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The File on Thelma Jordon

The File on Thelma Jordon

Thriller · Drama · Crime · 1949

Cleve Marshall, an assistant district attorney, falls for Thelma Jordon, a mysterious woman with a troubled past. When Thelma becomes a suspect in her aunt's murder, Cleve tries to clear her name.

Movie details

The File on Thelma Jordon

“...SHE'LL LIE...KILL OR KISS HER WAY OUT OF ANYTHING!”

1949 Thriller · Drama · Crime 1h 40m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Cleve Marshall, an assistant district attorney, falls for Thelma Jordon, a mysterious woman with a troubled past. When Thelma becomes a suspect in her aunt's murder, Cleve tries to clear her name.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The File on Thelma Jordon?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Robert Siodmak

Written by

Ketti Frings · Marty Holland

Barbara Stanwyck

Barbara Stanwyck

Thelma Jordon

Wendell Corey

Wendell Corey

Cleve Marshall

Paul Kelly

Paul Kelly

Miles Scott

Joan Tetzel

Joan Tetzel

Pamela Blackwell Marshall

Stanley Ridges

Stanley Ridges

Kingsley Willis

Richard Rober

Richard Rober

Tony Laredo

Minor Watson

Minor Watson

Judge Calvin H. Blackwell

Court is in session

Put The File on Thelma Jordon on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.