Fire and Desire captures the range of acting by one of, if not the best, brilliant actresses ever. Barbara Stanwyck was not afraid to show emotion, whether it was to cry or to act tough, and had a wry sense of humor in some parts she played. But whatever she played, she gave 110%. She also did most of her own stunts, even in The Big Valley, even though she had a bad back. Ms. Stanwyck was one-of-a-kind of which there was no equal, nor ever will be matched by anyone. She took an otherwise (sometimes) droll script and made it superb. She knew exactly when to yell out her lines, or when to whisper to get the point across. She may have been short in stature, but she was a strong presence. We should all be glad she found her way to Hollywood and Hollywood found her. Fire and Desire did a fine job of showing Barbara Stanwyck's many talents as an actress. Hopefully, there will be another special forthcoming about her for the next generation to see so they can watch her movies and tv shows and see what they missed, but which I had the pleasure to see (some of) first-hand.
