Woman of Straw (1964) User Reviews

You've got to watch this thriller!

[HotToastyRag · 8/10 · 26 April 2020]

If you can find Woman of Straw, buy yourself a copy. You're going to want to watch it over and over again. This is a romantic thriller with a fantastic cast of Sean Connery, Gina Lollobrigida, Ralph Richardson, and Alexander Knox, that will have you talking about it for days afterwards.

Ralph Richardson is extremely wealthy, and as mean as he is wealthy. He abuses everyone who works for him, and most people, if they can afford to, quit. However, his latest nurse, the beautiful Gina Lollobrigida, stays despite the verbal assaults. Does she have a heart of gold, or does her endurance have anything to do with Ralph's sexy nephew, Sean Connery? That's all I'm going to tell you about the plot, and if you can watch this fantastic drama without anyone telling you more about the plot, take advantage of the opportunity. Yes, this is a short review, but it's one that highly recommends this smart, tense drama. Rent it for the eye candy or rent it for the great story, but whatever the reason, you'll be glad you did.

another top notch Basil Dearden

[happytrigger-64-390517 · 8/10 · 26 March 2019]

"Woman of Straw" is another fine movie directed by Basil Dearden, impossible to miss when you see Sean Connery and Gina Lollobrigida. Sean Connery is at his best period (James Bond), and he has here a very disturbing character ploting against his uncle, a violent racist tyran tycoon (superb Ralph Richardson). And Gina is his weapon. Lot of nasty twists, fine cinematography in color, great locations (Majorca), and a great ending.

very good thriller

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 1 May 2013]

Sean Connery, Sir Ralph Richardson, and Gina Lollabrigida star in "Woman of Straw", a 1964 film.

Connery plays Tony Richmond, who hires Maria (Lollabrigida) as a nurse for his impossible wheelchair-bound uncle (Richardson). His Uncle Charles is cruel and rude, and Maria doesn't want to put up with him. Shortly after she arrives, she quits. Tony explains to her that his uncle doesn't have long to live, which she knows, and he's only been left 20 grand in his uncle's will. If Uncle Charles marries Maria, she'll inherit everything, and she can give him a million pounds. It's all perfect.

Maria and Tony are attracted to one another, though at first she resists. She also doesn't think she can bring herself to get Uncle Charles sufficiently interested in her to marry him - the idea repulses her. In truth, she winds up growing quite fond of him and is strict in the way she cares for him. However, his Jekyll-Hyde behavior becomes too much and she quits again. This time, Charles goes to see her himself and proposes. She accepts.

While on a yacht trip, Charles changes his will to benefit her and doubles his nephew's inheritance to $40,000. Tony tells her that he will have to register the will in London when they get back in order for it to be legal. And that's where the trouble begins.

Terrific film, well directed by Basil Dearden, produced in color with glorious scenery. Everyone does a great job, particularly Richardson, such a magnificent actor, who is hateful one minute and likable the next. Connery and Lollabrigida are gorgeous. It's a good script that will keep you involved right to the very end. Highly recommended. This doesn't seem to be out on DVD. I saw it on Netflix streaming, and now it's gone. Don't know what the problem is, but this deserves to be seen.

Gripping.

[Teenie-1 · 3 May 2003]

***SPOILERS***

The British have always had a knack for making the most convincing, nail-biting mysteries of all time. Woman of Straw is one of them. The story centers around a wheelchair-bound, crotchety old tycoon who eats his help for breakfast, he's so cold and unfeeling. He hires a live-in nurse (Lollobrigida, in one of her very best roles) who manages to keep her cool as he barks out insults to her like she's an animal yet she remains faithful to his needs for living and then some... Then we have the handsome, sexy, horny, conniving, two-faced only-surviving-relative nephew (Connery) who gets Lollobrigida to fall for him while plotting...you know the rest. Typical mystery story line. There's everything here - highbrow put-downs, sex, racial bigotry (towards Johnny Sekka's butler character), betrayal and, of course, murder! The soundtrack featuring much of Beethoven's classic pieces helps to create the mood for much suspense and keeps you there to a hold-your-attention-to-the-end climax that totally blew me away. It would indeed be nice if this were on video. It would be well worth your money. Catch it on AMC or try Turner Classic Movies or a late night movie program and enjoy. {Sean, if you're reading this, would you please do your fans a favor and do one more Bond film where in the end he retires to a country estate with Miss Moneypenny and the character can retire forever? Pierce Brosnan and the rest just don't have "it" to be the James Bond that we all knew and that I still love! You de man, Sean!!!} :)

A Decent British Thriller

[ragosaal · 7/10 · 19 September 2006]

I must say I have not seen much of director Basil Dearden's work, but this is a real good one. "Woman of Straw" is a classical thriller with a catching plot that turns out very interesting and enjoyable to watch. The film deals with ambition, treason, passion and murder.

