![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
This post will be a TRIPLE rec for movies starring one of the Queens of Noir, Lizabeth Scott. A gorgeous blonde who has one of huskier voices I've ever heard, Scott's foray into noir movies is something of a treat. She's really good at playing within the conventions of the genre for female characters; going from good girl to a legit femme fatale with ease.
* Too Late for Tears (YouTube)
Also released under the title Killer Bait, this 1949 movie begins with Jane (Lizabeth Scott) and Alan (Arthur Kennedy) a middle-class married couple, having an argument abt money while en route to a dinner party. Right before he yields to Jane's wishes to not attend, someone driving a car in the opposite way drops a bag in Alan's car. When they check it, they're shocked to find $60k (or, roughly a little over $600,000 in today's money.)
From the start, Alan wants to turn the money to the police cuz the money isn't theirs. Meanwhile, Jane is DAZZLED by all that coin. She convinces Alan to wait a little while before really deciding what to do abt this whole thing.
The next day, Jane's already dipping into the kitty, buying herself a lot of clothes. In order to keep her from temptation, Alan decides to put the remaining dough in a locker at the train station (for which Alan gets a claim ticket). Then, THE NEXT MORNING, a gangster called Danny Fuller (Dan Duryea) shows up at the apartment asking abt the bag...
This movie has a ton of twists. It's also v. tightly plotted. Scott shines in the role of someone who'll do anything to keep that money and without zero regrets.
The suspense is top notch. Things get messier and messier. The casting was good too (for the most part.)
Do I have any criticisms?
There's a secondary plot that has to do with another random guy named Don Blake (Don DeFore) who wants to talk to Jane cuz he'd been in the army with Jane's first husband. He also has an, imo, forced romance with Alan's sister Kathy (Kristine Miller). Coincidentally, Kathy lives across the hall from Jane and Alan. I was NOT here for Don. He had a v. swarmy face and his behavior was so obnoxious that I was doing this every time he showed up onscreen: 🙅🏾♀️
I was a bit annoyed with the final twist. It wasn't a bad one, but it should've been revealed/should've happened earlier in the movie. Because, by the time it happened, I was like "but what about..????". And then the movie ends with no answers abt that.
Do I recommend it?
Yes! Like other noirs, this movie is part of public domain so you can watch it on YouTube, Hulu, probably Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla app (in the US), and also all of the free movie apps. I'm giving it a solid 3.5 out of 5.
Queerness Level: V. low. All of the dynamics are hetero-centric. *Hands*
* The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Hoopla)
The movie kicks off in 1928. Thirteen year old, rich girl Martha Ivers and her lower class bestie Sam Masterson are caught while attempting to run away. Sam ends up leaving Iverstown. (Yes, Martha's family is so loaded that they own the town and most of the enterprises within it.) Anyways, Martha's sent to her aunt Mrs. Ivers (played really well by Dame Judith Anderson) and awaits punishment.
Meanwhile, Martha's tutor (Mr. O'Neil) keeps pushing Martha and Walter (his son) together. Mrs. Ivers is okay-ish with that given that they're in similar socio-econnomic classes.
The movie then jumps ahead to 1946 when a now adult Sam (played by Van Heflin) drives into Iverstown by accident while heading West. He ends up in a car accident, so he has to stay in town for a while. Walking around and trying to re-familiarize with a place he's not visited in almost 20 years, he meets Antonia "Toni" Maracheck (played by Lizabeth Scott.)
Many things have changed in Iverstown. Martha (Barbara Stanwick) and Walter (Kirk Douglas in his first role)'s lives are different. Everyone has something shifty abt them (including Toni and Sam). Buried secrets are coming up, an obsession is reignited, and making the wrong step can lead to death…
Let me tell you, every time I've sat down to watch this movie, I end up diving in with total abandon.
