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Rating: 6.5 stars

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NWI newspaper social climbing suburbs san francisco Los Angeles California murder

All movies seen on 06/10/2012

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Crime of Passion (1956)

Directed by Gerd Oswald

Crime | Film Noir | Drama

Overview

Kathy leaves the newspaper business to marry homicide detective Bill, but is frustrated by his lack of ambition and the banality of life in the suburbs. Her drive to advance Bill’s career soon takes her down a dangerous path.

Rated NR | Length 83 minutes

Actors

Barbara Stanwyck | Sterling Hayden | Raymond Burr | Fay Wray | Virginia Grey | Royal Dano | Robert Griffin | Dennis Cross | Jay Adler | Stuart Whitman | Malcolm Atterbury | Robert Quarry | Gail Bonney | Joe Conley | Ralph Brooks | Larry Carr | Jack Chefe | Richard Collier | Nan Dolan | Madelon Erin | Patricia Merlin | Charles Perry | Kenner G. Kemp | Peg La Centra | Joe Ploski | Carl Sklover | Cosmo Sardo | Bert Stevens | Geraldine Wall | Helen Jay | Jean Howell

Viewing History (seen 1 time)

Viewing Notes

Coming as it does in the latter half of the 1950s, Crime of Passion’s pseudo-feminism feels a bit out of place; almost antiquated considering the women’s liberation movement just around the corner in the 1960s. However, ‘57 was still post-war suburban living, full of cocktails, social engagements, women in the kitchen and men being manly.

Ultimately, the feminism here is just surface fluff, a plot device with no real social intentions that’s undermined, if not completely villianized by Barbara Stanwyck’s character’s actions in the second half of the film.

Stanwyck is definitely an actress with a lot of power, but her performance here feels too forced and melodramatic; and Hayden’s too folksy and ignorant. There isn’t a lot of depth to any of the main characters here, which brings the whole effort down a notch or two.

Still, it was an interesting film. It was great to see Raymond Burr in a morally murky role. Fay Wray doesn’t get much to do in her role as Burr’s wife. The great character actor Royal Dano probably gets the best role in the movie as Capt. Charlie Alidos, Hayden’s rival on the force.

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