Though a bit slow at the beginning, the movie grows in tension and intrigue as it runs. It has good music, perfect settings, visual impact in sequences through a sea cruise and good performances from Sir Ralph Richardson as the old and tyrannic billionaire Charles Richmond, Sean Connery (in his Bond days) as his ambitious nephew Anthony and Gina Lollobrigida as Miss Marcello (the old man's hired nurse) in what is probably her best non Italian role ever. Alexander Knox is there too, reliable as always, as a police inspector.

The already mentioned slow beginning and maybe a 10 minute excess in its running time don't really hurt the film which -in my opinion- is a very good one in its genre.

Excellent Film

[whpratt1 · 7/10 · 31 August 2007]

Enjoyed this film from beginning to end and and never realized how great an actress Gina Lollobrigida was and the performance she gave in this film as Marie Marcello. This story concerns itself all around a very wealthy billionaire named Charles Richmond, (Ralph Richardson) who was a very evil man and loved to mistreat everyone he came in contact with and treated his servants just like dogs and even the dogs hated this Charles. Anthony Richmond, (Sean Connery) hated his uncle and took all his abuse like a grain of salt until he met up with a nurse who came to the large mansion to attend to a dog bite. This nurse was Marie Marcello, ( Gina Lollobrigida ) who was very beautiful and had plenty of sex appeal both to Anthony and his uncle Charles. Anthony and Marie get their heads together and come up with a very clever scheme to get hold of this rich man's money. This is a very tricky story and you are kept guessing just how this film will end.

Clever script is malevolently delicious in the craftiest of ways.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 8 November 2017]

The legendary Sir Ralph Richardson gives a delightful performance as a crippled multi millionaire who marries nurse Gina Lollobrigida as part of nephew Sean Connery's revenge plot against him. Having been mistreated by him for years, Connery claims that all he wants is a million pounds of the estate but the reluctant Lollobrigida becomes wary of the scheme, having seen various bits of vulnerability in the outrageously cruel Richardson. A bizarre twist of fate leads Lollobrigida to go on trial for murder but there's hidden truth inside the Downton Abbey like mansion that Richardson owned and the lavishly yacht he sailed on.

For the hour and fifteen minutes that Richardson is on screen, this is his film completely. He's malicious beyond words, making his black servants act like circus dogs and jump over each other (strictly for amusement) and delays the rescue of one of them when they fall off his yacht during a huge storm at sea. There's the most vile of insults towards everybody who works for him, is related to him, or does business with him. Then how does he get the sympathy? The character Richardson plays is unrelentingly demanding, but the performance is absolutely commanding.

Coming off of several Bond films, Connery is elegant, romantic, but brutal towards Lollobrigida, striking her viciously when he thinks she's not going through their plans. Part of the plot line is oh so predictable, but there are moments when you are not sure that the script is going to go there. It reminds me of a modern set version of a 1955 Gothic thriller, "Footsteps in the Fog", where Stewart Granger found himself blackmailed by servant girl Jean Simmons. Lollobrigida seems too good to be true, but it's nice to see a female character in a scheme like this not being a deadly femme fatale. Beautiful art direction and location photography add to the film's strengths. Alexander Knox adds a brief commanding presence as the detective who uncovers everything.

A Bonus Bond Movie for Connery Fans

[thockman401 · 7/10 · 14 November 2012]

I had heard of this movie for years, but never saw it on cable TV or on DVD, but did stumble across it on NetFlix. This movie was filmed around the time Connery made From Russia with Love. I had no idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised that it's a pretty good thriller, and a great "Bond" bonus for Connery fans. The character of Tony Richmond has a lot of overlap with James Bond - his wardrobe, looks, association with fancy locales and sports cars, and treatment of women. As you watch Connery in this role, you will not be able to avoid thinking of him as Bond. That's not a bad thing, and doesn't detract from the movie, itself. But rather, I look at it as a bonus Bond movie. Connery was at his physical peak during the filming of this movie. His appearance, vocal delivery, and acting are also some of his best work in a film. I think Connery's physical appearance changed so rapidly between 1962 and, say, 1980, that every year he looked markedly different than the year before. Fans of Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger will appreciate seeing Connery in this movie when all his looks and skills were at their finest. If you have a couple hours to spend watching an older style film, or are a big Sean Connery fan, this is a recommended movie.

