Movielogr
Sudden Fear (1952)
Directed by David Miller
Twitter Facebook Google+Film Noir | Suspense | Thriller
Most recently watched by sleestakk
Overview
Actor Lester Blaine has all but landed the lead in Myra Hudson’s new play when Myra vetoes him because, to her, he doesn’t look like a romantic leading man. On a train from New York to San Francisco, Blaine sets out to prove Myra wrong…by romancing her. Is he sincere, or does he have a dark ulterior motive?
Rated NR | Length 112 minutes
Actors
Joan Crawford | Jack Palance | Gloria Grahame | Bruce Bennett | Virginia Huston | Mike Connors | Bess Flowers | Harold Miller | Bert Stevens
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/26/2014 | TV | DVD | Rented | 9 stars |
| (Average) 9 stars |
Viewing Notes
I’ve been watching Joan Crawford films off and on when I can for the last year or so and stumbled across this one by accident. It’s one of the best noirs I’ve seen but I haven’t heard or read much about it. It has a bit of a slow start to it, and it’s devoid of the typical, punchy noir dialogue in favor of something more realistic, and more sinister.
One particular scene, where Crawford discovers something accidentally recorded on her dictaphone, is a masterpiece of expressionistic acting by Crawford and doubtless the reason she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar.
It’s so weird to see a young, chisel-faced Jack Palance, whose lines softened a bit over the years, as the male lead in this. It threw me at first but you quickly get absorbed into his character and he does a great job of playing a believable menace.
The night scenes in San Francisco are gorgeously shot. In fact there are some great bits of cinematography scattered throughout that made my eyes light up.
9 years ago
Agree with everything you’ve noted. It’s weird because about half way through I was wondering if this was film noir. The movie slowly eases into that and goes full on in that last sequence. Crawford really nails those expressions in every scene that requires no dialogue to know exactly what she’s thinking.