In 1944, the bloody torso of John Dick was discovered in Hamilton, Ontario by a group of schoolboys. Soon after, his estranged wife, Evelyn, was charged with the grisly murder. Evelyn, a femme fatale in the conservative, post war community was very quickly demonized, particularly after a suitcase filled with cement was found in her attic. Embedded in the concrete were the remains of her infant son. All in a all, a pretty gruesome story.
But as I researched the material and thought about the case, the question of Evelyn’s role intrigued me. From the time she was a young woman, Evelyn was prostituted by her parents. And in the trial it was revealed that her mother and father had tampered with the evidence, implicating their daughter. Her mother even testified against her during the trial. I became convinced that she was at most an accessory to the crimes, the sad victim of two extraordinarily venal parents.
Evelyn was played to the ravishing hilt by Kathleen Robertson. Victor Garber was magnificent as her lawyer, J.J. Robinette.
Gemini Award, Best Movie.
WGC Top Ten Award for Outstanding Screenplay