The ACTING is SUPERB. Van Heflin's Sam is realistic without being cruel. He's done a lot of things in the 18-year span (that we don't ever learn abt), and it's clear that it has toughened him up just abt enough to move thru life. Kirk Douglas as Walter is such a great example of someone whose pain has damaged him all the way to his core. Lizabeth Scott as Toni is glowing and fresh-faced. She's v. likable but there are some parts of her character that make it clear she's holding her cards v. closely. She won't show them unless she's cornered. And then, ofc, we got Barbara Stanwick. SHES RIDIC GOOD cuz she's so rotten! Still, a lot abt her makes sense because the movie shows that she's had to live with the consequences of the choices she made. She's a character who seemed fated to grow up the way she did.
I do wonder if, in another life, things would've turned out differently for Martha and Walter. Maybe not. Maybe it'd have been the same, IDK. There's so much yummy push and pull between them. Same for Martha and Sam as well as Sam and Toni. Like, for a movie that has 4 main characters, viewers do get to spend a lot of time getting to know each one. Thus, their motivations make sense. It's a deeply rich watching experience.
Oh, and the dialogue! Snappy and cynical.
Do I have any critiques?
No? Hahah.
Well, okay, there have been times when I watch the movie and I get frustrated with Sam's indecisiveness w/r/t Martha and Toni. OTOH, that's part of the plot, so this is more of an observation than a weak point. OTOH, Sam's only met Toni vs. him knowing Martha (up to when he was 13 and then jumping ahead 18 yrs). So, an argument can be made that both women ARE a mystery to Sam for different reasons.
Do I recommend it?
HELL FUCKING YEAH!! This is a movie that would work for folks who avoid B&W movies for whatever reason. Everything (plot, cinematography, dialogue, casting, acting) is Chef's Kiss to the MAXXXXXX. I also feel it's one of the "easier" film noirs to check out because the plot is a lot more straightforward than in other movies of the genre (such as The Big Sleep or Out of the Past, frex.)
I'm giving it a 4.5 out of 5.
at the beginnig of the movie, Martha's aunt hits a kitten to death. It's not shown, but you can hear it happen
Sadly for the ppl who owns the rights (but luckily for everyone else), the movie did enter public domain around 1974. You can most deffo rent it if you want to. But it's also readily available on every free streaming site you can think of as well as Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla (in the US), and there are lots of uploads on YouTube as well.
Queerness Level: Again, super-low.
* Pitfall (YouTube)
Released in 1949, this movie is abt John Forbes (Dick Powell) who is married, has a kid, and works at an insurance company. John's life is good, but he has been feeling restless. At this point in the story, he's dissatisfied with his life; feeling like he's stuck in a rut and no else cares.
He meets up with MacDonald, a freelance PI (played by Raymond Burr), to go over a case of embezzlement. MacDonald tells John abt Mona, the embezzler's girlfriend. It's super obvious he's gaga over her. John doesn't pick up on this and dismisses him after stating that he's going to meet up with Mona in order to retrieve some items bought with the stolen money. MacDonald's not happy abt that, but he does asks John to "put in the good word" in his behalf.
John meets Mona. They do an inventory of all of the items. Their chemistry is pretty clear from the get. In a short period of time, they start an affair. All the while, MacDonald is stalking Mona. Then there's also Sue, John's wife (played by Jane Wyatt), who's suspicious abt John's comings and goings. Everything starts to go sideways, backwards, all kinds of ways until someone dies.
This is a little bit closer to the usual noir format (the insurance angle, the PI, etc.) with the slight difference that there's not really a femme fatale. If anything, there's an homme fatale (I won't say who.)
Lizabeth Scott's Mona is v. interesting in that she's sweet but there's this deep sadness under her facade. There's a kind of resignation to her as to what will happen once her boyfriend's released from jail. Dick Powell as John is a regular guy who gets his wish granted (to have a more exciting life) only to realize that he doesn't want that either, LOL. Raymond Burr as MacDonald is the type of guy who you want to steer away from. He's perfect as the PI. I felt for Sue (Jane Wyatt) cuz she's so smart and aware of what's going on, but her bond to John (mostly romantic) is keeping her in a type of limbo.
