In Appreciation: Sudden Fear (1952)

There was one kind of "film noir": stark black & white images; a man on the run; the girl that got him in trouble; smoke-filled rooms and backroom deals. Sometimes the hero came out of it alright. Sometimes he wound up dead in the last reel.

But there was another element in film noir. Let's call it: The Damsel In Distress. A beautiful woman, in over her head. Frequently, these films were in color, adding to the rich psychological palate of the genre. Sometimes these films veered close to camp, but they all emerged with their thrills and dignity intact. Mildred Pierce is a great example. The film opens up with a murder, and a confession from the leading lady. As the story progresses, we see firsthand how baking a couple of pies could get a dame into trouble.

1952's Sudden Fear is a forgotten example of this kind of film. It uses classic film noir elements to tighten the story's twists. And it has one of the nastiest villains of all time--played to menacing perfection by Jack Palance. Palance made a career out of bad guys (topped by Shane). In Sudden Fear, the way he leers into the camera makes you squirm.

The film was Joan Crawford's next-to-last great film role (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane being the last). In Fear Crawford portrays playwright Myra Hudson, who, at the opening, has just rejected Lester Blaine (Palance) for her latest stage opus. They later meet on a train to San Francisco, and fall in love.

Only after Myra marries Lester does she realize what a rat he is. He's got Irene, a dame on the side, played to icy, greedy perfection by Gloria Grahame (The Big Heat). And Lester and Irene have plans--big plans--for Myra. Unfortunately, all of them involve her death.

But all killers make mistakes. Lester and Irene plot to kill Myra, while Myra's dictation machine records every gruesome word. And the game is on...

One of the great noirish films of the '50s. Nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best B&W Cinematography, Best Costume Design. Crawford knew how to play the successful woman-in-danger role to neurotic perfection.

Click on this link to purchase Sudden Fear on DVD:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000IPHP/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=reelclas02-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00000IPHP">Sudden