I first saw this movie on TV when I was a teenager. I fell in love with Ida. But, now that I have put away childish things, even though I still love Ida, the movie grinds to a screeching halt when she appears and violins replace French horns in the score. Ryan's transition from sadist to simp is too abrupt. Nonetheless, I will probably watch the movie again in a few months as I have every year since I taped it about 20 years ago.
sharek
shareVery underrated actress and director! She was super in the early forties movie "Ladies in Retirement", and in this movie.
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JIM HUTTON: talented gorgeous HOT; adorable as ElleryQueen; SEXIEST ACTOR EVER
I agree with you entirely. I, too, like ida lupino, but her appearance temporarily derails an exceptional film. Her performance is too converntional and 'hollywood'. Mercifully, she is given little screen time. You wonder about these things, when you watch a movie, and the pressures forced upon writers and directors, especially by Howard Hughes, who ran RKO when this was filmed.There were several cuts made to this film before it was released. At the end, when Ryan drives back to the city, there is an abrupt jump as we see him return in the opposite direction to Lupino, indicating a change not only of heart but script, too. Lupino was an interesting actress in the early 40's, but she always had a tendency to overact, and by the fifties some of her performances are very uneven in their intensity. i still love this movie. it's unique, and quite modern.
shareI liked the ending. It would have been unbearable had Wilson gone back to the city which was eating his insides.
Absurdity: A Statement or belief inconsistent with my opinion.
"Ryan's transition from sadist to simp is too abrupt".
While I can see your point, when you meet someone who has a profound impact on you, you can change very quickly. You may be very young or just been unlucky, but one day I hope it happens to you. Then you'll understand.
Also, I imagine given the 80 minutes of the film they had to make it abrupt. It's called poetic license. I use it all the time in my songs.
Not as abrupt as Brents change of heart when he gingerly picks up the dead Danny after he sees he was chasing after a kid. A kid who killed his daughter.
Even Jim's expression is one of shock. It was a defining moment in the film.
You'll change your tune if you see her performance in ' They Drive by Night '. She's nothing short of ' The Antichrist ' in that film. I feel it's the best performance of her career.
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