Take the ending. Which is bittersweet even though it's meant to have an uplifting note.
Because it's upsetting in how realistic it is that Sue is willing to give her marriage to John another try. And yet, I genuinely don't think he deserves it. Since his affair with Mona lead to their lives being upended. In the beginning of the movie, he complains left and right abt the tediousness of his life, how mundane it is. Only for Sue to tell him that he needs to chill the F out cuz he has a good paying job, their home is nice, and they've been married for years now. It's super mega clear that John's whole thing is that there are several unfulfilled ambitions he's had and now it's when he's reflecting on that, I guess. At the same time, he could find something else to do instead of getting mixed up with someone who isn't his wife and almost losing everything.
Again, this isn't a happy ending. On top of that, it's v. hinted that he truly loved Mona. And, out of everyone, Mona's the one who's going to jail! IDK, it's one of those endings that make you 😒 at John.
And yet, for REASONS, Sue is willing to give him another chance to work on their marriage. But at what cost? It could be that she loves her husband, but it's also possible that she's staying with him for convenience and financial reasons? IDK if they should stay together.
Do I have any criticisms?
The plot does tend to wander this way and that. Between John/Sue's marriage not being quite on the rocks but not being great either; John/Mona's dreamy love affair that's not meant to last; MacDonald's whole stalker thing; Mona's bf coming into the picture; the whole embezzlement thing. NGL, it does get to be a little too much.
That said, this isn't a bad movie.
Do I recommend watching it?
Sure! The movie's on Amazon Prime Video and at least 2 of the free movie sites. I watched it on YouTube (there are several uploads of it.) Ultimately, it's a standard noir that's not as known. I'm giving it a 2.8 out of 5. It was fine.
Queerness Level: We're 3 for 3 cuz there's nothing I could pick up that sidestepped heteronormativity here.
* Too Late for Tears (YouTube)
Also released under the title Killer Bait, this 1949 movie begins with Jane (Lizabeth Scott) and Alan (Arthur Kennedy) a middle-class married couple, having an argument abt money while en route to a dinner party. Right before he yields to Jane's wishes to not attend, someone driving a car in the opposite way drops a bag in Alan's car. When they check it, they're shocked to find $60k (or, roughly a little over $600,000 in today's money.)
From the start, Alan wants to turn the money to the police cuz the money isn't theirs. Meanwhile, Jane is DAZZLED by all that coin. She convinces Alan to wait a little while before really deciding what to do abt this whole thing.
The next day, Jane's already dipping into the kitty, buying herself a lot of clothes. In order to keep her from temptation, Alan decides to put the remaining dough in a locker at the train station (for which Alan gets a claim ticket). Then, THE NEXT MORNING, a gangster called Danny Fuller (Dan Duryea) shows up at the apartment asking abt the bag...
This movie has a ton of twists. It's also v. tightly plotted. Scott shines in the role of someone who'll do anything to keep that money and without zero regrets.
The suspense is top notch. Things get messier and messier. The casting was good too (for the most part.)
Do I have any criticisms?
There's a secondary plot that has to do with another random guy named Don Blake (Don DeFore) who wants to talk to Jane cuz he'd been in the army with Jane's first husband. He also has an, imo, forced romance with Alan's sister Kathy (Kristine Miller). Coincidentally, Kathy lives across the hall from Jane and Alan. I was NOT here for Don. He had a v. swarmy face and his behavior was so obnoxious that I was doing this every time he showed up onscreen: 🙅🏾♀️
I was a bit annoyed with the final twist. It wasn't a bad one, but it should've been revealed/should've happened earlier in the movie. Because, by the time it happened, I was like "but what about..????". And then the movie ends with no answers abt that.
