Crime of Passion (1957 film)
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- For other uses see: Crime of passion (disambiguation)
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| Crime of Passion | |
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| Directed by | Gerd Oswald |
| Produced by | Herman Cohen |
| Written by | Jo Eisinger |
| Starring | Barbara Stanwyck Sterling Hayden Raymond Burr |
| Music by | Paul Dunlap |
| Cinematography | Joseph LaShelle |
| Editing by | Marjorie Fowler |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | January 9, 1957 (U.S.A.) |
| Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Crime of Passion (1957) is a American crime film noir directed by Gerd Oswald and written by Jo Eisinger. The drama features Barbara Stanwyck, Sterling Hayden, Raymond Burr, Fay Wray, among others.[1]
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[edit] Plot
The story tells of Kathy Ferguson (Stanwyck) a San Francisco newspaper advice columnist. One day, Bill Doyle (Hayden), a Los Angeles Police Department detective and his partner Charlie Alidos (Royal Dano), travel to "Frisco" to arrest a fugitive wanted for murder and he meets Kathy Ferguson. They both soon fall in love. Kathy had been offered a big job in New York City, but she abandons her plans and career and marries Doyle and moves to Los Angeles.
However, her new role as a 1950s suburban wife and homemaker quickly makes her unhappy. She wants her husband to have ambition, to move up in the world. She wants him to have the same kind of ambition she had in her last job and wants Doyle to be "somebody" for his own sake. Doyle, on the other hand, has different values and tells his wife that he works in order to afford a comfortable lifestyle, no more. "She is all that matters," he tells Kathy.
She schemes to push Doyle up the ladder by any means necessary. She manipulates Tony Pope (Burr), who has an ailing wife (Wray), to sleep with her. She hopes Pope will promote her husband. However, Pope is not so easily manipulated and refuses to grant Doyle a plumb job because Pope believes he's just not qualified.
When she drops by the station to see her husband, she steals a gun used in a crime her husband is investigating. Kathy then confronts Pope in his home and pleads that he not use his influence to grant Charlie Alidos the promotion. When Pope refuses she coldly shoots him.
Bill Doyle is then assigned to Pope's murder investigation and all trails lead to Kathy Doyle. When Bill confronts Kathy, she tells him, "Now I'll know just how much of a cop you really are." Bill responds, "The same cop Kathy. The same cop you met in Frisco. Same cop I was 10 years ago, pounding a beat. The same cop." Bill Doyle then takes Kathy Doyle to police headquarters to be booked for murder.
[edit] Cast
- Barbara Stanwyck as Kathy Ferguson Doyle
- Sterling Hayden as Police Lt. Bill Doyle
- Raymond Burr as Police Inspector Anthony (Tony) Pope
- Fay Wray as Alice Pope
- Virginia Grey as Sara Alidos
- Royal Dano as Police Capt. Charlie Alidos
- Robert Griffin as Police Sgt. James
- Dennis Cross as Police Sgt. Jules
- Jay Adler as Mr. Nalence
- Stuart Whitman as Laboratory Technician
- Malcolm Atterbury as Police Officer Spitz
- Robert Quarry as Sam, Reporter
- Gail Bonney as Mrs. London
- Joe Conley as Delivery Boy
[edit] Critical reception
Critic Dan Callahan gave the film a positive review, writing, "Hayden installs Stanwyck into a hellish suburbia where the women only talk about their TV sets; after a particularly trying montage of idle housewife chatter, Stanwyck rages against the mediocrity all around her. When she rails against her kitchen duties, she's a '30s star railing potently against '50s conformity. Though her character turns violent, the reasons behind her anger are powerfully expressed and the film puts you on her side. This overlooked, subversive movie has a strong feminist message and an even stronger Stanwyck performance."[2]
Critic Glenn Erickson liked the film's noir screenplay and wrote, "Crime of Passion is a fascinating film that goes head-on with the classic conception of the femme fatale character. Screenwriter Jo Eisinger wrote the delirious 1946 Gilda, noir's most romantically perverse epic, but here she dissects the murderous female from a 50s perspective. It's hard-edged, direct in its theme and both dated and progressive at the same time. Barbara Stanwyck and Sterling Hayden make an exceptional screen couple."[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Crime of Passion at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Callahan, Dan. Slant Magazine, "B-Noir at Film Forum," film review, 2006. Last accessed: January 8, 2008.
- ^ Erickson, Glenn. DVD Savant, DVD/film review, December 2, 2003. Last accessed: January 8, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Crime of Passion at the Internet Movie Database.
- Crime of Passion at Allmovie.
- Crime of Passion at the TCM Movie Database.
- Crime of Passion film review at DVD Verdict.
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