Set in 1820's Bangor, Maine; The Strange Woman is the tale of beautiful Jenny Hager. After her drunkard father dies, she marries the wealthy, but significantly older, Isaiah Poster; who also happens to be the father of her childhood sweetheart, Ephraim.
Everything seems to be going according to plan for Jenny. She lives well and uses her husband's money to gain the respect and love of the townspeople through extravagant church donations and gratuitous care of a poor sick woman, and a childhood friend who has become a prostitute. Additionally, she amuses herself and fulfills her need to be desired by seducing (or re-seducing) Ephraim, now that he has returned from college.
When the beau of Jenny's friend Meg catches Jenny's eye, this comes as little surprise to us. It was heavily foreshadowed earlier in the film when Meg explains that her beau, John, has not proposed to her yet, and Jenny makes a cryptic comment to the effect that she would know exactly how to make the man propose to her.
A very telling scene occurs where John and Meg share a moment alone in the parlor, and Isaiah, while waiting for the housemaid to bring him one of his multiple medications, is oblivious to Jenny's anxious jealousy and jokes to her to "leave the young lovebirds alone". This scene highlights the age gap between Jenny and her aging husband, and you can almost feel her frustration as he unwittingly includes her in his peer group, and excludes her from the youthful group that she yearns to be a part of.
When the opportunity presents itself, Jenny meets Ephraim alone and convinces him to kill his father. This scene is well done and in perfect film noir tradition. Jenny dramatically outs 2 of the 3 the candles with her fingers (foreshadowing perhaps, for the coming deaths of Isaiah and Ephram, and the remaining light representing John), leaving herself and Ephraim in near darkness, alluding to the evil plans she has in mind.
Although Ephraim carries out her wishes, she casts him out and viciously hurts her friend Meg by marrying John. Ephraim tries to warn John that Jenny is evil, but John falls in love with Jenny anyway.
Now that Jenny has lived a life of sin, all that's left is to punish her. After numerous discussions with her husband about children and how ardently he wants to have them, Jenny discovers that she is infertile, and always will be. Then, a traveling priest or some such man, speaks to the congregation about the evils of "the strange woman". He seems to be speaking directly to Jenny, and all of his condemnations directly reflect the sinful actions she has taken in her life. Her guilty conscience leads her to confess to John that Ephraim was telling the truth all along, and she is a terrible woman. When John becomes upset, she tries to recant, but he doesn't believe her and storms out of the house.
John is up at the logging grounds, and Meg is speaking to him about his troubles. John decides to return to Jenny, and Meg is glad of his decision because she believes he has made Jenny a better person, the two walk outside to return to town and find Jenny. Ironically, at that moment, Jenny is rushing up the hill. When she sees them, she jumps to conclusions and flies into a rage. She attempts to run them over, but loses control and flies out of the carriage herself. She admits to John that she was trying to kill him, and then dies, a victim of her own jealousy. She assumed that Meg was as unscrupulous a woman as she, and was trying to steal her husband. Jenny's evil mindset has finally brought her to her own demise: a fitting ending for the film noir tradition.
Everything seems to be going according to plan for Jenny. She lives well and uses her husband's money to gain the respect and love of the townspeople through extravagant church donations and gratuitous care of a poor sick woman, and a childhood friend who has become a prostitute. Additionally, she amuses herself and fulfills her need to be desired by seducing (or re-seducing) Ephraim, now that he has returned from college.
When the beau of Jenny's friend Meg catches Jenny's eye, this comes as little surprise to us. It was heavily foreshadowed earlier in the film when Meg explains that her beau, John, has not proposed to her yet, and Jenny makes a cryptic comment to the effect that she would know exactly how to make the man propose to her.
A very telling scene occurs where John and Meg share a moment alone in the parlor, and Isaiah, while waiting for the housemaid to bring him one of his multiple medications, is oblivious to Jenny's anxious jealousy and jokes to her to "leave the young lovebirds alone". This scene highlights the age gap between Jenny and her aging husband, and you can almost feel her frustration as he unwittingly includes her in his peer group, and excludes her from the youthful group that she yearns to be a part of.
When the opportunity presents itself, Jenny meets Ephraim alone and convinces him to kill his father. This scene is well done and in perfect film noir tradition. Jenny dramatically outs 2 of the 3 the candles with her fingers (foreshadowing perhaps, for the coming deaths of Isaiah and Ephram, and the remaining light representing John), leaving herself and Ephraim in near darkness, alluding to the evil plans she has in mind.
Although Ephraim carries out her wishes, she casts him out and viciously hurts her friend Meg by marrying John. Ephraim tries to warn John that Jenny is evil, but John falls in love with Jenny anyway.
Now that Jenny has lived a life of sin, all that's left is to punish her. After numerous discussions with her husband about children and how ardently he wants to have them, Jenny discovers that she is infertile, and always will be. Then, a traveling priest or some such man, speaks to the congregation about the evils of "the strange woman". He seems to be speaking directly to Jenny, and all of his condemnations directly reflect the sinful actions she has taken in her life. Her guilty conscience leads her to confess to John that Ephraim was telling the truth all along, and she is a terrible woman. When John becomes upset, she tries to recant, but he doesn't believe her and storms out of the house.
John is up at the logging grounds, and Meg is speaking to him about his troubles. John decides to return to Jenny, and Meg is glad of his decision because she believes he has made Jenny a better person, the two walk outside to return to town and find Jenny. Ironically, at that moment, Jenny is rushing up the hill. When she sees them, she jumps to conclusions and flies into a rage. She attempts to run them over, but loses control and flies out of the carriage herself. She admits to John that she was trying to kill him, and then dies, a victim of her own jealousy. She assumed that Meg was as unscrupulous a woman as she, and was trying to steal her husband. Jenny's evil mindset has finally brought her to her own demise: a fitting ending for the film noir tradition.