Brilliant three-hander

[tomsview · 7/10 · 31 July 2017]

I saw this film on TV nearly 45 years ago in black and white. I remembered at the time that it had received a lot of negative criticism.

However I saw it recently and loved it. Black and white was never the way to see it; this is a stylish mystery that looks fabulous in colour. And the Beethoven soundtrack beat out Kubrick's use of the old Ludwig Van in "A Clockwork Orange" by 7 years.

Sean Connery plays Anthony Richmond who schemes to get his hands on the fortune of his tyrannical, wheelchair-bound Uncle Charles. Ralph Richardson's Uncle Charles displays his meanness credentials early when he humiliates two of his black servants in a scene that would probably have patrons walking out of the theatre these days.

Anthony persuades Maria Marcello, an Italian nurse played by Gina Lollobrigida, to ingratiate herself with Uncle Charles in order to get him to marry her. After the fragile old chap's inevitable demise she would inherit his fortune, which she and Anthony would share. That's the plan, but it all comes spectacularly unstuck, especially after Maria becomes fond of Uncle Charles.

There are revelations before it ends and plenty of tears.

Although there are a few peripheral characters: servants, policemen and lawyers, this is essentially a three-hander between Sean Connery, Ralph Richardson and 'La Lollo'.

Gina Lollobrigida was an inspired choice for the film. The warm, sensuous quality she exudes as Maria contrasts with the cold, monumental architecture of the Richmond estate and the upper class formality of Anthony and Uncle Charles.

Apparently 'La Lollo' was difficult and temperamental and didn't get on with the director, Basil Dearden, or with Sean Connery. Interesting then that years later in an interview she once described Cary Grant as "all right, but in my opinion no comparison to Sean Connery".

Unfortunately "Woman of Straw" couldn't maintain the pace; the ending is just a little too pat. However I feel the film is at least as good as Hitchcock's "Marnie", which was made around the same time also starring Sean Connery, and considering the flaws in that film, it may even be better.

A good psychological thriller with great locations

[DrHypersonic · 9/10 · 27 May 2005]

This film, one of the earliest starring Sean Connery, has strong and alluring power of its own. The visual settings are magnificent, and Gina Lollobrigida was never more seductive or beautiful than in this motion picture. Connery shows more depth than in many of his later films--one wonders what direction his career might have taken if he had not fallen into the clutches of "Cubby" Broccoli and the whole 007 thing. Sir Ralph is, well, Sir Ralph--imperious, petulant, old school upper class damn-the-servants Brit...This film plays strongly to anyone interested in the psychological stress a crime induces in the various participants, and this is one of the many factors that separate it from the run of the mill police procedural. Finally, it has an evocative and excellent musical score--and no wonder, since Rimsky-Korsakov's Cappricio Espanol features prominently as a mood-setter. Altogether, a good rainy afternoon movie!

Nice thriller with Sean Connery standing tall!

[redtownergm · 7/10 · 23 December 2015]

Why I watched this one? A Sean Connery movie made after he hit it big with James Bond....and I was not even aware of it. Had to check it out.

What is this one about? Tyrannical but ailing tycoon (Ralph Richardson) becomes very fond of his attractive nurse (Gina Lollobrigida). Gina however falls in love with Ralph's nephew (Sean Connery), who plots ways to gain control of his uncle's fortune.

My thoughts on this one? Although the pace of this movie is deadly slow...I really enjoyed this movie. The performances by the three leads are outstanding! Ralph Richardson somehow gets us to really really dislike him at the beginning of the movie....but by the end of the movie he might be the most likable character in the movie. Lollobrigida has many fine moments in the movie as well. Sean Connery's performance is the reason to check out this movie. It is a Connery that I have never seen in a movie before and is fascinating to watch. Add the performances to an interesting plot with some twists and turns and you have a movie that is recommended.

