I post reviews (here) of Film Noir movies from Hollywood’s Golden Age of Noir, the 1940s and 1950s. I write as an amateur film noir enthusiast, but not an authority as such.

Maybe, like me, you are looking to enjoy films that are different, or of a different era. Films you may not have seen, ones encompassing cynical detectives, seductive femme fatales, flawed sidekicks all tossed together into intricate plots. Not forgetting the snappy dialogue too.

Backstory: Film Noir has its roots in German expressionist cinematography and American crime fiction. During the 1930s Hollywood became a perfect storm of film artists fleeing the threat of Nazi Germany, emigrating to America, and specifically to the Film studios of Hollywood. This included great directors such as Fritz Lang, Jaques Tourneur, Michael Curtiz and Robert Siodmak.

This new dramatic visual style combined with American hardboiled crime stories (noir fiction), emerged during the Great Depression and produced many classic noirs. Some of these writers include: Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, Dashiell Hammett, Patricia Highsmith, Jim Thompson and Mickey Spillane.

I hope to showcase some of these memorable noir movies here for you. And advance apologies for a mixture of British and  US English occasionally. I have applied the link below, to the Amazon.com DVD of today’s featured film. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases).

Inspired by hardboiled detective stories and film noir, I have written the Sterling Private Investigator Series, set in present-day London. I have also posted a link to my books at the bottom of the page.

Today’s film is:

Sudden Fear

(USA link) DVD: https://amzn.to/3Dmpp3u Blu-ray: https://amzn.to/4fpU5Om

(UK link) DVD: https://amzn.to/4a3P0KM Blu-ray: https://amzn.to/49Xglhy

“He gave me everything without taking anything.”

 Film Studio: RKO Radio Pictures, 1952/B&W

Director: David Miller

Original Music: Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography: Charles Lang

Film Editor: Leon Barsha

Written by: Lenore J. Coffee, Robert Smith, Edna Sherry (novel)

Produced by: Joseph Kaufman

Main Actors: Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame

Run time: 110 minutes

Preview

The film is based upon the 1948 novel of the same name, Sudden Fear by Edna Sherry. Joan Crawford was the executive producer, so had much influence over the production; hiring the screenwriter, the director and cinematographer, also casting Jack Palance and Gloria Grahame.

The film was a box-office success. Joan Crawford was nominated for an Oscar and was the winner of a Golden Globe and a Laurel for Best Actress. Jack Palance won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award (in his first major film role).

Joan Crawford was named the first, “Queen of the Movies” by Life Magazine, but by the late 1930s her popularity was in decline. In 1938, Joan Crawford along with, Greta Garbo, Mae West, Marlene Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn and others, were dubbed box office poison by the Hollywood Reporter. Though, their acting abilities were unquestioned, their high salaries no longer reflected ticket sales and high revenues. But Joan Crawford moved from MGM to Warner Bros and had a critical and commercial success in the 1945 noir: Mildred Pierce, reviving her film career for the next two decades.

Synopsis

Myra Hudson (played by Joan Crawford), is a successful and celebrated Broadway playwright. Older, single and wealthy. In the opening scene, she sits in the stalls of the Bijou Theatre, following a dress rehearsal of her own play, “Halfway to Heaven”. She watches on, as Lester Blaine (played by Jack Palance), shares lines with his co-star. Myra turns to the director and says, “He doesn’t look like a romantic leading man.” We’re not fully convinced this is the reason, but the upshot is that she has him fired. When he finds out, he returns to the stage and exchanges words with her. The play, however, becomes a hit.

Sometime after this episode, Myra takes the overnight train home to San Francisco, when she sees Lester Blaine board. Feeling guilty, she invites him into her compartment for a drink. It turns out that they connect and have chemistry; soon playing stud poker, exchanging literary lines and stories from the theatre. They have breakfast together, and their new-found relationship is going so well, Blaine discreetly extends his ticket from Chicago to San Francisco. They spend a few hours together in the Windy City before resuming their train journey. Upon arrival, to the surprise of her Lawyer, Steve Kearney (Bruce Bennet), they have arranged to go dancing at the Fairmont that same evening. He knows something is up.

The whirlwind romance culminates in their marriage. The first thirty minutes of the film could be classed as a romance. Then things turn decidedly noir. An old flame and ex-partner-in crime, Irene Neves (played by Gloria Grahame), makes an unannounced appearance at the couple’s hosted party. She is on the arm of “Junior” Kearney (played by Mike Connors). Junior, being the son and partner of Myra’s lawyer and good friend.

Feigning not to know each other at the time, Blaine aggressively tracks Neves to her address at Tamalpais Apartments intercepting her at the door. Pushing her in, he demands to know what she was doing in San Francisco. She tells him, “An old friend of mine married a San Francisco girl. It was in all the New York Papers.” There is a threat of exposure from Irene (to Junior), about a $5,000 loan that Lester had not repaid, and, “I haven’t told him about Fire Island, either. Or the night after New Year’s.” While not specific or made clear, it suggests whatever happened, she’s willing to blackmail him over it.

At first, Lester is angry and threatening in return, “If you ever do, you’re gonna need a new face.”  As Lester is about to leave, he glances back to see Irene stretched out on the couch and, desirous, he returns… Their old passion is reignited, along with some new scheming. And about all things, money.

