This fine "B" film project is basically a psychological film, in the category of the many 1940s and 50s films that were made to explore depth-of-character and motivation. The idea their producers had was to go beyond the inspector calling and assembling suspects in the drawing room to detail who'd done a murder; in the newer mysteries, emphasis was placed upon gradually discovering clues and lines of inquiry, upon revealing actions, pretenses, questionings and complex relationships. This "modern" peeling away of layers of truth relating to an old crime's influence often works brilliantly in my judgment, especially in this movie, Not the least of this unpretentious and beautifully- photographed work's accomplishments is its avoidance of Freudian and false notions that so often muddy attempts to understand individuals' characters in film; Freud applies only to totalitarian societies. Here the investigator is in fact a beautiful woman, very intelligently played as insurance expert and woman-in-love by Betsy Drake. The object of her interest is a man who may or may not be crazy, well-portrayed by Robert Young. He has been suffering a series of accidents or breakdowns that are ruining his life; he has begun to doubt his own sanity. But she insightfully feelss someone is trying to wreck his career and his hopes for happiness. Their search for the perpetrator of the acts being done against him help them to unravel the mystery of his late wife's death and the secrets of the usual nasty small United States town and its equally small-minded citizens (a favorite target of intellectuals in the period, genuinely or not). The director was James V. Kerns, the cinematographer Hal Mohr, whose work was outstanding also. The cast apart from the attractive and bright leads was comprised of Morris Carnovsky, Jean Rogers, Steven Geray, Shirley Ballard, John Sutton and Florence Bates, all well-cast and in top form.. This film was an attempt to do on a low-budget what "Spellbound" had been able to accomplish; the house architect Young designs is outstanding modern architecture; the music by Bernard Nussbaum and the Tschaikovsky excerpts used are I believe add to the atmosphere very nicely. And the relations between characters, acerbic or warm, are unusually well-realized in dialogs and blocking.. This is a true sleeper, with its roots in "The Fountainhead"; and one that deserves much more attention that it has ever received; many elements of an intriguing mystery-noir storyline are quite successfully filmed here indeed.
51 Reviews
The Pine Cliff Paranoia.
hitchcockthelegend25 September 2013
The Second Woman (AKA: Ellen) is directed by James V. Kern and co- written by Mort Briskin and Robert Smith. It stars Robert Young, Betsy Drake, John Sutton, Florence Bates, Morris Carnovsky and Henry O'Neil. Music is by Joseph Nussbaum and cinematography by Hal Mohr.
Architect Jeff Cohalan (Young) is a troubled man, after the mysterious death of his fiancée in a car crash, he has been acting strangely and lives a lonely life at the Hilltop House he designed for his bride to be. When he meets Ellen Foster (Drake), things perk up as he becomes attracted to her. But he is constantly plagued by bad luck, something which doesn't go unnoticed by Ellen, who suspects that Jeff may not be the victim of paranoia, but of something sinister perpetrated by outside forces
The Coast of Kings.
If you can get away from the looming presence of such great films like Gaslight and Rebecca, then James Kern's movie holds some Gothic noir rewards. The house at the centre of tale is a modern development, which is a shame as it goes against the coastal atmosphere lifting up from the Carmel-On-Sea location that was used for these parts of the film, but otherwise there's a strong brooding mystery bubbling away throughout. As the bizarre instances of misfortune start to mount up on Jeff Cohalan, with director Kern showing a good appreciation of pacing, it builds up a menacing head of steam and then unravels a better than adequate denouement.
Vivian, Vivian, Vivian
Young and Drake inevitably tug at a romantic thread, but they make for an engaging couple and Drake especially gets her teeth into a female role of intelligent substance. John Sutton files in for some decent caddish quotient and Bates and O'Neil add some professionally elder support. Mohr's (Bullets or Ballets/The Lineup) photography is the key, consistently at one with the psychological beats of the plotting, his lighting compositions make the film seem far more higher in production value than it was.
A tale of memory lapses, pet bothering, depression, ugly real estate, dastards and romance, is nicely cloaked by ominous coastal atmospherics and Tchaikovsky! 7/10
Architect Jeff Cohalan (Young) is a troubled man, after the mysterious death of his fiancée in a car crash, he has been acting strangely and lives a lonely life at the Hilltop House he designed for his bride to be. When he meets Ellen Foster (Drake), things perk up as he becomes attracted to her. But he is constantly plagued by bad luck, something which doesn't go unnoticed by Ellen, who suspects that Jeff may not be the victim of paranoia, but of something sinister perpetrated by outside forces
The Coast of Kings.
If you can get away from the looming presence of such great films like Gaslight and Rebecca, then James Kern's movie holds some Gothic noir rewards. The house at the centre of tale is a modern development, which is a shame as it goes against the coastal atmosphere lifting up from the Carmel-On-Sea location that was used for these parts of the film, but otherwise there's a strong brooding mystery bubbling away throughout. As the bizarre instances of misfortune start to mount up on Jeff Cohalan, with director Kern showing a good appreciation of pacing, it builds up a menacing head of steam and then unravels a better than adequate denouement.
Vivian, Vivian, Vivian
Young and Drake inevitably tug at a romantic thread, but they make for an engaging couple and Drake especially gets her teeth into a female role of intelligent substance. John Sutton files in for some decent caddish quotient and Bates and O'Neil add some professionally elder support. Mohr's (Bullets or Ballets/The Lineup) photography is the key, consistently at one with the psychological beats of the plotting, his lighting compositions make the film seem far more higher in production value than it was.
A tale of memory lapses, pet bothering, depression, ugly real estate, dastards and romance, is nicely cloaked by ominous coastal atmospherics and Tchaikovsky! 7/10
Shades of Rebecca
blanche-26 August 2007
Robert Young is one seemingly unlucky guy in "The Second Woman," a 1950 film also starring Betsy Drake, Morris Carnovsky, John Sutton, Florence Bates and Henry O'Neill. This was probably a 'B' noir; like "Shining Victory" and "The Uninvited," it is reminiscent of "Rebecca" - in fact, the beginning narration is basically a paraphrase of "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderlay." This film even goes so far as to have Florence Bates playing Drake's aunt; she was Mrs. DeWinter's employer in "Rebecca." Drake is Ellen Foster, a young woman en route by train to visit her aunt when she meets her aunt's attractive neighbor, Jeff Cohalon (Young). He's built a fantastic house that, her aunt informs Ellen, no one has ever been in. He built it for his bride-to-be, and she was killed in a car accident before the wedding. Since then, several people - his almost father-in-law, Ben (O'Neill), to whom Jeff is like a son, and a psychiatrist, Dr. Hartley (Carnovsky) have been concerned about Jeff. He seems absent-minded and moody. Then strange things begin to happen to Jeff - he has to shoot his horse when it breaks its leg apparently while in its stall; his dog dies; the color on a painting he owns suddenly fades; and roses he brings into the house die immediately. Ellen, who works with actuarial tables, is darn suspicious - there is too much bad luck, and either Jeff himself or someone who wants him destroyed is behind it.