Ranked 38th of 54 movies on my Sean Connery Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/sean-connery-movies/

Gina Lollobrigida getting into trouble with English millionaires

[clanciai · 10/10 · 24 July 2019]

Another chamber drama masterpiece by Basil Dearden in spectacular surroundings, in a castle in Britain, on the Mediterranean and at Mallorca, with three outstanding actors all three outwitting each other in turns, Ralph Richardson in a virtuoso performance as a dying old man in a wheelchair, Sean Connery as his dashing and cleverly intriguing nephew, and Gina Lollobrigida as the beauty in the game, employed as the old man's nurse but finding herself used for other means. Alexander Knox marches in later on as a police inspector, and the dogs play an important part as well. It's an amazing thriller beginning rather suavely as no one can suspect anything, but as the intrigue develops there is a decisive crisis half way into the film, from which moment on the plot never stops thickening. The music also plays an important and impressing part, mostly Beethoven (Fidelio above all) but also Berlioz, Rimsky-Korsakov (Capriccio Espagnol) and Mozart. It's a splendid film that should appeal to just anyone who can enjoy a good movie.

Let's not get sentimental

[petra_ste · 6/10 · 17 July 2014]

An attractive nurse (Lollobrigida) is hired to take care of old, bitter millionaire Charles Richmond (Richardson), and falls for the man's nephew (Connery). Both Italian bombshell "Lollo" and Connery in his Bond days are smartly cast against type, which boosts their otherwise just acceptable performances. The standout is Richardson in a memorable, larger-than-life turn, showing unexpected glimpses of humanity without ever losing the character's edge: the result is an unpleasant individual who can occasionally choose to be, in his own way, almost charming.

Woman of Straw moves slowly, deliberately, delineating its characters with meticulous attention for the dramatic last act.

6,5/10

A change of pace for Connery.

[alexanderdavies-99382 · 5/10 · 13 March 2018]

"Woman of Straw" was a change of pace for Sean Connery as his star was on the ascendency when this film was filmed in 1963, courtesy of James Bond. Connery hasn't often played true villains during his career but he is about as evil as it gets in this film. He plays a ruthless and conniving nephew who wants to lay claim to his wealthy uncle's estate. Impeccably played by Ralph Richardson as the said uncle, this character isn't exactly worthy of much sympathy either. He is a tyrant in the way he treats his staff and is a bigot in addition. Upon having a new nurse employed to look after the ailing uncle at his mansion, Sean Connery persuades her to marry Richardson so as to gain control of his wealth. However, things don't go according to plan and nothing is quite what it seems.......... In my opinion, Connery should have been given top billing. His acting is convincing and I can believe that he is playing an evil character. His Italian leading lady is poor on the other hand. If she isn't being hysterical, she is being totally wooden. The plot is pretty good but the running time is a bit long. I don't understand why the film moves to a foreign location at one stage, it makes no sense and dilutes any kind of mystery. Luckily, the action returns to England and builds to an effective climax. The sets for the mansion in question are very good. The whole house has a cold and rather austere atmosphere to it and it works. A more obscure film in Sean Connery's career but a good one.

The Darker Side of "James Bond" the First

[theowinthrop · 9 November 2004]

Sir Sean Connery's career in movies is really remarkable. Beginning in a Disney film (DARBY GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE), he lucked out early and got the signature role of James Bond in FROM Russia WITH LOVE, DR. NO, GOLDFINGER, and the others. But he managed to break out of the typecase, and pop up in non-Bond roles like Amundsen in THE RED TENT, Edward Pearce in THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Daniel Dravot in THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, and Eliot Ness's ill-fated mentor in THE UNTOUCHABLES (which finally netted him an Oscar). But you notice quickly in going through his credits that he rarely plays a villain. Only twice (that I am aware of) did he play a villain - in the forgettable THE AVENGERS (made too late, in the late 1990s, and without the inimitable Patrick Macnee and Dame Diana Rigg as Steed and Emma Peel), and this forgotten gem of a murder plot. It was early Connery (made the year that his James Bond series was well under way), and the public did not really notice it because it did not show "M", "Miss Moneypenny", "Spectre" (with Blofeld or Goldfinger or Dr. No), or all those crazy gadgets. Instead it dealt with deception, family hatred, and a pathological villain who was supposed to be a popular hero in his normal films.

