Die schwarze Lawine

This movie was terrific and even with a less than convincing ending, it's still well worth seeing. The film begins as Claudette Colbert is about to marry Robert Ryan. When the minister asks if anyone has any objections, a guy jumps up and announces that Colbert CAN'T get married because she already is married!! Colbert insists this isn't true, but when they investigate they find that the Justice of the Peace and many others remember her wedding and there is even a signed wedding license! Slowly, it becomes apparent that Claudette's mind is slipping and people around her seriously doubt her sanity. Then, when the supposed first husband is murdered, all evidence and suspicion falls on Colbert.

The film is an exciting mystery suspense film, as what I have so far described is only the first half of the movie. What follows is amazingly intelligent and captivating. Unfortunately, the conclusion, though, is a bit of a let-down, as the guiding force behind all this turns out to come "right out of left field"--and is baffling since it was so unexpected and impossible to guess based on the information given to the viewer. However, in spite of this, the film was so good, I can even excuse the limp ending. In particular, Robert Ryan did a great job as the "knuckle-busting" fiancé, though apart from him the other performances were also excellent.

The Secret Fury, in many ways a run-of-the-mill romantic suspense drama (directed by Mel Ferrer) boasts top-notch principals in Colbert and Ryan; it stays puzzling if not quite gripping until towards the end, when implausibility conquers suspension of disbelief -- as so often it does in this genre. But for some viewers the film's highlight will be the portrayal of blowsy Leah by Vivian Vance -- the immortal Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy." Oddly, Vance had very few film roles; her true home was Broadway, where (among other gigs) she understudied for Ethel Merman. Here she contributes a winning turn as a chambermaid suborned to play a minor part in a nefarious scheme; watch her half-heartedly trying to wave away the smoke when she's puffing a furtive cigarette in the hotel's linen-storage room -- a transgression for which she ultimately pays the supreme penalty.

Ellen R. Ewing (Claudette Colbert) is overjoyed to be marrying David McLean (Robert Ryan). She's from a rich upper class family and he's a regular guy. As the ceremony begins, a stranger stands up and claims that Ellen is already married. The man runs away but the marriage certificate is uncovered. Ellen struggles to prove her innocence as she is confronted by evidences and witnesses which are driving her mad.

I really love the premise. It has Hitchcockian flavor. I do have a problem with Randall's murder. I would like for the thug to reveal how it was done. Also during that waterboarding scene, David should be threatening him with the gun. It doesn't look right if all he's doing is putting him under the faucet. It all gets resolved too quickly. The thug should be revealed to be final villain and more time can be given to David's investigation. I also have an issue with Noosnom. It's unlikely that she remembers it that way. The movie needs to use a window or mirror to do the reflecting while the boat is hidden in some way. These are minor flaws that need to be cleaned up.

Intriguing, but ultimately preposterous noir melodrama with a hysterical performance from Claudette Colbert. It's understandable that Colbert is upset. Her wedding to Robert Ryan is interrupted by a man saying she is already married. Several people back him up and it's pretty convincing. Ryan's having his doubts, and Colbert is doubting her own sanity. A murder takes place and it leads to a trial staged in two of the silliest courtroom scenes ever. The first half of the film is pretty good, thanks to the intrigue, but it can't sustain credibility. No spoilers on the outcome. Roy Webb is credited with an overwrought score, using a piano theme by Robert Schumann that we hear in variations -- the same tune that obsesses Joan Crawford throughout POSESSED (1947). There's some interest in the cast though: Paul Kelly, Paul Picerni, an uncredited Jose Ferrer (no relation to director Mel), Philip Ober and his then-wife Vivian Vance who is quite good in one of her few, but this time memorable, film parts before she became the immortal "Ethel Mertz".

In the hands of lesser actors than Claudette Colbert and Robert Ryan this film could have become silly and trite. But, with these two experienced thespians leading the way, I found "Silent Fury" to be a most exciting and pleasurable little mystery. When their wedding is interrupted by a stranger who claims that Colbert is already married, and that he was best man at that wedding, one can sense that there is some sort of plot against her at work. As Colbert, Ryan, and her attorney set out to disprove the strangers claim of a prior marriage, they are met at every turn by more evidence that seems to reinforce the claim that she is indeed already wed. Although it's not very difficult to figure out just who the main "baddie" is, it's still lots of fun as the intensity and pace of the story increases. All in all, a good, solid mystery film with fine performances by the two leading actors and a fine supporting cast which includes the often underrated Paul Kelly.