Cheryl's reaction to everything, her hysterics, etc. makes her look crazy. Really, did she have to run out of the building like a madwoman when Richter tried to push her out the window? She doesn't help herself in these situations. Then climbing up the scaffolding? Really.
shareI love the police response to this case....well, we looked around his apartment and didn't see anything...he says it didn't happen so you must be crazy...we'll believe an ex-Nazi over a single career woman...Ex-Nazi keeps going to the police because he's so concerned about this poor thing's acting so crazy...and the captain who orders her to the loony bin....I love Stanwyck and Sanders but this movie's a little too loopy for me.
shareyeah a bit TOO weird When there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...
What really cracked me up is when Merrill first runs down info on Sanders to Stanwyck. He sez something like,"Oh, and he's an ex-Nazi, his wife was killed in Germany in 1943, etc." Stanwyck doesn't even blink, or react. I guess she ran into a lot of ex-Nazis in her line of work!
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Re-reading hammerjacko's post, I was reminded that Stanwyck was sent to the psych ward of a public hospital just because a lowly police precinct captain ordered it! Other oddities:
1) When Merrill and Jesse White first encounter Sanders, Merrill immediately sez something like: "The lady across the street thought she saw you murdering a woman." Did cops back then routinely tip off potential suspects about potential witnesses?
2) Merrill almost immediately begins a personal relationship with a woman who's involved in his case. No one ever calls him on it, not even his captain who sees him embrace her when she enters the captain's office.
3)Of course, neither Stanwyck nor Sanders ever consults a lawyer. The is pre-Miranda, so the cops didn't have to inform suspects about anything, I guess.
4) Unless I missed something, the police remove personal property (her typewriter) from Stanwyck's apartment without a search warrant.
5) The police woman sent to supposedly "look after" Stanwyck starts wrestling with STANWYCK even though a man about a foot taller and 100 lbs. heavier than Stanwyck is attacking her.
6) The apartment manager who shows Stanwyck the vacant unit goes through a whole spiel about the place, but never bothers to say what the monthly rent is (and she never asks!)
7) I guess it never occurred to Merrill and company that after the dead woman was identified, maybe they should dust Sanders' apartment and look for her fingerprints just to be on the safe side. But I guess we should assume a suave ex-Nazi would have wiped down the joint.
"We're fighting for this woman's honor, which is more than she ever did."
The script definitely has some major flaws.
The Divine Genealogy Goddess
The scene of where a woman in trouble being chased by a bad guy and she decides to go to a dark, vacant area instead of a well-lit, well-populated area is still a common scene. Many cop shows still use it and I always feel like screaming, go to a shopping center, a store, somewhere with lights and people! Barbara Stanwyck's character had that diner near her and they knew her there. That's where I would have gone and stayed there till the boyfriend showed up.
share8) The nurse in the observation ward dashing out to get some coffee for a patient, leaving them unsupervised. Then, the same nurse gives a crying Stanwyck a sedative injection (without consulting a doctor) but does nothing for the other far more agitated woman.
9) Why stick a police officer in the murder victim's apartment?
It was very unrealistic. You know this man is a murderer, yet still you go to his apartment and confront him. But despite the movie's flaws, I still loved it. It was very suspenseful and at one point had me on the edge of my seat.
shareI still really like the movie in spite of all its flaw too.
The Divine Genealogy Goddess
In addition to all other crazy stuff pointed out in the thread, there´s the basic premise to contend with - that the police would truly believe that a successful businesswoman with no history of mental disturbance of any kind would suddenly not be able to tell apart dreams and reality (and would go all-out schizoid in no time, vis-a-vis the letter typing).
There´s even this hilarious exchange where the cop insinuates it might be rather normal not be able to recall typing/sending these letters:
Stanwyck: "Did you write it?"
Cop: "Not consciously"
Stanwyck: "You mean, you could have written it unconsciously?"
Cop: "It´s possible!"
Stanwyck: "Oh!"
All of it played with a straight face; that´s the Age Of Psychobabble for ya. But it´s a pretty entertaining film and Sanders´s sudden mad-dog rant in German (he had the accent down pretty well btw) alone made it sort of worthwhile.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
I love that when she becomes hysterical in response to Saunder's Talking Villain speech (Just kill her already! Sheesh!), and flees into the street, all he has to do is scream that she's crazy and a bunch random strangers start chasing her down the street. By the time she climbs up the scaffold there are 20 people behind her.
Arguably Cheryl could have been more discreet in her actions. However since we view the narrative from Cheryl's perspective and understand the truth, our sympathies should be with her actions.
"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".
Lol!!! I know!! I know!!!
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