"The Second Woman" is a decent film with good, if unexciting, acting. Robert Young made several noirs in the '40s, and he did them well - you really don't know here if he's sinister or if he's a victim. Drake is a bland costar. Carnovsky, O'Neill, Sutton and Bates give good support. Sutton strikes the right note as a man who hates Jeff.
Like dozens and dozens of post-World War II, there is an emphasis on psychology. Considering what our soldiers went through in World War II, it's not surprising that it was a hot topic. Here the big word is paranoia. But as anyone will tell you, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone's not out to get you.
"The Second Woman" is a decent film with good, if unexciting, acting. Robert Young made several noirs in the '40s, and he did them well - you really don't know here if he's sinister or if he's a victim. Drake is a bland costar. Carnovsky, O'Neill, Sutton and Bates give good support. Sutton strikes the right note as a man who hates Jeff.
Like dozens and dozens of post-World War II, there is an emphasis on psychology. Considering what our soldiers went through in World War II, it's not surprising that it was a hot topic. Here the big word is paranoia. But as anyone will tell you, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone's not out to get you.
Interesting Psychological Drama
Snow Leopard15 August 2005
This interesting psychological drama has a number of strengths that more than make up for the low-budget look and a few minor flaws. The story is full of tension and dramatic possibilities, and things are built up nicely, with the flashback opening and a number of the plot elements frequently reminding you of "Rebecca". It's not really on a par with that story, or with the Hitchcock film version, but it has the same kind of psychology-driven story that takes some skill to tell.
Robert Young plays a talented architect whose life and mental stability have been troubled by a recent tragedy. Young is well cast, since in his earlier years he came across well as this kind of character, who is likable but whose behavior raises a lot of questions. Betsy Drake was an interesting choice for the female lead, emphasizing sincerity, intelligence, and loyalty rather than the glamour and mystery that often characterize noir heroines. Florence Bates also works well as the aunt of Drake's character, though it would have been nice to see the script give her more to work with.
The past and present are tied together in an interesting and unpredictable plot. A more carefully scripted climactic sequence, bringing everything out in a more deliberate manner, would have topped it off even better. But even so, it remains among the better B-movies of its genre, and it makes for an hour and a half of good drama.
Robert Young plays a talented architect whose life and mental stability have been troubled by a recent tragedy. Young is well cast, since in his earlier years he came across well as this kind of character, who is likable but whose behavior raises a lot of questions. Betsy Drake was an interesting choice for the female lead, emphasizing sincerity, intelligence, and loyalty rather than the glamour and mystery that often characterize noir heroines. Florence Bates also works well as the aunt of Drake's character, though it would have been nice to see the script give her more to work with.
The past and present are tied together in an interesting and unpredictable plot. A more carefully scripted climactic sequence, bringing everything out in a more deliberate manner, would have topped it off even better. But even so, it remains among the better B-movies of its genre, and it makes for an hour and a half of good drama.
While not always believable, it's always entertaining
planktonrules3 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is an odd little suspense film starring Robert Young and Betsy Drake (a.k.a., Mrs. Cary Grant). Betsy meets a tortured soul in Robert Young. Apparently his fiancée died a year earlier and his life has been a mess since. He's obviously depressed, but he also seems very forgetful and moody. However, once Drake becomes involved, things seem to get worse for him and odd little things begin to happen around his home. First, an expensive statue of his if inexplicably broken, then his horse injures itself inside the stable and must be put down, then his rose bush dies, then his dog dies and even a painting he owns fades drastically. It's as if he is cursed and everything around him dies...or maybe Young is insane and he is subconsciously destroying everything around him. Drake somehow believes he is NOT insane and sets out to determine if someone is trying to discredit young or drive him over the edge. However, when an attempt is made on her life, things take a very serious turn indeed!
While there is much more to the film than this, there are many good twists and turns. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of improbabilities and you need to suspend your sense of disbelief or you'll never be able to enjoy the film. However, if you can, it's a super-entertaining flick and well worth a look.
While there is much more to the film than this, there are many good twists and turns. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of improbabilities and you need to suspend your sense of disbelief or you'll never be able to enjoy the film. However, if you can, it's a super-entertaining flick and well worth a look.
Gothic elements enhance superior psychological thriller
bmacv28 January 2002
A better-than-average psychological thriller, The Second Woman blends aspects of Rebecca and Gaslight into a savvy, neo-Gothic style (there's even an ultramodern, Manderley-like pile of memories high above the crashing ocean; it, too, ends in conflagration).
Robert Young plays a young architect who can't wriggle out from under a jinx. The night before their wedding, a car crash claimed the life of his fiancée, for whom he'd built the cantilevered "house with wings." Now it's a mausoleum where he broods to the Tchaikovsky on the sound track. Lapses of memory and moody episodes undermine his work. His horse, his dog, even his prize rosebush die mysteriously. He's sinking, an object of pity and, increasingly, apprehension.
Into this slough of despond comes a guardian angel (Betsy Drake), an intelligent and independent insurance investigator who falls for him, as he for her. (She's something of an anomaly in film noir, where all the brains and spunk usually go to the wicked women.) She supplies Young with the resolve to solve the puzzle when he ceases to care.
There are weak points as well. The suicide attempt that opens the movie makes scant sense when it's later explained; the character set up as a villain emerges, at least partly, as a red herring; and the formidable Florence Bates disappears into a bland "also-starring" role. And constantly referring to past events in a low-key, almost abstract way lays poor preparation for the ending, where they prove central. Still, The Second Woman keeps you puzzled, and the Gothic trappings work their spell. Less film noir than mystery, it's nonetheless a good, old-fashioned one.
Robert Young plays a young architect who can't wriggle out from under a jinx. The night before their wedding, a car crash claimed the life of his fiancée, for whom he'd built the cantilevered "house with wings." Now it's a mausoleum where he broods to the Tchaikovsky on the sound track. Lapses of memory and moody episodes undermine his work. His horse, his dog, even his prize rosebush die mysteriously. He's sinking, an object of pity and, increasingly, apprehension.
Into this slough of despond comes a guardian angel (Betsy Drake), an intelligent and independent insurance investigator who falls for him, as he for her. (She's something of an anomaly in film noir, where all the brains and spunk usually go to the wicked women.) She supplies Young with the resolve to solve the puzzle when he ceases to care.
There are weak points as well. The suicide attempt that opens the movie makes scant sense when it's later explained; the character set up as a villain emerges, at least partly, as a red herring; and the formidable Florence Bates disappears into a bland "also-starring" role. And constantly referring to past events in a low-key, almost abstract way lays poor preparation for the ending, where they prove central. Still, The Second Woman keeps you puzzled, and the Gothic trappings work their spell. Less film noir than mystery, it's nonetheless a good, old-fashioned one.
