The Reckless Moment
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| The Reckless Moment | |
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| Directed by | Max Ophüls |
| Produced by | Walter Wanger |
| Starring | James Mason Joan Bennett Geraldine Brooks Shepperd Strudwick |
| Music by | Hans J. Salter |
| Cinematography | Burnett Guffey |
| Editing by | Gene Havlick |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 17, 1949 U.S. release |
| Running time | 82 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Reckless Moment (1949) is a melodrama film directed by Max Ophüls, produced by Walter Wanger, and released by Columbia Pictures. Burnett Guffey served as the films cinematographer. The film is based upon "The Blank Wall", a 1947 short story written by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. The film The Deep End (2001) is based upon the same story.
The plot concerns Californian housewife Lucia Harper (Joan Bennett) who attempts to cover up her daughter's (Geraldine Brooks) accidental murder of an undesirable ex-lover (Shepperd Strudwick). Martin Donnelly (James Mason), a clean-shaven smooth-talker involved in organized crime, discovers the truth and tries to blackmail the family. His intentons are thwarted, however, when he realises his true feelings for Lucia. This was Mason's third U.S. film, after having appeared for director Ophüls in Caught, then Madame Bovary.
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[edit] Critical reaction
Bosley Crowther's New York Times 1949 review praised the actors but noted, "But it isn't all right with this picture. Although it is rather well staged, with credible location settings in Balboa and Los Angeles, it is a feeble and listless drama with a shamelessly callous attitude. The heroine gets away with folly, but we don't think this picture will."[1]
[edit] Cast
- James Mason as Martin Donnelly
- Joan Bennett as Lucia Harper
- Geraldine Brooks as Bea Harper
- Henry O'Neill as Tom Harper
- Shepperd Strudwick as Ted Darby
- David Bair as David Harper
- Roy Roberts as Nagel
