Jeff Chandler suited playing the male leads in women's pictures - he had the look and enough talent, and was virile and didn't overpower the female co star while not being overpowered himself. He should have done more - but most of his movies were Universal actioners.
Here the star really is Loretta Young. She starts the film looking a little floozy like in a blonde peroxide wig and dancing with her shonky boyfriend - I actually like the idea of floozy Young. But she's not... she's an innocent who winds up in prison because he asked her to hold something.
So she goes to prison and is a good girl - I was looking forward to Young in prison fighting off lesbian rapists but alas it was not to be. She gets out, becomes a nurse and meets war veteran Chandler when the story really kicks off.
Young is noble and suffering - I respect her as an actor and admit she's well cast for basically a weak and passive character but I'm not wild about her as a star.
The film is quite well written and decently paced. Scenes with the kid feel written by someone with a lot of experience with children. Moments are charming. I love how Young became the assistant to a magician - this was cute.
But there are flaws.
One is minor - it feels very contrived that Young doesn't tell Chandler she was in prison. I did buy her getting in the car with her ex - this was tense and all too believable especially when he threatened the kid.
One is major - Chandler's character is a truly horrible human being. He goes into such a sulk about finding out Young went to prison and was in a car with her ex - she was forced!!!! - that he gets the married annulled, gets full custody of the kid AND TELLS THE KID HER MOTHER IS DEAD!!! Then sooks and carries on when he finds out that she's secretly been the kid's nanny - and only asks her back because the kid isn't happy without Young. He's a truly abusive person - really he should be the villain.
The film depicts a bleak world for women - Young is convicted twice of crimes involving her ex that she's innocent of, prison rules are harsh, she can't date/marry on parole without permission, she loses custody of her child, her ex tells the child her mother is dead.
Thing is, the flaws of the movie could have been fixed. You should have had Young's ex threaten the kid - they go on the trip... the ex is going to hurt the kid so Young shoots the ex... shoots him. She freaks out, the cops come, the ex is captured, Young goes on the run... Chandler thinks she's run off with her ex... That makes his anger understandable. It also makes you understand why she stays away and sneaks back to being a nanny... You keep the ex alive... he comes back in the third act to threaten the family (escapes from prison)... they shoot him dead after he proves Young's innocence... All reunited.
That would be better than this.
It's a shame Chandler is so horrible in the last act because I went with this until then.
No comments:
Post a Comment