett). She convinces the lady she works for (Isobel Elsom) to let them stay for a little while in their isolated cottage, but the sisters are very eccentric and cause problems with their hostess, leading Ellen to take drastic measures.


The story shows that of the three sisters Ellen is supposed to be the sane one, but ends up the most dangerous one. Other characters include a male cousin of Ellen's and a housemaid who suspects Ellen of something (Louis Hayward, Evelyn Keyes). The events were well-paced, and even though we are mostly limited to the isolated setting of the house and the small cast of characters, the dialogue suggests a lot and contributes to the heightened suspense as Ellen tries to maintain a normal demeanor despite her despicable actions. I would have liked more explanation of why Ellen is so attached to her sisters as to have done what she did.