"Interesting subject, who's sane and who isn't. It's hard to tell sometimes".
classicsoncall11 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I didn't find this picture particularly noirish as a fair number of reviewers here have. Specifically, there's no conflicted femme fatale, and the death that's central to the story occurred in a car accident as opposed to murder. What makes the picture effective is it's clever set-up as a psychological thriller. It focuses the viewer entirely in the direction of Robert Young's character turning into a delusional man affected by paranoia and a guilt complex over the loss of his fiancée a year earlier. That theme is reinforced by the odds defying streak of bad luck he endures, with one unfortunate incident after another effectively presented as if he might have caused them himself.
The other players in this drama are cleverly positioned to add further testimony to Jeff Cohalon's (Young) string of misfortune. You have to wonder how this might have turned out if Ellen Foster (Betsy Drake) hadn't shown up, an insurance investigator with a keen sense of probabilities that can be borne out by actuarial statistics. With everything that befalls architect Cohalon in succession, his bad luck is just a little too bad to be true.
I was able to accept a lot of the story as it moved along until it came time to resolving some of the key plot elements. The biggest leap of faith Cohalon had to make was that someone would make the save in his elaborately planned suicide attempt. Think about it, he siphoned off enough gasoline from his car's tank to insure that the motor would stop running in case someone didn't come quick enough. I admit, that was a nifty ploy that gave the viewer pause to consider he might strike again as an arsonist at the Foster home. But he WAS unconscious when pulled from the garage, and might not have survived even when he was found. That's just too close a call to take to smoke out a villain.
So given the hint that there could be a villain, a couple of prospects come to mind. Ferris (John Sutton) appeared to be vile enough, and even though he was the one responsible for the death of Cohalon's fiancée (shown in a flashback explanation), I bought it when Jeff explained his reason for a cover up was to spare Ben Sheppard (Henry O'Neill) the truth about his daughter. So that left Sheppard himself with a revenge motive. Fair enough, but even after learning the truth, how does that let him off the hook for poisoning Jeff's dog and rose bush, crippling the horse and all the other nasties on the way to getting him committed.
And finally, there's Doctor Hartley (Morris Carnovsky), who concluded that Cohalon was unstable enough to cause harm to Ellen and her aunt Amelia (Florence Bates). But then, in the next to final scene, he states to Amelia that he suspected Ben Sheppard of being a psychopath FROM THE BEGINNING! What??!! That just came out of nowhere, and would have been best left on the cutting room floor. Coupled with the confrontation scene in Sheppard's office, the ending was just a little sloppy to tie the whole thing together.
Still, the path to the finale is made fairly intriguing by some deft writing that really makes for a compelling story. The set-ups and red herrings are positioned as effective sleight of hand gimmicks to keep the viewer guessing and for the most part it all works pretty well. The principal players (Young and Drake) could have been more charismatic, but at least they were solid in their roles, and you could believe their characters as the story progressed. I think a modern day remake with some of the bugs worked out could be an effective thriller, and would be an interesting project to contemplate.
The other players in this drama are cleverly positioned to add further testimony to Jeff Cohalon's (Young) string of misfortune. You have to wonder how this might have turned out if Ellen Foster (Betsy Drake) hadn't shown up, an insurance investigator with a keen sense of probabilities that can be borne out by actuarial statistics. With everything that befalls architect Cohalon in succession, his bad luck is just a little too bad to be true.
I was able to accept a lot of the story as it moved along until it came time to resolving some of the key plot elements. The biggest leap of faith Cohalon had to make was that someone would make the save in his elaborately planned suicide attempt. Think about it, he siphoned off enough gasoline from his car's tank to insure that the motor would stop running in case someone didn't come quick enough. I admit, that was a nifty ploy that gave the viewer pause to consider he might strike again as an arsonist at the Foster home. But he WAS unconscious when pulled from the garage, and might not have survived even when he was found. That's just too close a call to take to smoke out a villain.
So given the hint that there could be a villain, a couple of prospects come to mind. Ferris (John Sutton) appeared to be vile enough, and even though he was the one responsible for the death of Cohalon's fiancée (shown in a flashback explanation), I bought it when Jeff explained his reason for a cover up was to spare Ben Sheppard (Henry O'Neill) the truth about his daughter. So that left Sheppard himself with a revenge motive. Fair enough, but even after learning the truth, how does that let him off the hook for poisoning Jeff's dog and rose bush, crippling the horse and all the other nasties on the way to getting him committed.
And finally, there's Doctor Hartley (Morris Carnovsky), who concluded that Cohalon was unstable enough to cause harm to Ellen and her aunt Amelia (Florence Bates). But then, in the next to final scene, he states to Amelia that he suspected Ben Sheppard of being a psychopath FROM THE BEGINNING! What??!! That just came out of nowhere, and would have been best left on the cutting room floor. Coupled with the confrontation scene in Sheppard's office, the ending was just a little sloppy to tie the whole thing together.
Still, the path to the finale is made fairly intriguing by some deft writing that really makes for a compelling story. The set-ups and red herrings are positioned as effective sleight of hand gimmicks to keep the viewer guessing and for the most part it all works pretty well. The principal players (Young and Drake) could have been more charismatic, but at least they were solid in their roles, and you could believe their characters as the story progressed. I think a modern day remake with some of the bugs worked out could be an effective thriller, and would be an interesting project to contemplate.
Paranoia on a Hilltop
richardchatten26 May 2020
It's opening speech tries far too hard to evoke associations with 'Rebecca' (it even features one of the original cast), and it also shoehorns in references to 'Suspicion' and 'Spellbound'. But it actually works perfectly own on it's own terms - with a bit of postwar psychology thrown in and Tchaikovsky on the soundtrack - and ironically harks forward towards later Hitchcocks (notably 'North by Northwest') with it's hero and heroine meeting cute on a train and the hilltop Frank Lloyd Wright-style house that serves as a backdrop to some of the drama.
A chicly attired Betsy Drake - ironically Mrs Cary Grant at the time - provides an attractive and robust female lead.
A chicly attired Betsy Drake - ironically Mrs Cary Grant at the time - provides an attractive and robust female lead.
Atmospheric Mystery Thriller The Second Woman Is First Rate Entertainment
oldblackandwhite12 July 2011
The Second Woman is a stylish mystery thriller staring second tier leads Robert Young and Betsy Drake and directed by second tier director James V. Kern. But there is nothing second rate about the finished product. This movie is visually and dramatically stimulating from beginning to end.
Young plays an architect brooding over the death of his fiancé in an auto crash in which he was the driver the previous year. After a series of apparent accidents, including a suspicious injury to his horse and a fire at his house, it appears that either someone is out to get him, or he is actually doing destructive things to himself because he is a dangerously off-his-nut paranoiac. The local doctor (Morris Carnovsky) believes the latter. His newly acquired girl friend (Drake), who works in statistical studies for an insurance company, turns detective to prove it is the former. The mystery unfolds at a leisurely pace at first but gradually builds tension with surprising twists and turns of the plot. As with any good thriller, you begin to suspect everyone. A brooding, almost Gothic mood is maintained by Joseph Nussbaum's haunting Tchaikovsky-based score and Hal Mohr's alternately dark and luminous black and white cinematography. Frequent shots of the surf crashing on the lonely rocks of the Central California shore help set the forlorn ambiance. Kern's direction is precise, dialog is intelligent, editing smooth. Young and Drake are charming, and they get expert support from Carnovsky, Henry O'Neil, Florence Bates, and John Sutton.
