An amateur psychic concocts a scheme to kidnap the child of a wealthy family. She seeks affirmation of her fraudulent abilities rather than money. Her real power is manipulating her harried and strangely devoted husband, who tolerates her eccentric habits and constant put-downs with quiet resignation. His wife is clearly nuts, but there’s more than marital sympathy behind his reasons for humoring her follies. Guilt over their deceased child has trapped him into playing the longing mother’s surrogate baby. Richard Attenborough embodies the dogged husband brilliantly, nervously trying to balance his wife’s strange demands with a punishable reality. The atmosphere is dank and dark, foreshadowing an unfortunate end for both the couple and the abducted child. Though the big events are predictable, there are some satisfying little twists, and plenty of tense moments. Most of all, watching the odd couple go to pieces in their distinct ways is great drama.

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