- Actors: Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett
- Director: David Miller
- Disc Format: Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Subtitles: Portuguese, English
- Region: Region A/1
- Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
- Rated: Not Rated
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Release Date: December 13, 2016
- Run Time: 110 minutes
Film noir
narratives rarely relied on sympathetic female protagonists, typically
resigning them to either an innocent supporting character or a devious femme
fatale. While there is a femme fatale in the 1952 noir, Sudden Fear, the main character is unusual enough just being a
woman, but also has the added distinction of ending in a place of moral
superiority. Star Joan Crawford had previously bent this male-driven movement
of post-war cinema by blending the woman’s picture (now referred to as
melodrama) and the film noir with the 1945 classic, Mildred Pierce.
Sudden Fear begins with a rejection, and
one that any actor should be familiar with. Crawford stars as successful
playwright Myra Hudson, who decides to replace her lead actor when he doesn’t
live up to her expectations. Lester Blaine (Jack Palance) leaves the theater
bitter and angry, but this resentment seems to have dissipated by the next time
the actor runs into Myra.
They share a train ride together across country, and inevitably become
romantically involved. This leads to marriage, and that is when Myra finally discovers
Lester’s ulterior motives.
Even with a relatable
female protagonist, apparently a devious woman is still necessary to the plot
of a noir, and in this film that is Gloria Grahame. Grahame plays the mistress
and co-conspirator of Lester, helping in the plan to kill the playwright in a
way that appears accidental, so as to inherit her fortune. The fact that
Grahame and Crawford had a notoriously tumultuous relationship on set
(including reports that the rivalry came to blows during one scene) just adds
to the animosity between the two characters on film.
In a typical
film noir Grahame would still be the femme fatale, but Palance’s Lester would
likely be the protagonist. Instead of following Lester’s path, we stay with Myra as she accidentally
discovers her husband’s murder plot. Myra
then begins her own plans to counter her husband’s, giving the film all of the
twists of a typical noir along with a protagonist we can root for. There may
even be a bit too much of an effort to make Myra sympathetic, to the point that she is
often in danger of appearing weak in her morality. But even with a slightly
contrived conclusion, Sudden Fear is
a wonderful forgotten gem for fans of film noir and Crawford alike.
The new 2K
restoration of the film looks and sounds great, especially considering the
films many shadowy scenes. On top of a fantastic new restoration, the Blu-ray
also comes with an optional commentary track by film historian Jeremy Arnold,
as well as the re-release trailer.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 5/10
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