Do I recommend it?
Yes! Like other noirs, this movie is part of public domain so you can watch it on YouTube, Hulu, probably Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla app (in the US), and also all of the free movie apps. I'm giving it a solid 3.5 out of 5.
Queerness Level: V. low. All of the dynamics are hetero-centric. *Hands*
* The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Hoopla)
The movie kicks off in 1928. Thirteen year old, rich girl Martha Ivers and her lower class bestie Sam Masterson are caught while attempting to run away. Sam ends up leaving Iverstown. (Yes, Martha's family is so loaded that they own the town and most of the enterprises within it.) Anyways, Martha's sent to her aunt Mrs. Ivers (played really well by Dame Judith Anderson) and awaits punishment.
Meanwhile, Martha's tutor (Mr. O'Neil) keeps pushing Martha and Walter (his son) together. Mrs. Ivers is okay-ish with that given that they're in similar socio-econnomic classes.
The movie then jumps ahead to 1946 when a now adult Sam (played by Van Heflin) drives into Iverstown by accident while heading West. He ends up in a car accident, so he has to stay in town for a while. Walking around and trying to re-familiarize with a place he's not visited in almost 20 years, he meets Antonia "Toni" Maracheck (played by Lizabeth Scott.)
Many things have changed in Iverstown. Martha (Barbara Stanwick) and Walter (Kirk Douglas in his first role)'s lives are different. Everyone has something shifty abt them (including Toni and Sam). Buried secrets are coming up, an obsession is reignited, and making the wrong step can lead to death…
Let me tell you, every time I've sat down to watch this movie, I end up diving in with total abandon.
The ACTING is SUPERB. Van Heflin's Sam is realistic without being cruel. He's done a lot of things in the 18-year span (that we don't ever learn abt), and it's clear that it has toughened him up just abt enough to move thru life. Kirk Douglas as Walter is such a great example of someone whose pain has damaged him all the way to his core. Lizabeth Scott as Toni is glowing and fresh-faced. She's v. likable but there are some parts of her character that make it clear she's holding her cards v. closely. She won't show them unless she's cornered. And then, ofc, we got Barbara Stanwick. SHES RIDIC GOOD cuz she's so rotten! Still, a lot abt her makes sense because the movie shows that she's had to live with the consequences of the choices she made. She's a character who seemed fated to grow up the way she did.
I do wonder if, in another life, things would've turned out differently for Martha and Walter. Maybe not. Maybe it'd have been the same, IDK. There's so much yummy push and pull between them. Same for Martha and Sam as well as Sam and Toni. Like, for a movie that has 4 main characters, viewers do get to spend a lot of time getting to know each one. Thus, their motivations make sense. It's a deeply rich watching experience.
Oh, and the dialogue! Snappy and cynical.
Do I have any critiques?
No? Hahah.
Well, okay, there have been times when I watch the movie and I get frustrated with Sam's indecisiveness w/r/t Martha and Toni. OTOH, that's part of the plot, so this is more of an observation than a weak point. OTOH, Sam's only met Toni vs. him knowing Martha (up to when he was 13 and then jumping ahead 18 yrs). So, an argument can be made that both women ARE a mystery to Sam for different reasons.
Do I recommend it?
HELL FUCKING YEAH!! This is a movie that would work for folks who avoid B&W movies for whatever reason. Everything (plot, cinematography, dialogue, casting, acting) is Chef's Kiss to the MAXXXXXX. I also feel it's one of the "easier" film noirs to check out because the plot is a lot more straightforward than in other movies of the genre (such as The Big Sleep or Out of the Past, frex.)
I'm giving it a 4.5 out of 5.
Oh, and I have to add a content warning for animal harm (including death)
at the beginnig of the movie, Martha's aunt hits a kitten to death. It's not shown, but you can hear it happen
Sadly for the ppl who owns the rights (but luckily for everyone else), the movie did enter public domain around 1974. You can most deffo rent it if you want to. But it's also readily available on every free streaming site you can think of as well as Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla (in the US), and there are lots of uploads on YouTube as well.