It is funny that the plot line of a rich person being murdered for his or her fortune is such a popular line in detective fiction. In reality, while there have been rich murder victims (Sir Harry Oakes, William Rice - of Rice Institute fame, Jim Fisk, Stanford White), few were killed for their fortunes. Fisk and White were victims in love triangles that got out of hand. Oakes was probably murdered either for opposing the entrance of the Mafia into his beloved Bahamas, or his opposition to a band of neo-Nazis trying to center Fascist activities in the Western Hemisphere in that island (the neo-Nazis possibly having the blessings of it's then governor the Duke of Windsor). Rice, a millionaire speculator, was poisoned in 1900 by his secretary and a crooked lawyer who planned to plunder his estate - their legal defeat enabled the victim's estate to go ahead with his hopes for the Texas college he planned.

Yet story after story is about the murder of a wealthy individual for inheritance purposes. Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers frequently use it for a motive. I won't say that greed does not play a part in crime, but most crime is due to anger or hate.

The murder of Charles Richmond (Sir Ralph Richardson) in this film is actually more than sheer greed. Connery's nephew plans to inherit the multi-million pound estate but he also hates how Richardson humiliated his brother (Connery's father) by luring Connery's mother into a sexual relationship. In fact, Connery's use of Lollabrigida as a lure to snare Richardson is more than just clever plotting (which it is). Connery's frightening confrontation with the convicted Gina in her death cell shows that he equated Lollabrigida with all women, who always were charmed by Richardson, and with his mother - whom he refers to as a spaniel bitch (quite vehemently). Connery may want the fortune, but he also wants to humiliate women for what his father went through.

My favorite moment in the film was in the conclusion: when Alexander Knox as the detective, and Johnny Sekka confront Connery with new evidence that Richardson was murdered on the yacht, not at his country estate (the key for Connery's plot to frame Lollabrigida), he cynically and mockingly says, "You mean that when I lit the cigarette for Uncle Charles in the limousine, the old boy was really dead?" Unperturbed Knox says, "Yes, I was meaning to ask you why you did that!" Connery suddenly realizes that Knox is not dismissing the new evidence, and that a sudden idea that Connery put into use in the car ride from the yacht is actually going to help hang him. He never fully recovers his ease and control after that moment.

This is a good murder film, and well worth watching when it appears on cable or DVD or video. Catch it if you can.

Suspenseful and intriguing drama with a fistful of twists and turns

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 1 May 2021]

A tyrannical , ailing tycoon : Ralph Richardson marries his Italian nurse, Gina Lollobrigida La Lollo , though eventually things go wrong . Meanwhile, his nephew : Sean Connery , and allegedly heir, is reluctant to this conveniece marriage and he is plotting ways to gain control of his uncle's inheritance . As the question of inheritated fortune is greedily anticipated when a tragedy complicates matters. It's so easy to set fire to A Woman of Straw !

Good and decently made psychological thriller drama that provided a respite from James Bond 007 for Sean Connery . It contains thrills , electrifying suspense , plot twists and nice performance that keeps things going smoothly. Dealing with a marriage of convenience and finally the fateful consequences happening , it is interesting enough , though only the unexpected final is weak and silly . Fine interpretations from starring trio , as the film does well on the strength of their acting , portraying members of a family no one would want to see at a reunion . Sean Connery is pretty well, as always, performing Anthony , the cunning nephew of a dying tycoon and Gina Lollobrigida as the beautiful nurse who in turn falls in love for Anthony. While Ralph Richardson is top-notch as the ruthless wheelchair-bound millionaire who is a really lover of the classic music , particularly composer Ludwing Van Bethoven. Accompanying them there are brief interventions of notorious secondaries such as Alexander Knox , Johnny Sekka , Peter Madden , Laurence Hardy, Michael Goodliffe , Robert Bruce, Andre Morell , among others .

It contains a colorful and brilliant cinematography in Technicolor by Otto Heller , mostly filmed in the wonderful outdoors from Majorca , Balearic Islands, Spain . The motion picture was competently directed by Basil Dearden who sometimes shows a tendency to pull horror tricks to enlive the twisted intrigue. Dearden was a good British filmmaker , directing all kinds of genres with success enough, such as : "Dead of night , Captive heart , Train of events , The Blue Lamp, Who Done it ? ! , The Smallest Show on Earth , Frieda , Sapphire , The league of Gentlemen , Victim , Karthoum , The Assassination Bureau , The Man Who Haunted Himself" and several others . Rating : 6.5/10 , notable . The flick will appeal to Sean Connery and Gina Lollobrigida , La Lollo , fans . Worthwhile watching .

