The Sign of the Ram

SUSAN PETERS had been an Oscar nominee already(RANDOM HARVEST) and a star-on-the-rise when a hunting accident led to paralysis. But this gifted young performer did not stop acting. Despite difficulties, she starred in THE SIGN OF THE RAM and gave a remarkable performance. As a manipulative, youthful stepmother, she creates dangerous problems for all those around her. Ms. Peters' performance is all the more striking, because it is not the kind of sympathetic role one might expect from a true-life actress in pain. She blithely moves from decent, lovely, caring woman to a woman desperately seeking control of all those around her. Her growth in the characterization is powerful, and she deserved award consideration. Everything else in the film works well -- from the work of Alexander Knox, Peggy Ann Garner, Phyllis Thaxter, Allen Roberts, Dame May Whitty, etal. to the cinematography of the cliffside house, to the art direction, music, etal. John Sturges' direction manages to avoid the pitfalls of melodrama as much as possible. But it is Susan Peters' charisma that makes this an important, albeit forgotten, work of art. She would go on to touring the country in THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET and onto TV in the MISS SUSAN series, but she deserved further critical acclaim. This film should be given more prominence; it is a strong work starring a fine actress.

Intense psychological drama of the type so popular at the time. Scheming Leah (Susan Peters) is wheel-chair bound in a houseful of young women; so of course we're all initially sympathetic, but then events begin to unfold. The movie is generally under-rated by the professionals, perhaps because the material sizes up as a "woman's picture". Nonetheless, it's a broodingly atmospheric production, well-acted and superbly directed. Since events take place in and around a single sea-side mansion, keeping the audience engaged becomes a challenge. Thus direction, acting and set design take on more than usual importance. I'm rather surprised that the normally budget-minded and outdoorsy Columbia studio responds as well as it does. Note how beautifully composed each frame is-- director Sturges' very real artistic eye is already in evidence, well before his celebrated conquest of wide-screen Cinemascope. Even the process shots (always a tricky challenge) of a roiling surf are expertly done, adding greatly to the sinister mood. (In passing-- there's a 10 second shot two-thirds of the way through of Phyllis Thaxter standing at a window, exulting in Logan's departure. A brief scene like this could have easily been done in spartan fashion. But notice how artistically this passing shot is both mounted and composed. It's touches like this that add up to a memorable production.) If I'm going on about the technical side, it's because this obscure little film more than most exemplifies studio craftsmanship at its 40's best.

The plot itself provides the tragically star-crossed Peters with her final film role, and she's excellent in a carefully modulated performance that could have easily gone over the top. Notice how expressively she uses her hands and fingers to suggest repressed inner feelings as she navigates through a house full of surging hormones. (I wonder how much of the real person crippled by a hunting accident is in that performance.) On the other hand, Alexander Knox as her husband strikes me as a shade too old and too stolid, but maybe he's supposed to be. The young couple, Logan and Catherine (Diana Douglas) are appropriately callow, while Douglas brings off her big scene with Peters in convincing fashion, a difficult challenge. Too bad that fine actress Phyllis Thaxter is given little more to do than stand around and look helpful as the "other woman". For those whose imagination tends to take over, it's perhaps not a stretch to think of the film as Leah's final few moments before going over the edge. Considering the movie's claustrophobic setting, a strictly "mental" dimension seems not far-fetched. However that may be, the film is a real sleeper, unfortunately under-rated, and well worth a look see, especially on a foggy night.

The big screen career of Susan Peters came to a farewell with this film The Sign Of The Ram. It was her only big screen appearance after the tragic hunting accident that left her a paraplegic. The only other performance like it was that of Christopher Reeve when he did a TV remake of Rear Window after his accident that left him a quadriplegic.

Certainly both Peters and Reeve brought a dimension to their roles that wouldn't be possible any other way. Peters plays the paralyzed wife of Alexander Knox, his second wife to be sure. Some years back she saved the lives of her two stepchildren while they were swimming, but at the cost of her own mobility as her back was smashed against rocks.

The kids have grown up and are played by Ross Ford and Peggy Ann Garner. Both are contemplating matrimony and Peters with her manipulation tries to sabotage things.

In one of his earliest directing assignments, John Sturges kept Peters tightly in check and the result was a beautifully controlled and mannered performance. There's so much beneath the surface of a woman who has gotten kudos for the way she's handled her accident. But we only see what Sturges and Peters let us see.

The title role refers to Susan Peters astrological sign of Aries and people who are born under that sign are said to be in tight control of their emotions and possessed of an unconquerable will and stubborn fixation about any goal they want, good or evil. Peters is determined that no one will ever have real happiness as she feels she cannot, but especially those kids whom she gave her legs for.

All around the cast delivers well and Sturges did capture the gloomy mood on the Cornish sea shore where the story is set. But Peters is absolutely unforgettable in The Sign Of The Ram.

Since I was a teenager, I loved this movie! It had just the right amount of mystery, intrigue and drama. I loved the study of a controlling, manipulative woman, who was wheel-chair bound, who caused much heartache and death. I didn't know until recently that Susan Peters was actually wheel-chair bound from an automobile accident, I believe. I have been trying to find this movie to purchase it for my home for ages, but no luck! I also wanted to find out if the movie was based on a novel, and what the name is. I thought it was one of the best movies I ever saw, and loved the scenery, with the waves crashing on the shore. I have fond memories of it, and would like to relive them. My horoscope sign, incidentally is THE SIGN OF THE RAM! I don't believe the movie is still available, and would hope that Ted Turner or whoever owns the rights would reprint the movie, so that we could buy it!

The promising career of Susan Peters, nominated for an Oscar for "Random Harvest," was cut short when she was shot in a hunting accident and wound up paralyzed. MGM kept her going by having her interview stars for the fan magazines. I know Susan's nurse from those days, and everyone from Clark Gable to Lucille Ball - all the MGM stars - came to Susan's home to be interviewed.

In 1948, she appeared in this film, "Sign of the Ram," which was tailor-made for her, as it concerned a woman in a wheelchair. Peters plays Leah, married to an older man (Alexander Knox). As this was his second marriage, her family was ready-made. Leah is responsible for having saved the lives of two of his children in the ocean, but she was smashed against the rocks and it left her permanently in a wheelchair.

Her husband and family are devoted to her, but the truth is that Leah is a manipulative witch who does what she has to in order to keep the focus on her and preventing anyone from finding happiness outside the home. She manages to put the kibosh on two potential marriages by devious means and has one of the children (Peggy Ann Garner) totally brainwashed. When a pretty new secretary (Phyllis Thaxter) is hired, she is very threatened.

This isn't much of a movie. It's atmospheric but fairly predictable. Also, though it's set in England, the Americans in the cast make no attempt at a British accent.

Susan Peters was a fine actress, and she does a good job here as an angry, brittle woman who hides her true feelings. This was her last film. She had a go at a TV series and toured with a play which, in fact, came through my home town. She died in 1952, at the age of 31, when her kidneys failed, in part due to anorexia. A terrible end for a beautiful actress who had much to offer in life and on the screen.