How can you not like a movie with Barbara Stanwyck? Serouisly. Is it possible?
This was Errol's one full dive into film noir. OK - it's no Night of the Hunter, but it's still a pretty decent film for both the genre and period. I will telll y'all (you all being the no one on earth that reads this post) that I had figured out the "insanity runs in the family" plot twist about half-way through the movie. Doesn't matter. Errol plays a very strong character, but against his popular image at the time. He rarely played stick-in-the-mud anal-retentive snobs (his best being much later in That Forsyte Woman) later That Forsyte Woman, but when he did, he did it well.
Other notes - There is zero comic relief in this film, or any of Errol's normal comic second bananas, like Alan Hale or Guinn "Big Boy" Williams. It was played true to form for the genre.
Bottom line - very solid basic story. The film dragged a bit. However - Barbara Stanwyck. Errol at his peak! How could the studio have messed this up? In the end, a weak plt, to my thinking? But still a very solid Errol film. It's a shame he didn;t make morewith Barbara Stanwyck. Jeez, she's good.
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