My Name is Julia Ross

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My Name is Julia Ross
My Name is Julia Ross movie poster
Directed by	Joseph H. Lewis
Produced by	Wallace MacDonald
Written by	Anthony Gilbert (novel The Woman in Red) Muriel Roy Bolton
Starring	Nina Foch Dame May Whitty
Cinematography	Burnett Guffey
Release date(s)	November 8, 1945 (U.S. release)
Running time	65 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

My Name is Julia Ross is a 1945 suspense film directed by Joseph H. Lewis. This is the first in a series of film noir directed by Lewis. It is based on the novel The Woman in Red by Anthony Gilbert.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Julia Ross secures employment as secretary for a wealthy widow, Mrs. Hughes, and moves into her house. Two days later, she awakens in a house with high walls surrounding it keeping her captive. She's in different clothes and has a new identity. The young woman is told she is the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Hughes and has suffered a nervous breakdown. She soon learns that the son of Mrs. Hughes has murdered his wife, disposed of her body and, with his mother's help, plans to pass Julia off as his wife. A panicked Julia desperately tries to contact her boyfriend, one of the only people in England who might be able to help her.

[edit] Reaction

Critics praised the short B-movie but many felt the end rushed. Channel 4's review called the film a taut suspense thriller "Think of this as the 1945 equivalent of the modern-day US indie hit." [1]