Film | Sudden Fear (1952)

Sudden Fear (1952)

"Every Suspenseful Moment...Every Embrace...

Every Kiss - A Breathtaking Experience!"

THE PLAYERS:
Joan Crawford - Myra Hudson
Jack Palance - Lester Blaine
Gloria Grahame - Irene Neves

THE STORY:
Successful playwright Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) puts her mystery-writing skills to good use when she suspects that her husband (Jack Palance) and his mistress (Gloria Grahame) are plotting to kill her when they discover the contents of her will. [Netflix]

MY THOUGHTS:

Joan Crawford is probably my second favorite actor behind Bette Davis. I know alot of people say you can't be a fan of both but I think that is silly. What do I care about their personal dislike of each other, I respect them as actors and their contributions to the history of cinema. And continuing with my Joan fandom, I put her 1952 film Sudden Fear on my Netflix queue. My wife and I sat down last night to check out this early fifties Noir thriller and it really turned out to he a great piece of work.

This picture would earn Crawford her third and final Oscar nomination and it was well deserved. To this day I am surprised at how talented she was as an actor. Her ability to cry on cue from whichever eye she chose was apparent in this film. When she was falling in love. You fall with her. When she gets 'suddenly fearful' you get just as anxious as she. The way she conveys emotions with just her eyes is beyond me.

 This movie was a lot of fun to watch. It starts out a romantic film and quickly turns into something much more dramatic. To be honest I knew her new husband was no good from the beginning. He always seemed to have the scheming look in his eye. How could he not? His new wife was a vulnerable woman who so desperately loved him.

When Joan's character finds out about his betrayal, she (being a creative playwright) comes up with her own scheme to punish him and his blonde mistress. In the end she walks away a free woman and the two dishonest lovers get what hey deserve. The last few minutes of this film were full of suspense and when the finale comes it is more than you expected. A great piece of Noir... dark, suspenseful, and full of deception.