One of Max Ophüls’ best American movies is this razor-sharp ‘domestic film noir’ with excellent acting and a premise that was probably too sordid-real for 1949: cheap crooks blackmail an ordinary housewife trying to protect her family. Joan Bennett confronts the crisis head-on, facing down James Mason’s unusually sympathetic ‘collector.’
The Reckless Moment
Region free Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1949 / B&W / 1:37 full frame Academy / 82 min. / / Street Date April 22, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £17.00
Starring: James Mason, Joan Bennett, Geraldine Brooks, Henry O’Neill, Shepperd Strudwick, David Bair, Roy Roberts, William Schallert.
Cinematography: Burnett Guffey
Film Editor: Gene Havlick
Original Music: Hans Salter
Written by Henry Garson, Robert Soderberg; Mel Dinelli, Robert E. Kent, from a story by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
Produced by Walter Wanger
Directed by Max Ophüls
Nobody forgets Joan Bennett’s film noir appearances — she has a dark, moody quality that even Dario Argento appreciated. In The Woman in the Window...
The Reckless Moment
Region free Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1949 / B&W / 1:37 full frame Academy / 82 min. / / Street Date April 22, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £17.00
Starring: James Mason, Joan Bennett, Geraldine Brooks, Henry O’Neill, Shepperd Strudwick, David Bair, Roy Roberts, William Schallert.
Cinematography: Burnett Guffey
Film Editor: Gene Havlick
Original Music: Hans Salter
Written by Henry Garson, Robert Soderberg; Mel Dinelli, Robert E. Kent, from a story by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
Produced by Walter Wanger
Directed by Max Ophüls
Nobody forgets Joan Bennett’s film noir appearances — she has a dark, moody quality that even Dario Argento appreciated. In The Woman in the Window...
- 4/13/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
1953: Guiding Light's Dick dealt with marriage woes.
1976: Ryan's Hope's Faith faced danger from Kenneth.
1981: Another World's Cecile worried about Jamie's safety.
1992: Knots Landing's Pierce gave Paige an unwelcome surprise."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1953: On The Guiding Light, Dick (James Lipton) looked for reassurance about his marriage to Kathy from Dr. Keeler. Kathy became sad when Timmy pointed out that her husband had never been to see her.
Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the clip above.
1976: On Ryan's Hope, Kenneth...
1976: Ryan's Hope's Faith faced danger from Kenneth.
1981: Another World's Cecile worried about Jamie's safety.
1992: Knots Landing's Pierce gave Paige an unwelcome surprise."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1953: On The Guiding Light, Dick (James Lipton) looked for reassurance about his marriage to Kathy from Dr. Keeler. Kathy became sad when Timmy pointed out that her husband had never been to see her.
Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the clip above.
1976: On Ryan's Hope, Kenneth...
- 4/9/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1953: Guiding Light's Dick dealt with marriage woes.
1976: Ryan's Hope's Faith faced danger from Kenneth.
1981: Another World's Cecile worried about Jamie's safety.
1992: Knots Landing's Pierce gave Paige an unwelcome surprise."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1953: On The Guiding Light, Dick (James Lipton) looked for reassurance about his marriage to Kathy from Dr. Keeler. Kathy became sad when Timmy pointed out that her husband had never been to see her.
1976: Ryan's Hope's Faith faced danger from Kenneth.
1981: Another World's Cecile worried about Jamie's safety.
1992: Knots Landing's Pierce gave Paige an unwelcome surprise."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1953: On The Guiding Light, Dick (James Lipton) looked for reassurance about his marriage to Kathy from Dr. Keeler. Kathy became sad when Timmy pointed out that her husband had never been to see her.
- 4/11/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Crime novel The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. While her husband is away during World War II, housewife Lucia Holley – the sort of “Everywoman” who looks great in a two-piece bathing suit – does whatever it takes to protect the feeling of “normality” in her bourgeois, suburban household. The Blank Wall is a classic depiction of an attempted cover-up being much more serious than the actual crime. Sound bites: Remembering the classic crime novel 'The Blank Wall' and its two movie adaptations – 'The Reckless Moment' & 'The Deep End' Crime novel writer Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (1889–1955) is not a name familiar to many, and yet Raymond Chandler described her as “the top suspense writer of them all. She doesn't pour it on and make you feel irritated. Her characters are wonderful; and she has a sort of inner calm which I find very attractive.” Holding has been identified as “The Godmother of Noir” and, more...
- 7/17/2017
- by Anthony Slide
- Alt Film Guide
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