The Second Woman successfully blends elements of mystery, noir, Gothic, and romantic melodrama. Though released in July 1950, its sensuous style and feel seem to belong more to the l940's than to the 'fifties. But when decades are accounted properly, the year 1950 is actually the last year of the decade we nickname "the forties". In any case it was made near the end of an era. Due to collapse of the studio systems, death and retirement of key personnel, adverse changes in public taste, and other factors, by the end of the 1950's they would no longer be able to make pictures as classy and entertaining as The Second Woman.
Top entertainment from Hollywood's Golden Era.
Young plays an architect brooding over the death of his fiancé in an auto crash in which he was the driver the previous year. After a series of apparent accidents, including a suspicious injury to his horse and a fire at his house, it appears that either someone is out to get him, or he is actually doing destructive things to himself because he is a dangerously off-his-nut paranoiac. The local doctor (Morris Carnovsky) believes the latter. His newly acquired girl friend (Drake), who works in statistical studies for an insurance company, turns detective to prove it is the former. The mystery unfolds at a leisurely pace at first but gradually builds tension with surprising twists and turns of the plot. As with any good thriller, you begin to suspect everyone. A brooding, almost Gothic mood is maintained by Joseph Nussbaum's haunting Tchaikovsky-based score and Hal Mohr's alternately dark and luminous black and white cinematography. Frequent shots of the surf crashing on the lonely rocks of the Central California shore help set the forlorn ambiance. Kern's direction is precise, dialog is intelligent, editing smooth. Young and Drake are charming, and they get expert support from Carnovsky, Henry O'Neil, Florence Bates, and John Sutton.
The Second Woman successfully blends elements of mystery, noir, Gothic, and romantic melodrama. Though released in July 1950, its sensuous style and feel seem to belong more to the l940's than to the 'fifties. But when decades are accounted properly, the year 1950 is actually the last year of the decade we nickname "the forties". In any case it was made near the end of an era. Due to collapse of the studio systems, death and retirement of key personnel, adverse changes in public taste, and other factors, by the end of the 1950's they would no longer be able to make pictures as classy and entertaining as The Second Woman.
Top entertainment from Hollywood's Golden Era.
I feel guilt.
ulicknormanowen18 May 2020
Intriguing psychological thriller which reflects the forties zeitgeist when psychonanalysis was the craze (see "spellbound" " the dark mirror" "secret beyond the door"...)Because he feels responsible for the death of his fiancée in a car crash ,Jeff is brooding .And he's a victim of strange incidents (he has to shoot his horse whose front leg is broken, his dog is poisoned ) ;"it cannot be a coincidence " says Helen (who plays the role of Ingrid Bergman in "spellbound" although she's not a shrink ) .When the unfortunate man's house is burnt , all coincidence must be ruled out:
Is it a self-inflicted retribution ("he wants to be punished for what he's done) ,as the friendly doctor says , warning Helen and her aunt who accomodates him after the fire against a man who may become dangerous :he destroys everything he likes , and he loves you!
Or is there a criminal mind behind these strange events : hence a whodunit side: is it Ben,the late fiancée's father who treats Jeff like his own son?Keith the philanderer? Or the doctor himself ?
The screenplay sustains suspense throughout and the ending makes sense ; Robert Young as a brooding wistful man down on his luck and Betsy Drake, as headstrong energetic Helen come up to scratch.
Is it a self-inflicted retribution ("he wants to be punished for what he's done) ,as the friendly doctor says , warning Helen and her aunt who accomodates him after the fire against a man who may become dangerous :he destroys everything he likes , and he loves you!
Or is there a criminal mind behind these strange events : hence a whodunit side: is it Ben,the late fiancée's father who treats Jeff like his own son?Keith the philanderer? Or the doctor himself ?
The screenplay sustains suspense throughout and the ending makes sense ; Robert Young as a brooding wistful man down on his luck and Betsy Drake, as headstrong energetic Helen come up to scratch.
Slow-starting mystery builds both interest and suspense in its second-act...
moonspinner556 September 2016
An architect in Carmel believes he's been jinxed with bad luck after being at the wheel the night his fiancée died in an auto accident; since then, his horse breaks a leg, his dog is poisoned, a painting in his house has been tampered with, blueprints go missing...and then, his beautiful house overlooking the cliffs burns to the ground! A female insurance analyst staying with her aunt takes a liking to the man and helps him solve the mystery behind his many 'accidents.' Low-budget, if elaborately plotted, variation on "Gaslight", written by Mort Briskin and Robert Smith (who also co-produced), benefits from the casting of Robert Young as the victim. Young is so smooth and natural as an actor--and also an imposing question-mark when he needs to be--that this wild-card scenario takes on dimensions simply by his presence alone. As the young woman who loves him (or, perhaps, underdogs in general), Betsy Drake is an odd one: you can't get a reading on her. Drake matches up well with Young; they share a polite, friendly rapport, and she's convincing playing amateur detective (she's rather like a grown-up Nancy Drew, or a girl scout leader), but I'm not so sure she was meant for romantic leading roles. The screenwriters wait until the finish line to reveal their plot--and it's quite a story! The supporting performances are mostly wooden, the narrative moves too early into flashback-mode, and the outcome may strike many viewers as ridiculous. Still, the locations are pleasant and Young and Drake are certainly watchable. ** from ****
A "Man In Danger" Noir
seymourblack-115 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In an interesting reversal of the norm that wouldn't be out of place in a neo noir production, this entertaining thriller features a man in danger and a strong woman who does everything in her power to save him from someone who wants to see him destroyed. The drama begins with the couple's chance meeting on a train, their instant attraction to each other and the problems that their relationship initially encounters due to the ways in which the man is still suffering from the consequences of a tragedy that he suffered a year earlier, when his fiancée was killed in a car accident on the night before their wedding.
Ellen Foster (Betsy Drake) had been travelling by train from her home in Minnesota to visit her Aunt Amelia (Florence Bates) when she met her aunt's charming neighbour, Jeff Cohalan (Robert Young) who lives on the California coast and earns a good living as a well-respected and successful architect. She's strongly impressed when she sees his beautiful, ultra-modern home and after some initial reluctance on Jeff's part, gets shown around its spacious interior. When Jeff goes to show her a valuable statuette that he's proud of, he surprisingly finds it broken beyond repair and Ellen leaves shortly after.
Expressing some surprise that Ellen had been invited into Jeff's house, Aunt Amelia tells her niece about the tragedy that had befallen him a year earlier and counsels her that she may encounter some problems if she becomes too close to him because he's remained in an obviously fragile emotional state ever since his fiancée's death.
