The Blind Goddess (1948 film)
The Blind Goddess is a 1948 British courtroom drama directed by Harold French. It stars Eric Portman, Anne Crawford and Michael Denison, with Claire Bloom making her screen debut. The screenplay, by Muriel Box and Sydney Box, is adapted from the 1947 play The Blind Goddess by Patrick Hastings.
The story follows Derek Waterhouse, the private secretary to Lord Brasted, who becomes entangled in a web of bribery, blackmail and murder. After a man connected to Brasted is killed and papers are stolen, Waterhouse’s testimony leads to a libel trial at the Old Bailey. Important letters and a complicated romantic entanglement affect the case, and the truth is slowly teased out through courtroom twists. Brasted wins the libel suit, but new evidence raises further questions, and the film hints at a tragic ending for Brasted.
Produced by Harold French for Gainsborough Pictures, with executive Betty E. Box, The Blind Goddess was shot at Islington Studios with art direction by Norman Arnold. It was released in London on 9 September 1948 and in the US in June 1949. The budget was about £143,000, and by 1953 it had earned around £88,000, making it not a box-office success.
The “blind goddess” in the film title refers to Justice. Critics noted that the film closely followed the stage play, praised the performances, but sometimes found it stiff as a screen adaptation.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:44 (CET).