The Strange Woman (1946/1947), Hedy Lamarr, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

The Strange Woman (1946/1947), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, is a unique costume-drama noir featuring Hedy Lamarr as Jenny Hager, a manipulative 1820s Maine woman scheming for power and love. The film is celebrated for Lamarr’s complex performance as a “femme fatale” who exploits men to escape poverty, blending period melodrama with dark, psychological noir elements.
IMDb
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Key Aspects of the Film:
Complex Femme Fatale: Hedy Lamarr’s Jenny Hager is depicted as a deeply troubled, ambitious woman from a poor background who manipulates local men to climb the social ladder.
Unique Genre Blend: Though set in the 1820s-1830s, the film uses noir tropes, including a manipulative protagonist, fatal romantic entanglements, and a sordid plot to kill her wealthy husband.
Director & Style: Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, known for B-movie classics like Detour, this film is considered a stylish,, if sometimes erratic, period piece.
Plot Highlights: Jenny marries a rich, older man (Gene Lockhart), seduces his son (Louis Hayward) into patricide, and schemes with another man (George Sanders).
Production: The film was produced by Hunt Stromberg Productions and released through United Artists.
IMDb
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For more details on the cast and crew, you can check the full credits on IMDb. You can read a contemporary review of the film on The New York Times archive, and Turner Classic Movies provides an in-depth article about the movie.
The Strange Woman (1946) – IMDb
Strange Noir Film. Propelled by powerful performances, a good script and strong cinematography, The Strange Woman explores the lif…

IMDb
The Strange Woman – TCM
A costume drama wrapped in a cloak of film noir, Edgar G. Ulmer’s The Strange Woman (1946) stars Hedy Lamarr as a young woman who …

Turner Classic Movies
The Strange Woman – Wikipedia
Jenny arrives at the cabin and, seeing them together, frantically whips her horse, bearing down on them with her carriage. It hits…
Wikipedia

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