Coeurs brûlés

Spirited performances by Crosby, Stevens, Seymour, and E.G. Marshall notches this one above its clinical routes. William Schallert has a wonderful bit as Judge Seymour's secretary. In many ways, a 20-year predecessor to Kramer vs. Kramer -- and in its own way, no less poignant.

The movie opens with Bing Crosby singing the Sammy Fain-Paul Francis Webster title song over the opening credits. But that's all you hear from Crosby the singer. For the first time Bing starred in a film without any singing at all.

The story involves a pair of divorced parents who have fallen out of love and are contesting the custody of their son. Crosby the father has the kid and wife Mary Fickett and her new husband Richard Eastham want him.

It's a well acted film and Crosby proves he doesn't need to sing to carry a film. His Earl Carleton is a troubled man, a loving father wounded terribly by the divorce. Mary Fickett is a loving mother who's been denied custody of her son by a hastily signed agreement at the time of her's and Bing's divorce. Her new husband Richard Eastham wants a share of custody for his wife's sake.

The point is that this is a film without villains. These are just good people caught in a bad situation trying to do the right thing as they conceive it. And in probably the best performance of her long career, Judge Anne Seymour has to decide it. The custody hearing scene in her chambers is the best acted scene in the film.

This situation may have inspired some of the situations portrayed in the current series Judging Amy. The film has an honored place in the films of Bing Crosby. A must see.

Bing might have been one of the most loved singers of the early 20th century but he was no great actor.

From all I've heard he was no great father either. A complete tyrant. His children must have watched this movie in awe, not even recognizing his behavior towards his son.

This is a beautifully written, produced and acted drama about a bitter divorce situation. The subject is sensitive and the presentation direct, to the point, and brutally honest.

This finely crafted drama slowly builds from its foundation to reveal the ugly side of domestic tension. The photography, editing and music all are effective in their simplicity and at times stark execution.

The acting is top notch throughout, particularly Bing Crosby, Inger Stevens, and Anne Seymour as leads, with the always dependable E. G. Marshall in a supporting role.

An interesting footnote: at this writing the film lacks to date a single professional critic review on IMDb, only user reviews. A careful internet search reveals a most thoughtful review by Bosley Crowther of the N. Y. Times and a revealing article on TCM. Rarely has a work with such top notch actors and artistic accomplishment been so lacking in critical commentary.

For myself, I fully appreciate this "Man on Fire" as a thoughtful, deeply felt and often shattering drama of domestic strife.

Bing Crosby is a "Man on fire" in this 1957 film starring Inger Stevens, Mary Fickett, Richard Eastham, and E.G. Marshall.

Crosby plays Earl Carleton, a successful businessman who has been divorced from his wife and has custody of their son Ted (Malcolm Brodrick). His wife (Fickett) left him for another man (Eastham) and Earl isn't about to forgive or forget. Angry and bitter, when she and her new husband want sole custody of Ted, Carleton fights them hard, at one point resorting to kidnapping.

Inger Stevens plays an associate in attorney E.G. Marshall's office, and she falls for Earle and wants to help him.

This film was meant to show up the problems of divorce, but mostly it demonstrates the need to move on, otherwise, your anger will devour you. It's the lesson Earle, who loves his son, has to learn, and do what's best for the boy.

"Man on Fire" was Inger Stevens' big break. A beautiful young woman, she apparently had a habit of falling for her leading men, and Crosby was no exception. She was devastated when he married Kathryn Crosby. She finally lost her life either to suicide or an overdose in 1970. Since she refused treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning on the set of "Cry Terror," saying she wanted to die, it doesn't appear that, with everything she had going for her, she was ever very happy. A real pity.

It was delightful to see soap opera star Mary Fickett in a non-soap role, and she was very effective.

Bing Crosby had an enormous effect on popular music and was one of the most popular actors in films for years and years. He was much more than a crooner. He plays the role of a difficult man very well.

The denouement was a little abrupt, but the film made its points.