After his tremendous success with horror movies, RKO gave Val Lewton a few chances at non horror, neither of which worked out commercially and criticially. This was his juvenile delinquent film. It includes some of his stock company and was made by his regular collaborators.
The film I saw is apparently different from the original cut, changed after a poor preview - shades of Magnificent Ambersons. As with that the cuts didn't seem to work.
I'm sure Lewton's original version was better but there is something lacking here. His horrors worked because there was this constant underling menace. There's just sludgy drama hre.
For a film about juvenile delinquents there's all this emphasis on adults - Jean Brooks returns home to deal with her brother, Kent Smith is Brooks' husband (an injured soldier), Lawrence Tierney is a local gangster. Bonita Granville as Tierney's girlfriend. Sam Arkoff and AIP learned how to do a juvenile delinquent film - focus on the kids.
Glen Vernon is Brooks' brother who goes off the rails. Vanessa Brown is his girlfriend. Some kids ride a fast car.
There's a lot of pearl clutching about how parents neglect their kids. Brooks opens a day care centre. Brown's parents kick her out and Granville gets her a job at a dodgy bar. Smith teaches kids how to do.
Kent Smith is dull and smug. Jean Brooks looks sad. Maybe the film should've had their characters meet and fall in love - would've given the piece some progress.
Vernon's surrounded by family - caring parents, a sister, her husband. So the point of the film that thse kids are neglected doesn't hold.
This film is so dull. Scenes go on forever. Kent Smith runs around trying to solve problems. The judge gives the kid into Smith's care but the kid gets into trouble... but there's no blow back on Smith.
Brooks is wasted - may as well cut her part out of the film, given it all to Smith. Or cut Smith out given it all to Brooks.
The one good bit is where there's a brawl at a club (Vernon hassling Brown who is working as a hostess) - that results in Granville being knocked on the head, and Granville dies. Her death bed scene is decent.
Why not use Tierney as a threat? Why not use Vernon's sassy friend more he seemed interesting.
There's hilarious propaganda at the end where Smith tells Brown about the work of Ruth Clifton (whose work setting up clubs for teens inspired the film).
This movie is fairly awful.
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