Queerness Level: Again, super-low.
* Pitfall (YouTube)
Released in 1949, this movie is abt John Forbes (Dick Powell) who is married, has a kid, and works at an insurance company. John's life is good, but he has been feeling restless. At this point in the story, he's dissatisfied with his life; feeling like he's stuck in a rut and no else cares.
He meets up with MacDonald, a freelance PI (played by Raymond Burr), to go over a case of embezzlement. MacDonald tells John abt Mona, the embezzler's girlfriend. It's super obvious he's gaga over her. John doesn't pick up on this and dismisses him after stating that he's going to meet up with Mona in order to retrieve some items bought with the stolen money. MacDonald's not happy abt that, but he does asks John to "put in the good word" in his behalf.
John meets Mona. They do an inventory of all of the items. Their chemistry is pretty clear from the get. In a short period of time, they start an affair. All the while, MacDonald is stalking Mona. Then there's also Sue, John's wife (played by Jane Wyatt), who's suspicious abt John's comings and goings. Everything starts to go sideways, backwards, all kinds of ways until someone dies.
This is a little bit closer to the usual noir format (the insurance angle, the PI, etc.) with the slight difference that there's not really a femme fatale. If anything, there's an homme fatale (I won't say who.)
Lizabeth Scott's Mona is v. interesting in that she's sweet but there's this deep sadness under her facade. There's a kind of resignation to her as to what will happen once her boyfriend's released from jail. Dick Powell as John is a regular guy who gets his wish granted (to have a more exciting life) only to realize that he doesn't want that either, LOL. Raymond Burr as MacDonald is the type of guy who you want to steer away from. He's perfect as the PI. I felt for Sue (Jane Wyatt) cuz she's so smart and aware of what's going on, but her bond to John (mostly romantic) is keeping her in a type of limbo.
Take the ending. Which is bittersweet even though it's meant to have an uplifting note.
I'm just kinda 🤔 abt how it came to be.
Because it's upsetting in how realistic it is that Sue is willing to give her marriage to John another try. And yet, I genuinely don't think he deserves it. Since his affair with Mona lead to their lives being upended. In the beginning of the movie, he complains left and right abt the tediousness of his life, how mundane it is. Only for Sue to tell him that he needs to chill the F out cuz he has a good paying job, their home is nice, and they've been married for years now. It's super mega clear that John's whole thing is that there are several unfulfilled ambitions he's had and now it's when he's reflecting on that, I guess. At the same time, he could find something else to do instead of getting mixed up with someone who isn't his wife and almost losing everything.
Again, this isn't a happy ending. On top of that, it's v. hinted that he truly loved Mona. And, out of everyone, Mona's the one who's going to jail! IDK, it's one of those endings that make you 😒 at John.
And yet, for REASONS, Sue is willing to give him another chance to work on their marriage. But at what cost? It could be that she loves her husband, but it's also possible that she's staying with him for convenience and financial reasons? IDK if they should stay together.
Do I have any criticisms?
The plot does tend to wander this way and that. Between John/Sue's marriage not being quite on the rocks but not being great either; John/Mona's dreamy love affair that's not meant to last; MacDonald's whole stalker thing; Mona's bf coming into the picture; the whole embezzlement thing. NGL, it does get to be a little too much.
That said, this isn't a bad movie.
Do I recommend watching it?
Sure! The movie's on Amazon Prime Video and at least 2 of the free movie sites. I watched it on YouTube (there are several uploads of it.) Ultimately, it's a standard noir that's not as known. I'm giving it a 2.8 out of 5. It was fine.
Queerness Level: We're 3 for 3 cuz there's nothing I could pick up that sidestepped heteronormativity here.
