The Blind Goddess – 1948 | 87 mins | Drama | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Courtroom melodrama based on a stage play by Patrick Hastings. Michael Denison proves to be a solid lead but the film belongs to Eric Portman and his enjoyably authoritative performance as a skillful King’s Counsel, whilst Claire Bloom makes her film debut. Harold French’s direction is stagey and the talky script is attributed to husband-and-wife team Sydney and Muriel Box. The title refers to blind justice.

Young Derek Waterhouse (Michael Denison) learns that his employer, Lord Brasted (Hugh Williams), is concerned in the disappearance of immense sums of money intended for an international post-war fund. Brasted denies the story, significantly however, he offers Derek a job abroad and makes him a present of £10,000. News comes that Count Mikla, Derek’s informant, has committed suicide. Believing it to be a case of murder, Derek sends the facts to the Prime Minister, He writes an affectionate note for the girl he loves, Mary Dearing (Claire Bloom), but she has already left for abroad and never gets the letter.

Lord Brasted issues a writ for libel and engages Sir John Dearing (Eric Portman), Mary’s father, as his counsel. The case goes badly for him until Sir John produces his trump card – a letter said to have been written by Derek to Lady Brasted (Anne Crawford), with whom he used to be in love. Actually it is Derek’s letter to Mary; Lady Brasted had filched it to help her husband. Derek loses the action and is ordered to pay £10,000 damages. Mary hurries back to England and convinces Derek that she did not receive the letter. Her father discovers another falsification in the evidence. Lord Brasted, unable to face the consequences, kills himself. Derek, freed from scandal, asks Mary to marry him.