The film is shot in the genre of a melodramatic thriller, completely built on the principle of flashbacks, the memory of the main character about her life, the relationship with the mysterious David, with other heroes of this film. The film is very interesting, especially for its plot. The story of Louise’s life is very exciting. Only at the end of the film it becomes clear what is so mysterious David, and in general the essence of the main character. She was sick with schizophrenia. This gives a special intrigue to this film. The film, especially at the time, was unusual.
As far as I was familiar with the cinema of the time, only Hitchcock could shoot such exciting thrillers that create an atmosphere out of nothing. Now the German director Curtis Bernhard has joined this director in my mind. Everything is very talented in this film. Of course, from one film I have seen, it is foolish to judge his skill, but I will certainly get acquainted with his other works. I already have the 1952 film Merry Widow in mind. Although this is a completely different genre, it will still be interesting to compare how the director moves from one genre to another.
In this film, I really liked the female role, which was brilliantly performed by Joan Crawford. Again, this is my first film of this actress, but I immediately liked her. In this film, she plays a woman who is obsessed with the idea of loving (and most importantly, that he too love) only one person, namely a mysterious man named David. For this she is ready to go to anything, to deceptions, meanness, and much more. I really liked her image in this film. Van Heflin also played well as David. A narcissistic man who skillfully manipulates the fates of others for fun. I would also like to mention Geraldine Brooks as Carol. It’s only her second role in a big movie, and she’s done really well.
Anyway, I liked the movie. A very unusual project, of course, for an amateur, but everyone can love it. You just need to feel the atmosphere that the film sets from the very first frames of the film.
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