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Wonderful character development!

A Major Disappointment

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I have always liked this movie and purchased it as part of the Barbara Stanwyck collection. Most of the reviews provided on East Side/West Side have hit the mark. Good melodrama and women knew how to wear clothes. One interesting point about this movie that has not been mentioned - the only scene between Barbara Stanwyck and Ava Gardner had pure tension. According to Robert Osborne (Turner Classic Movies Film Historian and biographies on Stanwyck and Gardner), Stanwyck was great friends with Nancy Sinatra, Frank's first wife. During the filming of this movie, Gardner was having an affair with Frank. Stanwyck did not like Gardner for trying and eventually breaking up their marriage. Also, Stanwyck knew that Gardner had an affair with her husband at the time, Robert Taylor during an earlier 1940s film. So the tension in that particular scene was real!

The first of the three Mason/Gardner collaborations (for the record,the two others were "Mayerling" (1968) and "Pandora and the flying Dutchman" (1951) )although the actress has only a supporting part here. Anyway,the stellar cast (also featuring Gale Sondergaard who almost outshines all the other actresses in her few scenes ,particularly her last one,Barbara Stanwyck,Van Heflin,Cyd Charisse,who could ask for more?)makes the movie worth of your time .The story of this posh NYC society people is rather derivative and you do not have to be Hercule Poirot to guess that the husband did not kill the runaround girl.It does not compare favorably,though,with Le Roy's earlier works such as "I'm a fugitive from a chain gang" "they won't forget" or "Waterloo bridge" .Very moral ending.

Lush big-city melodrama from MGM, with what looks surprisingly like some on-location shooting, where highfalutin Barbara Stanwyck and James Mason's marriage is threatened by an impossibly gorgeous, impossibly evil Ava Gardner, while Mason flirts mildly with Cyd Charisse, who's hooked up with Van Heflin, who's increasingly intrigued by Stanwyck. Screenwriter Isobel Lennart was usually good for some smart dialog, and she's reliably industrious here, though there's no truth at the center of these doings: People just don't fall in and out of love as quickly as they do here, and the plotting takes some very improbable turns, such as Charisse's gallant and uncomplaining exit from Heflin's life, Heflin's solving of a murder, and Mason's inability to escape Gardner's clutches. On second thought, that's not that improbable: She's lust incarnate, and there are some intriguing intimations of a sadomasochistic relationship between them. Believable it's not, but it's very entertaining, with smooth Mervyn LeRoy direction, sumptuous gowns, and a swanky sort of pseudo-sophistication that no major-studio movie today would even attempt. I never knew what was going to happen next, and kept right on watching, till 2 a.m.

Manhattan in the forties was the center of the so-called Cafe Society, in which people from high society mixed with show biz types, and others, less richer folks, in the clubs and watering holes that were the places where a party atmosphere was a requirement. Brandon and Jessica Bourne, a couple of well to do New Yorkers, are seen as the story unfold. They had a rough time when Brandon had an affair with a lovely playgirl, Isabel Lorrison, who had been out of the way, but she returns to the scene with the idea of reviving her fling with the man that she never was able to get out of her heart.Jessica, who watches in horror as Bran's picture in the tabloids after being punched by Isabel's new beau, realizes Isabel's intentions in reappearing in her life. At the same time, the arrival of an admired war veteran, Mark Dwyer, who has come to interview for a job as a newspaper reporter, gets her attention because he is everything her husband is not. Mark's attraction for Jess is evident, but she is an honest woman who will stick by her man, no matter how rotten he is.When a murder brings all the principals together, it takes Mark only a moment to figure out who is the culprit, thus clearing Brandon of any wrong doing. Jessica's resolution to support her playboy husband reaches an impasse when she realizes his betrayal. Unfortunately, she doesn't make up her mind about Mark, the only hope she knows about a possible happiness.Mervyn LeRoy directed this MGM 1949 film. It was based on a novel by Marcia Davenport and adapted for the screen by Isobel Lennart, the writer of many films in her prolific career. Mr. LeRoy shows his affinity to this type of melodrama, which capitalized on the excellent cast that was put together for this project. Charles Rosher's crisp black and white cinematography works well for the picture, while Miklos Rozsa's musical score contributes to the enjoyment of the picture.Barbara Stanwyck appears as Jessica giving the character her usual intensity. Ms. Stanwyck was a reliable player no matter the vehicle she was entrusted with. James Mason, although being top billed, was not exactly the main attraction. That honor went to Van Heflin, an excellent actor that was a versatile performer who appears as Mark Dwyer, a man who falls in love with Jessica silently. Ava Gardner's contributes to create heat in the film with her sultry good looks. Cyd Charisse is Rosa, a kind young woman who helps Jessica. Nancy Davis, who went to be the First Lady, after marrying Ronald Reagan, appears as Jessica's friend. Gale Sondergaard has a couple of good scenes in the film.