Woman of Straw

Anthony Richmond is a smooth, opportunistic man who sees a way into his wheelchair-bound uncle Charles Richmond's vast estate. He hires Maria, a striking nurse with a complicated past, and persuades her to marry the cantankerous tycoon so Anthony can control the fortune through her. The arrangement starts as a calculated con, but as loyalties shift and resentments grow, the household becomes a tense battleground of manipulation, desire, and moral compromise. The story moves through moments of quiet menace and open conflict, keeping the focus on how money and power warp relationships without revealing later surprises.

Directed by Basil Dearden and released in 1964, the film adapts material credited to Catherine Arley with screen contributions from Robert Muller and Stanley Mann. It stars Gina Lollobrigida as Maria, Sean Connery as Anthony, and Ralph Richardson as Charles Richmond, assembling a high-profile international cast for a British thriller.

The movie has a particular place in 1960s cinema for bringing together Lollobrigida and Connery, who were both major stars at that time. Its polished production values and fashion-forward visuals give it a distinct period feel, and it often gets mentioned when people discuss stylish British dramas of the era. While it never spawned a large cult following, cinephiles sometimes revisit it for its casting and its depiction of class and manipulation.

Critical response was mixed, and audience reaction reflects that division, with a 6.2 out of 10 average from 55 votes on one aggregation site. Reviewers tended to single out strong performances, especially those of Lollobrigida and Richardson, while noting the script's melodramatic turns and uneven pacing. The film touches on themes of greed, control, the vulnerability of intimacy when money is involved, and how charm can mask calculation, making it an interesting, if imperfect, entry in midcentury British thrillers.