Lester is unaware that Myra is actually in the process of changing her will, to make him the beneficiary of her estate. Before the party, Myra begins to record the new proposal, her Last Will and Testament — into her personal dictating machine, absent-mindedly leaving it rolling. Myra then goes to meet her newly-arrived guests, there for a private bridge game.

During the evening, Lester and Irene arrange to slip away and secretly meet in Myra’s study where they stumble across the original will, which states Myra’s money is to be left to a Foundation, confirming earlier suspicions. Lester incorrectly interprets the situation and is ignorant of the new version.

They conclude that Lester would inherit Myra’s estate — if she dies — before the new will is signed (in a few day’s time). Irene says she has a gun, but Lester says it has to be, “an accident”. Unbeknown to them, their plotting is recorded on that same Dictaphone. The next day Myra discovers the recording, mortified, she is suddenly in fear for her life. She hears their scheming plans and hears her husband admit he doesn’t love her and that he wants to kill her. The last chilling words from his devious mistress, repeated like a needle stuck on a gramophone record: “I know a way… I know a way…”

The tormented wife accidentally breaks the disc (disk), when removing it, then later, concocts a synchronized plan to murder Lester and pin the blame on Irene. It’s cat and mouse from hereon and the suspense starts to come to the boil nicely.

Myra secretly makes a copy of Lester’s key to Irene’s apartment. Going there, she removes samples of Irene’s handwriting, her headed stationery and her gun hidden in a hatbox. She also discovers a bottle of poison in the closet too. (We already know Irene is not your regular kind of girl…).

Back home, Myra forges Irene’s handwriting, signing off a note addressed to Lester. And one from him to her. With the sleight of a magician’s hand, she secretes one letter into a glove, and the other, into a pocket, of the would-be murderers.

We watch on as she visualizes her murder plan (with her ticking pendulum clock showing the times), and we start to wonder if she will go through with it, and if it will work…

And all we know is, someone is going to die.

Things to like

Lester Blaine is co-joined by his wife in their elegant home, greeting guests to their Reception. Across the crowded room, Blaine’s attention is drawn to a couple who have just arrived. Specifically, to a striking woman taking off her coat and headscarf. Then, we see his eyes widen slightly, and we know this isn’t an ordinary glance, or even an enamored one. We speculate he knows her. Or something about her. Intrigued, we watch on, as they are briefly introduced… though it is not until later, do we learn the truth. (And it’s not too hard to guess when Gloria Grahame makes a film entrance).

In the dark, Myra sits at her dresser mentally preparing to carry out the murder of her husband, Lester Blaine. She pulls out a piece of paper with a handwritten timeline. We see the shadow of the clock pendulum moving back and forth across her face. She enacts the murder in her mind and we watch the visualization play out. She leaves her home, using the key to enter Irene’s apartment and then hiding in the closet in wait for Blaine to arrive. She shoots him dead, returning the gun to the hatbox in Irene’s closet.

Meanwhile, Irene is waiting at the garage at midnight, an arrangement by way of a forged letter written by Myra. When Lester doesn’t arrive, Irene returns to her apartment finding the dead body of her lover. Myra imagines her in court being sentenced…

Quotes

Irene: “Thanks, thanks a lot.”

Lester Blaine: “For what?”

Irene: “For still loving me.”

***

Irene: “Kiss me, kiss me hard.

Lester: “I’m crazy about you. I could break your bones.”

***

Irene (As the Dictaphone record ends): “I know a way… I know a way… I know a way…”

Must see scene

Myra enters her study, the day after the party to finish recording her will. The cleaner says she left the dictating machine on last night. Mrs Hudson-Blaine listens back to the recording. About to turn it off, she is jolted by two recognisable voices in conversation. As their dialogue proceeds, it gets wickedly worse:

Irene: “…Suppose she isn’t able to sign it (the will), on Monday.”

Lester: “What do you mean?”

Irene: “Suppose something happened to her between now and Monday. Who’d get the money?”

Lester: “Her husband. Lester Blaine. I’d get it all. Why not?”

In the following moments Myra’s world crumbles. She realises her husband is a con artist, her marriage, a fraud and a charade. But it gets worse (incredibly), she is now a murder target. Her husband is intent on killing her. Joan Crawford plays the scene brilliantly; her performance is captivating: from shock at first, to tears of sadness; an emotional meltdown. Then, fear, trepidation and sheer terror at the thought of what might come.

Summary

Charles Lang’s cinematography is outstanding and stylish, with its the night-time shots of San Francisco and its dark alleys. Joan Crawford proves she was still a force with a performance that displays her great repertoire of acting skills and emotions. (Watch her facial expressions during the scenes without dialogue). The film is a star vehicle for her, in fact.

Jack Palance plays both the happy spouse and a sinister one, and he does so well that he would go on to have a great career. Gloria Grahame plays the bad girl again, and she leaves a trail of destruction!

Sudden Fear is a film that sweeps you along for a taut and tense ride. A film noir treat with a great twisting ending too!

USA Link: Film Noirs and Doused Cigars (paperback): https://amzn.to/3D91T9Y (eBook): https://amzn.to/3D68vG1

UK Link: Film Noirs and Doused Cigars (paperback): https://amzn.to/4gy6MYW  (eBook): https://amzn.to/4gsLyvs