Undaunted, Ellen continues to see Jeff and witnesses the continuation of his bad luck that manifests with his horse having to be destroyed because of a leg injury for which there seemed to be no logical explanation and the poisonings of his dog and his favourite rosebush. Ellen works for an insurance company and because of the actuarial work she does, knows that there's no way that such a sequence of incidents could possibly happen purely by chance.. Convinced that Jeff is the victim of some sort of plot against him, she embarks on her own investigation to discover who's responsible.
During her investigation, Jeff's house gets destroyed by fire, Ellen almost gets run over by a speeding car and she also gets told by local general practitioner Dr Hartley (Morris Carnovsky) that he considers Jeff to be paranoid, consumed with guilt over his fiancée's death and potentially a serious danger to her if she doesn't leave him without delay. Ellen's determination and belief in the man she loves, give her the resilience she needs to remain undeterred and eventually, to discover the lead that enables her to unmask the culprit and ultimately free Jeff from the torment he'd been suffering for so long.
The style and content of the voiceover narration by Ellen at the beginning of this movie is strikingly similar to that which begins Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca" (1950) and this has, over the years, understandably led to numerous comparisons being made between the two Gothic-style thrillers. It's fair to say that "The Second Woman" is no "Rebecca" rip-off and has a very different plot which nicely sets up a mystery and then provides plenty of intrigue and enjoyment in discovering what follows. It's so enjoyable, in fact, that it's quite surprising that it hasn't achieved greater recognition and the higher profile that it actually deserves.
Ellen Foster (Betsy Drake) had been travelling by train from her home in Minnesota to visit her Aunt Amelia (Florence Bates) when she met her aunt's charming neighbour, Jeff Cohalan (Robert Young) who lives on the California coast and earns a good living as a well-respected and successful architect. She's strongly impressed when she sees his beautiful, ultra-modern home and after some initial reluctance on Jeff's part, gets shown around its spacious interior. When Jeff goes to show her a valuable statuette that he's proud of, he surprisingly finds it broken beyond repair and Ellen leaves shortly after.
Expressing some surprise that Ellen had been invited into Jeff's house, Aunt Amelia tells her niece about the tragedy that had befallen him a year earlier and counsels her that she may encounter some problems if she becomes too close to him because he's remained in an obviously fragile emotional state ever since his fiancée's death.
Undaunted, Ellen continues to see Jeff and witnesses the continuation of his bad luck that manifests with his horse having to be destroyed because of a leg injury for which there seemed to be no logical explanation and the poisonings of his dog and his favourite rosebush. Ellen works for an insurance company and because of the actuarial work she does, knows that there's no way that such a sequence of incidents could possibly happen purely by chance.. Convinced that Jeff is the victim of some sort of plot against him, she embarks on her own investigation to discover who's responsible.
During her investigation, Jeff's house gets destroyed by fire, Ellen almost gets run over by a speeding car and she also gets told by local general practitioner Dr Hartley (Morris Carnovsky) that he considers Jeff to be paranoid, consumed with guilt over his fiancée's death and potentially a serious danger to her if she doesn't leave him without delay. Ellen's determination and belief in the man she loves, give her the resilience she needs to remain undeterred and eventually, to discover the lead that enables her to unmask the culprit and ultimately free Jeff from the torment he'd been suffering for so long.
The style and content of the voiceover narration by Ellen at the beginning of this movie is strikingly similar to that which begins Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca" (1950) and this has, over the years, understandably led to numerous comparisons being made between the two Gothic-style thrillers. It's fair to say that "The Second Woman" is no "Rebecca" rip-off and has a very different plot which nicely sets up a mystery and then provides plenty of intrigue and enjoyment in discovering what follows. It's so enjoyable, in fact, that it's quite surprising that it hasn't achieved greater recognition and the higher profile that it actually deserves.
An Entertaining Psychological Thriller
mikeg99422 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This movie reminded me of several better known films from the same time period. The Architect as hero, "The Fountainhead", the interplay of delusion and reality as in more than one of Hitchcock's films, such as "Vertigo" where the hero suffers a trauma of some sort, and the burning of a home, as in the Daphne du Maurier story "Rebecca".
The thing that is brought off successfully in my opinion was the question of whether Robert Young's character was in his right mind or not. He is characterized as a paranoiac and some things he did seemed to suggest this. His attempted suicide was another one. The various strange things that happened. However it did seem from time to time that others might be involved in his various mysterious misfortunes. Nothing fit, and nothing really made sense until the end, when, as in a bad dream you wake up, and the pieces fit together, sort of. The fact that in the end the denouement offers a rather tortured clarification of the mystery, is not that much of a defect, in view of the entertaining nature of the ride and the stunning pictures of the pounding surf.
The thing that is brought off successfully in my opinion was the question of whether Robert Young's character was in his right mind or not. He is characterized as a paranoiac and some things he did seemed to suggest this. His attempted suicide was another one. The various strange things that happened. However it did seem from time to time that others might be involved in his various mysterious misfortunes. Nothing fit, and nothing really made sense until the end, when, as in a bad dream you wake up, and the pieces fit together, sort of. The fact that in the end the denouement offers a rather tortured clarification of the mystery, is not that much of a defect, in view of the entertaining nature of the ride and the stunning pictures of the pounding surf.
Old-fashioned, perhaps even by the 50s standards
grybop30 January 2002
The Second Woman is about the story of a mysterious man who lost his wife in an accident and now believes that someone wants to do him harm. A girl who likes him wants to help him but she is led to believe that his fears are caused by a mental illness...
Interesting plot, very good acting, but the result as a whole is poor in many ways. The story is too simplistic, or rather, presented in a simplistic way (even though there is a couple of interesting plot twists). For example, people say they love each other after only two meetings. I don't want to reveal anything else, but you 'll see what I mean if you watch the movie. "Come on, it was the fifties!", you may think. Yet I 've seen quite a few films from that era and I know that some don't seem so dated nowadays.
Something that disturbed me was that some scenes were shot pitch dark, making it almost impossible to watch what was going on. Ok, it's a film-noir but this one is too noir at some points... :o)
Overall, the Second Woman is not a masterpiece of that era, but no trash either. Watch it if you have nothing else to do...
Interesting plot, very good acting, but the result as a whole is poor in many ways. The story is too simplistic, or rather, presented in a simplistic way (even though there is a couple of interesting plot twists). For example, people say they love each other after only two meetings. I don't want to reveal anything else, but you 'll see what I mean if you watch the movie. "Come on, it was the fifties!", you may think. Yet I 've seen quite a few films from that era and I know that some don't seem so dated nowadays.
Something that disturbed me was that some scenes were shot pitch dark, making it almost impossible to watch what was going on. Ok, it's a film-noir but this one is too noir at some points... :o)
Overall, the Second Woman is not a masterpiece of that era, but no trash either. Watch it if you have nothing else to do...
