The passive/aggressive performance of June Allyson is top notch, a far cry from the goody goody Peter Pan collar wives she played throughout the 1940s and 50s, ending with the series of remakes of classic films from decades earlier. This is by far her greatest ambition, one that unfortunately flopped at the time, but has stood the test of time due to the nuances people probably didn't see in the 1950's but thanks to studies being released on psychiatric behavior, her performance is revealed to be something quite stunning. The film opens with husband Jose Ferrer being rushed to the hospital after a suicide attempt, swallowing pills and not really wanting to see his wife but asking for the name of another woman, Joy Page, whom he has met and fallen in love with in a way that is beyond his control.
As you get to know June's character, you can understand why Ferrer would take desperate ways to get out of the marriage, and you question the way she presents herself as an innocent party as things are revealed. People were shocked by Allyson switching gears at this point in her career, reminding me of Louis B. Mayer's quote in regards to his reaction to Greta Garbo in "Two-Faced Woman": "It's as shocking as seeing your grandmother drunk." After 12 years as a star (having started as an ingenue), she had a reputation for certain types of characters, and as an actress, had every right to be bored with those parts. Her character really builds in her machinations, and after a while, I began to really love to hate her. Of course, Jose Ferrer gives an excellent performance, and nobody would expect anything less from him, as his character truly gains all the sympathy while she gains all the hisses as developments in the plot are revealed.
An innocent looking little bird with a sharp beak is how a strike is described, and certainly that describes Allyson to a tea. There are some very interesting supporting characters as well, such as those surrounding Ferrer in his theatrical career on and off the stage, as well as the doctors, nurses and other patients in the hospital. So it's about much more than just a manipulative woman being exposed. The mid 1950's had a lot of social drama is dealing with mental illness and addiction and other issues, and this is surprisingly much better than what I had thought it would be based on reading up on it. It was a tough year for leading actors and actresses, and the stars of this film are certainly deserving of much more acknowledgment than they got. It's a very tough film to watch because it's a very tough subject to watch as entertainment, a bit dated in some ways, but still potent, and a film which Allyson can be proud of in spite of critical and public reaction at the time.
As you get to know June's character, you can understand why Ferrer would take desperate ways to get out of the marriage, and you question the way she presents herself as an innocent party as things are revealed. People were shocked by Allyson switching gears at this point in her career, reminding me of Louis B. Mayer's quote in regards to his reaction to Greta Garbo in "Two-Faced Woman": "It's as shocking as seeing your grandmother drunk." After 12 years as a star (having started as an ingenue), she had a reputation for certain types of characters, and as an actress, had every right to be bored with those parts. Her character really builds in her machinations, and after a while, I began to really love to hate her. Of course, Jose Ferrer gives an excellent performance, and nobody would expect anything less from him, as his character truly gains all the sympathy while she gains all the hisses as developments in the plot are revealed.
An innocent looking little bird with a sharp beak is how a strike is described, and certainly that describes Allyson to a tea. There are some very interesting supporting characters as well, such as those surrounding Ferrer in his theatrical career on and off the stage, as well as the doctors, nurses and other patients in the hospital. So it's about much more than just a manipulative woman being exposed. The mid 1950's had a lot of social drama is dealing with mental illness and addiction and other issues, and this is surprisingly much better than what I had thought it would be based on reading up on it. It was a tough year for leading actors and actresses, and the stars of this film are certainly deserving of much more acknowledgment than they got. It's a very tough film to watch because it's a very tough subject to watch as entertainment, a bit dated in some ways, but still potent, and a film which Allyson can be proud of in spite of critical and public reaction at the time.