What makes it different from others?

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Copyright 31 August 1950 (in notice: 1949) by Universal Pictures Co., Inc. A Two Cities Films, London, production, released in the U.S. by Universal-International, August 1950. New York opening at the Park Avenue: 11 October 1950. U.K. release through General Film Distributors: 29 August 1949. Australian release through Gaumont- British-Dominions/20th Century-Fox: 14 July 1950. 105 minutes. Cut to around 90 minutes in Australia and the U.S.A. SYNOPSIS: Blind girl threatened by husband's best friend. VIEWER'S GUIDE: Not suitable for young children. NOTES: Directorial debut (the only other film I have for him as a director is "No Escape" in 1953) of screenwriter Charles Bennett. His films include Blackmail, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, Secret Agent, Sabotage, Foreign Correspondent, etc.COMMENT: How wonderful to see a Gothic thriller produced with such class and style! Of course we shouldn't be too surprised, considering Bennett's credentials on some of our favorite Hitchcocks. My only complaint is that in the full-length British version, the plot does take a long time to get going. Once that charismatic heavy, Kathleen Byron, comes on the screen, however, the thrills mount to a suspenseful climax.Margaret Lockwood turns in an attractive study of the imperiled heroine, and there is fine support work by Maxwell Reed as a sinister servant and Raymond Lovell as a Spiral Staircase count.Although the basic plot is a familiar one (compare "Night Without Stars"), it is given class "A" treatment here with film noirish photography, aristocratic sets, hordes of extras and real locations.Best of all, Bennett's direction is not only spine-tingling, but confident and assured. OTHER VIEWS: With its echoes of Rebecca, Kidnapped and Notorious, not to mention The Spiral Staircase and other Gothic thrillers, Madness of the Heart is guaranteed to generate suspense. When fine acting and skillful direction are added to the plot, the result is almost certainly edge-of-the-seat excitement.

Take a bit of 'Black Narcissus' and throw in a bit of 'Rebecca' and you have 'Madness Of The Heart' from 1949. Lydia Garth meets a man, falls in love, goes blind, enters a convent, comes out again, meets previous man, gets married, goes to France, gets persecuted. Nothing surprising which is a shame as it had a lot of potential. The good cast act gamely but the pedestrian script is impossible to enliven. What it does have is Kathleen Byron playing Verite Faimont, channeling her Sister Ruth from 'Black Narcissus', as a jealous woman who covets Lydia Garth's husband. In an interview in 1990 Kathleen Byron said she was by the time of this film fed up playing these types of roles but no one did it better. She scorches the screen whenever she is on. In the horse riding scene she looks full of rage, frustration and sexiness at the same time. It took by breath away. The music by Allan Gray is good and the ubiquitous Sam Kydd turns up in a blink-and-you'll-miss-him-role, otherwise it's a conventional soap opera, apart from the kick that Kathleen Byron gives to it.

This is what would have been called "a woman's picture" when it was made.As mentioned elsewhere it has echoes of Rebecca but without the mystery or suspense.It has moments of utter incredulity.It is difficult to know is more laughable the car crash which disposes of the husband and the attempted murdered or the "meeting cute"at the end in an attempt to add on a happy ending.These clichés represent some of the more laboured attempts at drama.There are many others such as going blind and then given a chance a chance at a one in fifty successful operation.This is strictly for Lockwood fans.Otherwise don't waste your time.

This is a definite must-see for any Margaret Lockwood fans, as well as Hitchcock lovers as it's very Hitchcock in style. There's simply not a dull moment as we follow the young Lydia through the path her life takes when she goes blind and finds there is only the tiniest chance that surgery could restore her sight - and an even smaller chance that she would even survive the operation. Her sweetheart Paul still wishes to marry her, and she finds happiness with him, but that is short-lived as she begins to get the feeling that someone wants her dead. The movie takes a truly terrifying turn, and though in part is predictable, it's still definitely exciting. 9/10