Noir Meets the Carmel Coastline
dougdoepke12 August 2010
What this b&w noir has going for it is the scenic grandeur of the central California coastline. The roiling sea and rocky outcrops, along with the ultra-modern (circa 1950) cliff house, provide an unusual backdrop to this psychological drama. Bad things keep happening to architect Jeff (Young) for no apparent reason, starting with the highway death of his wife. Enter Ellen (Drake) who seeks to uncover the mystery, though the finger of guilt begins to point at a grieving Jeff who may now be unhinged.
Both the script and the staging are excellent until the climax, which should have been reconsidered from both ends, especially the ludicrous gunshot that seemingly takes minutes to register. Drake's an appealing actress and projects intelligence in the part. At the same time, she's unusual for a decade that emphasized buxom sex-goddesses, which she definitely is not. She and Young do make a well-matched screen couple. However, Young's performance is rather strange. I don't know if he was reaching for a particular effect, but his low-key demeanor never changes despite the many provocations. Unfortunately, it borders on both the boring and the implausible.
Nonetheless, it's an intriguing mystery and a real treat for the eye thanks to cinematographer Hal Mohr. Also, I can't help noticing that Harry Popkin produced this film, along with the noir classic DOA (1950) and such imaginative B-movies as The Well (1951) and The Thief (1952). I expect it was he who insisted on the scenic locations for this film, proving that noir need not be confined to gritty urban settings. Anyway, I think it's fair to surmise that Popkin was a producer, unlike many, who understood the artistic side of movie-making. It shows here.
Both the script and the staging are excellent until the climax, which should have been reconsidered from both ends, especially the ludicrous gunshot that seemingly takes minutes to register. Drake's an appealing actress and projects intelligence in the part. At the same time, she's unusual for a decade that emphasized buxom sex-goddesses, which she definitely is not. She and Young do make a well-matched screen couple. However, Young's performance is rather strange. I don't know if he was reaching for a particular effect, but his low-key demeanor never changes despite the many provocations. Unfortunately, it borders on both the boring and the implausible.
Nonetheless, it's an intriguing mystery and a real treat for the eye thanks to cinematographer Hal Mohr. Also, I can't help noticing that Harry Popkin produced this film, along with the noir classic DOA (1950) and such imaginative B-movies as The Well (1951) and The Thief (1952). I expect it was he who insisted on the scenic locations for this film, proving that noir need not be confined to gritty urban settings. Anyway, I think it's fair to surmise that Popkin was a producer, unlike many, who understood the artistic side of movie-making. It shows here.
Intelligent Hitchcockian psychological thriller
gridoon20245 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I got "The Second Woman" in a 50-movie Mill Creek DVD set called "Nifty Fifties", for about 20 US dollars (including shipping); even if I find no more than 2 or 3 more movies of (at least) the same quality in the set, I will consider it money well spent! "The Second Woman" borrows elements from Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca" and "Suspicion", but it can stand on its own: it has a unique seaside atmosphere, a well-constructed script, interesting use of Tschaikovsky music, and fine performances, especially by the two leads. It might have benefited from being shot in color, both for scenery purposes and because colors (of the roses, of the painting, etc.) play an important role in the plot, but then again, other scenes, like the events of the night prior to when the movie opens, probably play better in black & white. *** out of 4.
Psychological film noir soap opera with a touch of Gothic melodrama thrown in.
mark.waltz2 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
At first thought, you may consider this an Americanized "Rebecca" as it starts off the same way, narration by its heroine over the presence over the shell of a destroyed house and even the presence of one of that film's actors (Florence Bates as quite a different character) present. But as things are revealed about the film's brooding hero (Robert Young), it takes on a different narrative and gets you hooked. Heroine Betsy Drake is desperate to find out what is behind Young's presumed feelings of paranoia which includes memories of a dead fiancée, a nefarious scoundrel (John Sutton) who obviously hates him, a doctor (Morris Carnovsky) determined to get Young the psychological help he thinks he needs and the dead fiancée's father (Henry O'Neill) who is Young's life-long mentor.
The plot developments make it appear that Young is either a paranoid schizophrenic or being framed, Sutton the most obvious culprit. But it is obvious that something nefarious is going on with the mysterious burning of the house, poisoning of Young's dog (a truly disturbing moment) and an attempted hit and run on Drake. The portly Bates is delightful as her devoted aunt, a socialite whom the whole community seems to adore, and the only one who is for Young and Drake getting together. Moody photography, intelligent dialog and a surprise ending (complete with flashback) make this an intriguing, if sometimes chatty (but never boring) psychological film noir with more faces than either Eve or Sybil.
The plot developments make it appear that Young is either a paranoid schizophrenic or being framed, Sutton the most obvious culprit. But it is obvious that something nefarious is going on with the mysterious burning of the house, poisoning of Young's dog (a truly disturbing moment) and an attempted hit and run on Drake. The portly Bates is delightful as her devoted aunt, a socialite whom the whole community seems to adore, and the only one who is for Young and Drake getting together. Moody photography, intelligent dialog and a surprise ending (complete with flashback) make this an intriguing, if sometimes chatty (but never boring) psychological film noir with more faces than either Eve or Sybil.
If It weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all
bkoganbing14 January 2012
Michael Curtiz directs Robert Young and Betsy Drake in an American style Rebecca like movie where we find Robert Young being saved from the gasoline fumes of a running motor in a locked garage by Drake and her aunt Florence Bates. We then get a flashback and why Young is in such a desperate straight that he would resort to suicide.
The flashback takes place over a two year period where promising architect Young has had such a streak of bad luck and unfortunate and unhappy events that it reminded me of that old song from HeeHaw, "if it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all". Gloom, despair and agony on Robert Young.
It begins with his intended bride Shirley Ballard being killed in an automobile crash the day before the wedding. After that Young does meet Drake and they could get something going, at least Drake would like to. But Young keeps having all these terrible events occur, his house burns down, his dog is poisoned, his horse suffers a broken leg in its stall, etc., he doesn't want for anyone else to get close.
Of course its all no accident and there's no real suspense in terms of who's behind it all. I will say there is an interesting coda after the confrontation between Young and his tormentor, but you'll have to see The Second Woman for that.
Rounding out the cast is Morris Carnovsky, Henry O'Neill, and John Sutton in the role of the George Sanders like cad. The Second Woman holds up well after 60 years and fans of today will like it.
The flashback takes place over a two year period where promising architect Young has had such a streak of bad luck and unfortunate and unhappy events that it reminded me of that old song from HeeHaw, "if it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all". Gloom, despair and agony on Robert Young.
It begins with his intended bride Shirley Ballard being killed in an automobile crash the day before the wedding. After that Young does meet Drake and they could get something going, at least Drake would like to. But Young keeps having all these terrible events occur, his house burns down, his dog is poisoned, his horse suffers a broken leg in its stall, etc., he doesn't want for anyone else to get close.
Of course its all no accident and there's no real suspense in terms of who's behind it all. I will say there is an interesting coda after the confrontation between Young and his tormentor, but you'll have to see The Second Woman for that.
