The Lost Moment

THE LOST MOMENT is a 1947 thriller in the tradition of Rebecca and the only film directed by actor Martin Gabel. Robert Cummings (SLEEP, MY LOVE) stars as Lewis Venable, an energetic American publisher in search of the lost love letters of an early 19th century poet. Under a false name, Lewis rents a room in a mansion from Juliana Borderau (Agnes Moorehead, TV's BEWITCHED), a former lover of the dead writer. Overseeing the eerie mansion is Juliana's near-psychotic niece, Tina (Susan Hayward, WHERE LOVE HAS GONE), who mistrusts the publisher from the very onset. It soon becomes clear to Lewis that the mansion harbors horrible secrets, however, he intends to collect the lost letters at any cost. Art director Alexander Golitzen (TOUCH OF EVIL) and set decorators Russell A. Gausman (SHADOW OF a DOUBT) and Ken Swartz (THE AFFAIR OF SUSAN) make great use of the haunting Venetian mansion. The incredible makeup used to make Agnes Moorehead appear 105-years-old created quite a stir in 1947, as it became the subject of many magazine articles. THE LOST MOMENT was shot in glorious black-and-white by Hal Mohr (THE WILD ONE) from an adapted screenplay by Leonardo Bercovici (PORTRAIT OF JENNIE, THE BISHOP'S WIFE), and based on the Henry James' best-selling novel THE ASPERN PAPERS.