A tighter script would have made this one more of a thriller...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 31 August 2007]

If you thought RALPH RICHARDSON was a tyrant in THE HEIRESS, you should see to what extremes his nasty character goes in WOMAN OF STRAW. And if you thought GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA was just a pretty face and figure, you should see what emotional outbursts she's capable of, even if she's somewhat handicapped by her strong Italian accent.

But the trouble with WOMAN OF STRAW lies not in the acting abilities of any of its cast members. SEAN CONNERY as the anti-hero is perfect in his portrayal of a charming, debonair no-good heel who sets a trap for a woman just so he can inherit the wealth his millionaire uncle will never leave to him. As next of kin, he will inherit that wealth, so he manufactures a plan that sets up Gina as the unsuspecting victim.

The trouble with the film lies not in the performances, but in the fact that the absorbing character driven story is told at such a leisurely pace that nothing seems to happen in the first part of the two hour film. It takes a whole hour to set up the character relationships in a story that could have been told more effectively in a brisk hour-and-a-half.

That aside, the film is meticulously photographed on grand location sites in Majorca, Connery is smoothly sophisticated in a role that shows why he made the perfect James Bond, and it does have a satisfying comeuppance for the villain of the piece. RALPH RICHARSON is so relentlessly cruel that he seems to be enjoying his villainous behavior in the style of Claude Rains at his nastiest.

The sad thing is, the film never reaches its true potential as a taut tale of suspense. Too much time is spent on building up the preliminaries before the story moves forward for the kill.

"If the whole world hates you, that in itself is a kind of power."

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 29 August 2017]

Enjoyable, if extraordinarily far-fetched story from Catherine Arley's novel concerns an Italian nurse employed by an aged British multi-millionaire, a contemptible, wheelchair-bound hypochondriac who is also an elitist and a racist. She quits after the old man watches joyfully while one of his servants nearly drowns, but the tycoon's urbane nephew stops her. He has an axe to grind (the uncle having driven the nephew's father to suicide before marrying his mother) and wants the nurse to charm the old man until he proposes marriage...and rewrites his will leaving everything to her. To buy into this plot, one has to believe the nurse (Gina Lollobrigida) and the nephew (Sean Connery) have an intimate relationship going on in secret, but there's obviously nothing passionate happening between the two stars--they are an icy match. It may be argued that chemistry between Lollobrigida and Connery isn't important; true, their relationship is a plot mechanism, though it is the starting point from which the second-half of the drama takes its cue. Cantankerous Ralph Richardson steals the movie from the leads, anyway--even when he has no lines. The film is slick and well-produced, though it hints at a potentially delectable dark side that never quite materializes. Lollobrigida's nurse is so moral, so honest that she's a bit of a pain. Connery, playing an unlikable cad, gets a chance to show fear near the end--and being rattled really suits him. **1/2 from ****

It starts slowly, gets much better, and features Lollobrigida, Connery and Richardson at the height of their powers

[PaulusLoZebra · 7/10 · 31 December 2023]

There are three main things to know about 1964's Woman of Straw. First, it's worth watching at the very least to see three fine performances from Gina Lollobrigida, Sean Connery and Ralph Richardson. Second, the film's first half is slow, a bit of an obvious melodrama, but it gets much better. And third, the on-location shooting and sumptuous set decor make it a pleasing film to watch. It's an implausible but fascinating story, and quite edgy for 1964. So, it's a good film, worth seeing, but there are a few things that keep it from greatness, notably, as mentioned, that the first half is slightly tedious and that Richardson's character is drawn too harshly, too much an extreme caricature.

interesting twisted thriller

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 18 February 2016]

Anthony Richmond (Sean Connery) hates his wealthy, ruthless businessman, wheelchair-bound uncle Charles Richmond (Ralph Richardson) for his father's demise. Maria Marcello is the new nurse. Despite Charles' cruelty, Anthony convinces her to stay close to him and marry him to get at the inheritance. He dies on his yacht off Spain as they cover it up by sneaking the body back home Bernie style.

