Reviews

I was a 20 year old college student living with the folks when I first saw this, and I've never forgotten it. I'm a huge Joan Hackett fan, and this film was perfect for her remarkable talent. I'm so glad to see that so many other people have such a fond memory of seeing this. Naturally, it's not available on any media! It would be perfect to show on Lifetime, but because of its age, they won't. You never see anything there before the mid-eighties. I can still remember what made me watch it when it was first run: Rex Reed reviewed it in The New York Daily News, and he said that it was like a throwback to the great Hollywood films of the forties, and had it been made then, the Hackett and Grimes parts would have been played by Stanwyck and Crawford. Think about that! P.S. So sad that Joan Hackett left us so tragically young.

Miss Fontaine's spectacular gowns were by Travis Banton, not Orry-Kelly, as your credits indicate. A previous commenter mentions that Ivy takes place in the 20s or 30's! This film is most DEFINITELY set in Victorian London, long before the roaring twenties. In any case, this is a dazzling and fascinating film to watch. Fontaine gives a multifaceted performance, and is much better than her sister would have been in the role. Olivia would have given it her usual first ladyish, sexless, to-the-manner-born touch. Joan, however, lets you know that her hold on these men is highly sexual, although no part of her body below her neck is exposed, other than her hands. Hats off to Una O'Connor in her bit as the seer. She is truly eerie and terrifying.

I have to echo most of the comments that appear here. This is a stunningly photographed dream of a movie showcasing Alton's genius. I'm hoping the powers-that-be in the film and/or preservation industries read the commentaries on IMDB. The print of this that I taped from commercial television is ATROCIOUS! Another plus for me is that the star is Lynn Bari. What a dame! Someone once called her the Paulette Goddard of B movies. That crack does both of these lovely ladies an injustice. I hope that someday, someone (Criterion?) will restore and reissue this masterpiece on DVD.

It's so wonderful to read all the positive tributes to this film here, with only one dissenting voice. Sadly, IMDB chose that comment as the lead to open the comment page. I'm 53, a tough guy from Brooklyn, N.Y., but I can tell you, everytime I see *I Remember Mama* it brings honest, genuine tears to my eyes. The story is universal, not just about a Norwegian family in turn of the 20th Century San Francisco. Anyone who has had a loving mother has got to be moved by this story, a film directed for the ages by George Stevens. And what a magnificent cast, headed by the incomparable Irene Dunne! If I hadn't had the best Mom in the world already, I would have wanted Irene Dunne. Just see and cherish this work of art.

I just want to briefly agree with the previous comments here. I haven't seen this movie in over thirty years, since high school, but it stands out vividly in my memory. Intriguing story beautifully acted by three outstanding stars. Why do films fall by the wayside? I hope this isn't one of the lost films that we keep hearing about. I guess our only hope of seeing this now is if TCM broadcasts it....or if it becomes a Criterion DVD release. Criterion has been wonderful in giving us beautiful prints of rare or hard to find classics. If anyone hears of Return from the Ashes returning from the ashes (LOL) please post the info here.

I just caught this on TCM and it's the first time I've seen it since my teens. Either my maturity has given me a better appreciation for it or it has gotten better over the years, now that we're bombarded with so much garbage. I've carefully read all the comments here, and there's a common thread. Most take exception to the casting of Glenn Ford and classify the film as one of Minnelli's lesser efforts. It's not that I'm Glenn Ford's greatest fan, but I think he gives one of his finest performances here and is one of the movie's strengths. One doesn't have to be 21 to be a playboy; what he portrays, quite convincingly, is a mature dilletante. Minnelli's direction is typical of his late melodrama period that started with The Bad and the Beautiful. His style is jittery, baroque, and light years away from his airy musicals. The Four Horseman ranks right up there with some of his best later work, like Home From the Hill, Some Came Running, and The Cobweb. He has a particular flair for car scenes which started with his first Gothic, Undercurrent, in 1946. He gets one of the finest performances I've ever seen out of that limited actor, Charles Boyer. His scene with the gifted Paul Lukas where they mourn the deaths of their children is powerful and touching beyond words. The great disappointment, as everyone has noted, is the legendary dubbing of Ingrid Thulin by Angela Lansbury. What I find most peculiar is that I think Lansbury did not loop ALL of Thulin's dialogue, some lines sound like the voice of Thulin that I remember from The Damned and Return from the Ashes. The obvious question is: Why did M-G-M hire her if there was a problem with the voice? Didn't they test her before contract signing? In any case, the dubbing is unfortunate; her looks and performance are exquisite. My recommendation: SEE THIS GOOD, OLD FASHIONED, REALLY BIG MOVIE. P.S. Check out the magnificent, huge Andre Previn score.

This is just to correct some misinformation in a previous comment. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but facts are facts. In 1954, at the time of Rhapsody, the gorgeous Miss Taylor was 22, not 18. Her beautiful wardrobe is by Helen Rose, M-G-M's in-house designer of the 50's. (Yes, Virginia, there were other costume designers besides Edith Head!)

