joan fontaine here be entirely convincing a an amoral beauty who be entirely incapable of feel love for anyone but herself . her husband ( richard ney ) have lose all his money through a combination of his foolhardiness and her extravagance and and they be reduce to live in a tiny room and with little or no prospect . they continue to put on the most amazing clothes and go out and socialize a if nothing be wrong . he be a charming and feckless and but wholly amiable fellow . however and fontaine decides he have to go and a he have outlive his usefulness . so she resolve to poison him when she realize he do not want to divorce her and so that she can move on . she have meanwhile have a lover ( patric knowles ) whom she decide to drop because he be not rich either . she meet the age herbert marshall and who have a yacht with all the trimming and more money than even fontaine could figure out how to spend . she target him and decide he will do nicely . he be all too eager to be eat up by the young beauty . he certainly isn not very exciting and and have about as much sex appeal a yesterday omelette . but fontaine be one of those gal who have eye only for money and and the man stand between her and it be transparent and so that she doesn not even notice or care what he look like and she look through him and see what she really want and go for it . she proceed to poison her husband and and dispatch him very neatly and satisfactorily and so that everything be go well . but a always happen in the movie and and sometimes even in life and some unexpected thing begin to go wrong and and the tension rise appreciably and so that fontaine begin to sweat . fontaine be particularly good at look wicked and terrified and and a the net begin to close in on her and her rise sense of desperation be palpable and have u on the edge of our seat . hysteria and fear take over from cool calculation and cunning . but she find a fall guy for her crime in the person of her cast off lover and who be an innocent victim of her scheme to set him up . he be condemn to death for murder and because the husband death by poison come to light unexpectedly . but sir cedric hardwicke and play a grimly determine scotland yard inspector and think there may be something amiss and and begin to doubt the story and suspect fontaine . he close in on her and and some of the scene a this happen be inspired portrayal of the wild panic . but will the innocent man life be save before he be execute . will fontaine worm her way out of this one . will herbert marshall protect her to safeguard his infatuation . this film be expertly direct by sam wood and and the film be a really superb suspense thriller which i suppose qualifies very well for the description of a superior film noir .