Rounding out the cast is Morris Carnovsky, Henry O'Neill, and John Sutton in the role of the George Sanders like cad. The Second Woman holds up well after 60 years and fans of today will like it.
That's very ducky of you
kapelusznik1819 June 2014
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** Over the top and confusing movie about this paranoid schizophrenic architect Jeff Cohalan, Robert Young, who on top of all his other problems is suffering from an acute guilt complex that's leading the poor guy to self destruction. It gets so bad for Jeff that we first meet him in his garage as he attempted, unsuccessfully, to kill himself by carbon monoxide poisoning. What caused Jeff to self destruct is the death of his bride Vivian Sheppard, Shirley Ballard, who was killed in a car accident, on her wedding night, the year before with Jeff behind the wheel!
With his next door neighbor just arrived from Minnesota Ellen Foster, Besty Drake, taking an interest in Jeff's very pressing problems he, in his very fragile state of mind, mistakes her for his now dead bride or wife of about 4 hours Vivian and fall in love with her. Jeff's problems don't end with that with his horse dog and his prized blood red matador rosebush mysteriously dying on him making the guy more crazy then he already is. It's his blueprint for a new housing development on the Pacific Coast that really drove Jeff to the edge of sanity and into madness when it somehow having disappeared in the mail causing him to lose a multi million dollar contract that may well bankrupt him.
***SPOILERS*** We soon find out who's been causing Jeff's problems and it had to do with Vivian's death that the person held him responsible for. It was in fact Ellen who brought out an eye witness to Vivian's death that cleared this all up. That's when the person who was out to get and destroy Jeff completely lost it, by discovering his mistake, and took a pot shot at him in his utter frustration in knowing that all this time he was out to get the wrong man. It was non other then that dirty conniving and womanizing swine family friend Keith Ferris, John Sutton, who was having an affair with Vivian who drove her to her death. That's with the drunk and totally out of it Keith speeding at 80 mph, on a 35 mph speed limit country road, and crashing into a tree killing Vivian. It was the attempt of the heart-broken Jeff way in order for him to save Vivian's reputation, from a living in sin and man to man jumping tramp, as the good and sweet wife that everyone including Jeff's good friend her father Ben Sheppard, Henry O'Neill, thought that she was!
With his next door neighbor just arrived from Minnesota Ellen Foster, Besty Drake, taking an interest in Jeff's very pressing problems he, in his very fragile state of mind, mistakes her for his now dead bride or wife of about 4 hours Vivian and fall in love with her. Jeff's problems don't end with that with his horse dog and his prized blood red matador rosebush mysteriously dying on him making the guy more crazy then he already is. It's his blueprint for a new housing development on the Pacific Coast that really drove Jeff to the edge of sanity and into madness when it somehow having disappeared in the mail causing him to lose a multi million dollar contract that may well bankrupt him.
***SPOILERS*** We soon find out who's been causing Jeff's problems and it had to do with Vivian's death that the person held him responsible for. It was in fact Ellen who brought out an eye witness to Vivian's death that cleared this all up. That's when the person who was out to get and destroy Jeff completely lost it, by discovering his mistake, and took a pot shot at him in his utter frustration in knowing that all this time he was out to get the wrong man. It was non other then that dirty conniving and womanizing swine family friend Keith Ferris, John Sutton, who was having an affair with Vivian who drove her to her death. That's with the drunk and totally out of it Keith speeding at 80 mph, on a 35 mph speed limit country road, and crashing into a tree killing Vivian. It was the attempt of the heart-broken Jeff way in order for him to save Vivian's reputation, from a living in sin and man to man jumping tramp, as the good and sweet wife that everyone including Jeff's good friend her father Ben Sheppard, Henry O'Neill, thought that she was!
A must!
JohnHowardReid3 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Associate producer; Joseph H. Nadel. Producers: Mort Briskin, Robert Smith. Executive producer: Harry M. Popkin. Copyright 15 January 1951 (in notice: 1950) by Cardinal Pictures, Inc. A Harry M. Popkin Production, released through United Artists. New York opening at the Rivoli: 1 February 1951. U.S. release: 16 March 1951. Australian release: 13 July 1951. 91 minutes. Copyright length: 122 minutes.
U.K. and Australian release title (also shooting title): ELLEN.
SYNOPSIS: Someone seems to be making life miserable for Jeff. The commonly held belief of his fellow citizens is that his incredible run of bad luck is self-inflicted. Finally, he tries to commit suicide.
COMMENT: This engrossing film noir, moodily photographed by Hal Mohr, superbly designed by Boris Leven and directed with surprising authority by the normally lackluster James V. Kern, features a number of outstanding performances, most notably from Robert Young as the ambiguous "hero", Betsy Drake as a sympathetic outsider and John Sutton as an irredeemable woman-chaser.
What I particularly like about the screenplay is that it plays fair with the audience. In fact, it even glaringly draws attention to an important clue, secure in the knowledge that most of the audience (including myself) would have insufficient wit to see its obvious implication.
U.K. and Australian release title (also shooting title): ELLEN.
SYNOPSIS: Someone seems to be making life miserable for Jeff. The commonly held belief of his fellow citizens is that his incredible run of bad luck is self-inflicted. Finally, he tries to commit suicide.
COMMENT: This engrossing film noir, moodily photographed by Hal Mohr, superbly designed by Boris Leven and directed with surprising authority by the normally lackluster James V. Kern, features a number of outstanding performances, most notably from Robert Young as the ambiguous "hero", Betsy Drake as a sympathetic outsider and John Sutton as an irredeemable woman-chaser.
What I particularly like about the screenplay is that it plays fair with the audience. In fact, it even glaringly draws attention to an important clue, secure in the knowledge that most of the audience (including myself) would have insufficient wit to see its obvious implication.
Surprisingly Effective Noir Film - Though Under-Appreciated and Virtually Forgotten
BaronBl00d1 December 2007
I am always pleasantly surprised when I come across old gems like The Second Woman and find them to be as good and entertaining as some of the feature films of the same period. The Second Woman stars a convincing Robert Young as an architect who has recently lost his wife in a highway accident. Young plays - on the surface perhaps - a tormented man who has lost connection with everything but his job. He broods at the house he built for his wife whilst gazing at an abstract picture of her and cares only for the company of his horse and dog until - that's right, until the second woman arrives in his life - Betsy Drake visiting her aunt down the road. well, to spin a long tale somewhat short, Young and Drake fall in love, Young loses almost everything he loves in life, and Drake must discover if Young and his recent misfortunes are the product of someone else's had or the result of Young's paranoia. The tension, plot twists, red herrings, and cast of characters are intriguing and most entertaining though the resolution and much of the exposition about an attempted suicide are really quite ludicrous. Director James V. Kern ably manages to inject enough realism to make the engine of this story work as the two key performers - Young and Drake - also lend it credibility. The end was out of nowhere but I didn't mind because I had such a good time getting there. Lots of film noir elements abound, and I loved the scenes of the modern house all by itself on the coast. Morris Charnovsky is very creepy as a doctor convinced Young is a paranoiac, Henry O' Neill does a good job as Young's boss, Florence Bates a nice touch as drake's aunt, and John Sutton plays a worm with the best of them.