After years of watching films and studying their art for my own pleasure, I've decided that some of the most interesting and least appreciated movies are those released under the RKO logo. Born to be Bad is a prime example. Made in 1948-49 (not released until '50) under the aegis of Howard Hughes while he was alternately pursuing and manipulating Joan Fontaine, this movie has a unique, non -studio look. Very little location work was done, but doesn't it feel like San Francisco (more than Vertigo!). Literate script, intelligent casting, stylish sets and costumes (New York designer Hattie Carnegie for Fontaine, RKO in-house man Michael Woulfe for Joan Leslie) add up to an engrossing, adult 90 minutes. Speaking of adult; there's been some comments here about the Mel Ferrer character: "Is he or isn't he gay?" IS THERE ANY DOUBT? And check out one scene, unbelievably adult for 1950 Hollywood: When Fontaine returns home after a torrid sexual encounter with Robert Ryan, she quickly takes a hot bath before husband Zachary Scott returns home. Scent of another man? Pretty hot stuff in retrospect. Check this movie out when you get the opportunity!

Why is everyone here comparing this (unfavorably) to Hitchcock? Apples and oranges! What this is is a damn good little B mystery lifted to art by the estimable, underrated Audrey Totter and an evocative score by Andre Previn. He reused the theme here years later in the much more well known Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Parenthetically, can anyone think of a movie that wasn't bettered by the presence of the fabulous Miss Totter? Let's file belated criminal charges against M-G-M for misusing this dream girl!

I have just finished reading all of the comments here and now let me add my two cents worth. This is my all time favorite Davis opus and it is certainly not because of the high quality of her performance. See Davis at her best in The Letter. What Deception is is a high powered duel between flamboyant personalities (Davis and Rains) wiping their costar (Henreid) right off the screen. The restaurant scene deserves all the mention it got here previously, but how about mink coated Bette confronting Rains in his bed reading Dick Tracy? The screen crackles with vitriol. This is over the top screen acting at it's most enjoyable.If you've never seen this, take the opportunity and enjoy it for what it is: good old fashioned Hollywood entertainment.

Can anyone tell me where I can find a copy of this? I haven't seen it in thirty years, and if it is half as good as I remember, this is a must-see! What's up with Columbia holding back their classics? The Reckless Moment, made the same year (1949) by Columbia is also unavailable. These are major films directed by, respectively, John Huston and Max Ophuls, starring the likes of Jennifer Jones, John Garfield, Gilbert Roland, Joan Bennett, and James Mason. The Reckless Moment was recently remade decently as The Deep End, but it still doesn't compare. If anyone knows where I can get We Were Strangers, please post it here. Thanks, movie lovers!

Don't miss this! The incomparable Roz, totally believable as a Broadway legend. What a delight to see her playing off the underrated, irreplaceable Claire Trevor. Clever mystery set in the environs of the theater with a real feel for atmosphere. It really seems like it was filmed on location on not on RKO soundstages. That is always one of the real treats of unappreciated the RKO product. Throw in a sly performance from Greenstreet. This one is a real gem!

Bravo, TCM, for showing this. I haven't seen it since I was in my teens thirty years ago. It is similar but in many ways superior to Laura. The major flaw of Laura is that it is impossible to believe that Clifton Webb has a great, overriding physical passion for Gene Tierney. There is no such nonsense in The Unsuspected. This is a highly atmospheric, evocative and literate noir set in the sophisticated world of radio and literary circles. We have a powerful, understated performance from Rains alternating between the likeable and sinister. He was one of the very few actors who could pull this kind of thing off (i.e. Notorious, Deception).I take great exception to a previous comment here about a "throwaway cast." Throwaway? Audrey Totter? Constance Bennett? Hurd Hatfield? The too little seen Fred Clark? Hardly throwaway! Totter's performance is etched in acid and this, with her job in Tension, is the best of this fabulous lady's career! She and Bennett here play both sides of the bitch coin. Totter is the nasty side, Bennett the amusing and brittle side. Both of theses dames bring life to dialogue that even on paper would be smart. If you love Warner Brothers, Rains, Totter, Bennett, or noir in general, this is a tasty treat.

Yes, my summary is my favorite line from this fruity, eye-popping Technicolor extravaganza. I've been watching it on television (and now on VHS from AMC) for 30 years and never get tired of it. Only one question....what period is it supposed to be? The plot is pretty archaic, but our Maria is decked out in high-forties shoulder pads! And from what trading post did she get those Joan Crawford pumps? This film is a lulu and really defies description. One wonders if the original 1944 audiences took it seriously, or even then was it considered camp? Maria is constantly reminding her subjects of her status: "Yuuuu ferget, I am de high prrrriestess! I haf spokan!" Forget Julia Roberts, give me Maria and a bag of buttered popcorn on a rainy Saturday afternoon!

I saw this on New York television as an impressionable thirteen year old in the early sixties. It's been on my top ten list of favorites ever since. Not only the expected intelligent, riveting performance from Robinson, but a touching, foreboding one from the luminous and tragic Gail Russell. This is my favorite Russell performance, followed by The Uninvited and Moonrise. What a waste that her life and talent was snuffed out at 36!