This is early Sean Connery after just starting Bond. He's got good sinister presence and Richardson plays a crude villain. Gina Lollobrigida is a little too much of a pin up bombshell. Her character seems more like an innocent nurse. Her acting is pretty broad. The movie moves relatively slowly. The plot is an interesting twisted thriller. This is a functional drama.

superior thriller

[myriamlenys · 9/10 · 14 August 2019]

An old tycoon, rich beyond imagining, uses his money to manipulate and debase all those around him. This includes venting at his long-suffering nephew, who may or may not hate him. A new player enters into the mix : a professional nurse, trying to do her job in spite of the relentless comments. Gradually the old tycoon develops a liking for the nurse, who is a most beautiful woman...

"Woman of Straw" is a very good, very suspenseful thriller, well-directed and well-acted. It is notable for its "huis clos" atmosphere and its psychological violence. Three very different people, all of them flawed, dance and prance around a great big pile of money - and it's pretty clear that not all of them are going to survive.

The golden calf still stands - and it's still got its worshippers...

Some magnificent locations.

Doesn't Make Sense, Typical TV Ending

[verbusen · 6/10 · 18 November 2020]

I was expecting some more excitement from this thriller. Gina must had been trying to enlarge her acting roles and is made to look very modest through most of the film. Connery has many close ups and he looks different then when I remember watching him before, growing up watching Bond. He has some serious lines in his face, must have had too much make up on. The difference probably also lies in the televisions and video quality I had in the past compared to today. The actors are all good but the story is way over the top and too unbelievable for me. The ending played out like a Quinn-Martin Production to me. 6 of 10 for the high production values (albeit the writing) and scenery. Probably was filmed on an estate about to go under in the 1960s. As a film to watch with a date it played out well as she was entertained and into it, but I found it a disappointment overall.

Greed and Murder with Style and Intelligence

[ags123 · 9/10 · 27 February 2014]

This film is a personal favorite of mine, a guilty pleasure that I return to quite often. It's not a masterpiece, but I'm drawn to its style and premise. The plot is an intriguing, far-fetched tale of greed that turns to murder and deception played out in a wealthy English country estate and aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean Sea. Lovely to look at as well are the two stars: a suave, well tailored Sean Connery in his prime, and the incomparable Gina Lollobrigida decked out in a Dior wardrobe and looking as up-to-date today as she did half a century ago. It's not like watching an old movie at all. In addition to her appearance, she gives a compelling performance. How could anyone not enjoy two hours of this? "Woman of Straw" came toward the end of Basil Dearden's career and his direction is experienced and sure-handed. The intelligent script contains some thoughtful statements on racism and class structure. This profound bit of dialog is uttered by the tyrannical millionaire, played by Ralph Richardson, when reminiscing about his late wife: "She never raised her voice to me, never tried to wheedle anything out of me. She was exceptional. She died in great pain. A kind nature is no defense against sickness and death, so what's the point of it?" Gems like this have me hanging on every word. The cat and mouse game goes on a little too long and taxes suspension of disbelief, but it's a fun-filled journey all the way.

Connery Seems Bored

[slightlymad22 · 6/10 · 3 May 2017]

The Woman Of Straw (1964)

Plot In A Paragraph: Sly Anthony (Connery) plots ways to gain control of his uncle's fortune with the help of his nurse Maria.

Not one to revisit often, if ever. In fact this is the first time I have revisited this since I paid a silly amount of money for a DVD that will just sit in my collection a few years back. It's not awful, but it's far from grea. Worth watching once though.

Connery took second billing, and for a great majority of the movie seems a little bored by it all. Top billed Gina Lollobrigida is attractive, but she lacks any chemistry with Connery. The best performance in the movie comes from Ralph Richardson as the vile, racist tycoon who "treats his servants like dogs and his dogs like servants" he even kept stealing the movie after his character is killed off.

The Woman Of Straw tanked at the box office, not registering on the highest grossing movies of the year list.

woman of straw

[mossgrymk · 5/10 · 21 May 2023]

Afraid I must dissent from the vast majority of my IMDB colleagues in their praise of Basil Dearden's attempt at Hitchcockian murder/suspense. It fails at the starting gate for me with a less than credible story about a morally grounded nurse who agrees to participate in a very amoral marriage simply because she is physically attracted to Sean Connery! And since I did not buy the movie's basic premise everything that flows from it, including a typically fine turn by Ralph Richardson doing what he does best, namely playing dastards, is tainted. And once Richardson leaves the scene, about halfway through, we are left with Connery/Lolabrigida which is about half as hot as Connery/Andress. Or Connery/Hedren. Solid C.