Relentlessly somber 90 minute noir.
khunkrumark23 February 2018
There are parallels to other movies which have been alluded to in other reviews, so I won't bore you with that.
The problem with this movie (for me) is that it starts off moody and depressing and stays that way for the entire run time.
The classical music, clunky pacing and stilted screenplay all work hard to bring you down! There's no glamour, no humor and really nothing to connect the viewer with anything real. The new love affair between Robert Young and Betsy Drake is clinical and distant, till the final scene. Nothing about their relationship seems genuinely emotional or affectionate.
You can also add the rather preposterous sequence of events and the silly way everything gets tied up at the end, to the list of reasons not to take this film seriously.
After watching this I came away thinking that this film was trying too hard to be other films that were a similarly themed and that came out at around the same time.
The only real positive is the tremendous cast.
The problem with this movie (for me) is that it starts off moody and depressing and stays that way for the entire run time.
The classical music, clunky pacing and stilted screenplay all work hard to bring you down! There's no glamour, no humor and really nothing to connect the viewer with anything real. The new love affair between Robert Young and Betsy Drake is clinical and distant, till the final scene. Nothing about their relationship seems genuinely emotional or affectionate.
You can also add the rather preposterous sequence of events and the silly way everything gets tied up at the end, to the list of reasons not to take this film seriously.
After watching this I came away thinking that this film was trying too hard to be other films that were a similarly themed and that came out at around the same time.
The only real positive is the tremendous cast.
Even Though Jimmy Dodd's in It, It's Not Mickey Mouse
Hitchcoc27 October 2006
I really enjoyed this film. It has a fairly believable premise. I do have a little trouble with the self-sacrifice angle and the idea of taking things to the grave that could be dealt with, but it has lots of suspense and a cool ending. Robert Young is carrying around a secret. He is being daily harassed by someone. His dog is killed, his house is burned, his horse is harmed (to the point where it needs to be destroyed), and his livelihood (as an architect) is being compromised. He meets a young woman who makes him happy, but she can't convince him to come clean. There is a plot to portray him as psychotic (actually paranoid), He seems to have some handle on everything but won't say what it is. There is excellent cinematography. The pacing is quite good. I have to admit I never suspected what was going on. It's a captivating film. The acting is quite good. Oh, yes, as I see these films, I have seen the presence of Jimmy Dodd who was the head Mousketeer on the old Mickey Mouse Club show of the fifties. His acting portfolio is rather extensive though unimpressive.
Enormously likable outing
Cristi_Ciopron30 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
THE SECOND WOMAN is an extremely appealing melodrama, vastly Hitchcockian, charmingly scored (Tchaikovsky); a singularly likable treatment of Neo—Victorian themes (a wealthy and mysterious widower who fascinates a visibly younger broad), with the psychiatric overtones of the '40s (the discussions of paranoia and mental illness), THE SECOND WOMAN is more than anything exquisitely shot, gorgeously scored, brightly paced, limpid, intelligently directed. And it simply looks as its director knew how to make movies; once in a while, the movie buff gets this impression of a feature which is just masterly made (--similar examples are an early Demme comedy, or the Rooney vehicle QUICKSAND, or a few very early Lemmon comedies from the '50s—that 'delightful secret movies' which it belongs to you to discover all by yourself--). It has what countless others lack. The two leading actors, Young and Betsy, are likable precisely because they are unglamorous.
There are direct quotations from Hitchcock (e.g., when daddy Young does a Grant impression).
As the lead, daddy Young had a certain _finesse; sometimes he looked like an aunt, and others like a true man. His character's girlfriend is the piquant and cute Betsy Drake, 26 yrs in this movie and by then Grant's wife. At 26 yrs, this cute babe had become Grant's wife; she was much younger than him, which disproves Grant's hypocrisy and shyness when filming CHARADE (--where Grant thought it inappropriate to develop the erotic element of his interplay with young Audrey--). She was a stylish and witty girl.
The protagonist of the melodrama is an Irish architect, moody and gloomy, vaguely annoying with his sudden changes of dispositions and Heathcliff—like moods. For the American '40s, the widowed British aristocrat became the widowed American architect.
And, yea, Tchaikovsky was eminently fit for scoring Neo—Victorian melodramas.
There are direct quotations from Hitchcock (e.g., when daddy Young does a Grant impression).
As the lead, daddy Young had a certain _finesse; sometimes he looked like an aunt, and others like a true man. His character's girlfriend is the piquant and cute Betsy Drake, 26 yrs in this movie and by then Grant's wife. At 26 yrs, this cute babe had become Grant's wife; she was much younger than him, which disproves Grant's hypocrisy and shyness when filming CHARADE (--where Grant thought it inappropriate to develop the erotic element of his interplay with young Audrey--). She was a stylish and witty girl.
The protagonist of the melodrama is an Irish architect, moody and gloomy, vaguely annoying with his sudden changes of dispositions and Heathcliff—like moods. For the American '40s, the widowed British aristocrat became the widowed American architect.
And, yea, Tchaikovsky was eminently fit for scoring Neo—Victorian melodramas.
Mediocre Psychological Drama
ZenVortex2 January 2009
This curious psychological mystery movie is definitely NOT film noir. In fact, there is nothing noir about it. The sets, cinematography, editing, and direction are quite ordinary and lack the dynamic tension characteristic of film noir.
Robert Young is convincing as a jinxed architect who experiences a string of what seem to be accidents and bad luck. Eventually, he realizes that somebody is trying to ruin his life by framing him as a dangerous psychotic.
Betsy Drake is miscast as a goody-two-shoes character who falls in love with Young and helps to extricate him from the frame. Unfortunately, she has even less sex appeal than Mary Poppins and there is no chemistry between them. As a result, their romantic scenes are totally unconvincing.
The rest of the cast deliver generally competent performances. The storyline reflects the public interest in psychotherapy in the 1950s but there are several scenes such as Young's fake suicide attempt and the denouement that are simply unbelievable. Not a great movie but worth watching for Young's performance.
Robert Young is convincing as a jinxed architect who experiences a string of what seem to be accidents and bad luck. Eventually, he realizes that somebody is trying to ruin his life by framing him as a dangerous psychotic.
Betsy Drake is miscast as a goody-two-shoes character who falls in love with Young and helps to extricate him from the frame. Unfortunately, she has even less sex appeal than Mary Poppins and there is no chemistry between them. As a result, their romantic scenes are totally unconvincing.
The rest of the cast deliver generally competent performances. The storyline reflects the public interest in psychotherapy in the 1950s but there are several scenes such as Young's fake suicide attempt and the denouement that are simply unbelievable. Not a great movie but worth watching for Young's performance.
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