Um Homem em Desespero

Finger of Guilt, aka The Intimate Stranger, might have been made by the great duo of Losey and Koch, but it was a huge disappointment and the longest 85 minutes I can remember. Every scene is overplayed, every scene is too long, and the film has a stilted, unnatural aura. The first 60 minutes are especially weak. Mary Murphy is alluring and convincing as a seductive temptress, but the other performances feel wooden. Many reviewers are sympathetic to the backstory of Losey's and Koch's estrangement from Hollywood and betrayal by the top studio bosses during the anti-Communist witch hunts. They celebrate this story of studio betrayal as payback. It is plausible to me that viewers who know that story before seeing the film are much more inclined to like the film and find meaning in the long and boring early scenes. But Losey and Koch made a fatal error. They did not start the story with any hints of rivalry or jealously or suspicion; these were all revealed at the end. But that means that viewers with no perspective on the "big meaning" of the film have no way to see that or feel it until the "big reveal" at the end.

Erotomania is the psychological term used to describe someone who is delusional and has convinced themselves that another person loves them...a person who they possibly never even met. It often happens with crazed fans in love with a famous person but the fixation could occur on a normal, everyday person as well. Erotomaniacs are not obviously insane, but this delusion is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to rid the person of despite therapy. I mention this because through much of "Finger of Guilt" you aren't sure whether this has occurred to Reggie Wilson (Richard Basehart) or whether he's a total cad and simply is lying to hide an affair.

When the film begins, Reggie has moved to the UK following some sort of scandal he was involved in with some married woman. Now he's married to the boss of a British studio and has a very important job producing movies. However, he begins receiving letters from a lady in Newcastle asking him why he is ignoring her and demanding he contact her. But he insists he has no idea who the woman is and even tells his father-in-law about this situation. And then, the women begins calling the studio...demanding to talk with him. By this point, Reggie's wife has heard about all this and it's obvious that she's beginning to suspect her hubby is a lying troll. So, Reg takes the wife up to Newcastle to confront the lady...and the lady INSISTS she and Reggie have been lovers, though she can provide no concrete proof. Who are you to believe? So is this any good? And is it really a case of erotomania? See the film and learn for yourself.

The fact that Richard Basehart is in a British film isn't too surprising. Basehart was a very minor star in the States and made movies in Europe (including a film for Fellini) for several years. This is because European studios thought that by putting an American or two in the leads, it would increase the marketability of the films internationally.

All in all, a pretty good film. I didn't love the ending...and part of it is because it wasn't 100% convincing. Still, an interesting and unusual story.

By the way, this film does make you wonder how many people and marriages have been destroyed by erotomaniacs. While this is relatively common with celebrities and accepted as a normal part of fame, what about common folk who suddenly have women or men insisting they love them? For an amazingly good film about this, try to see the French film "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not"....it's among the very best French movies of the last several decades!

There are a couple of scenes in this mystery drama between "Reggie" (Richard Basehart) and "Evelyn" (Mary Murphy) that are actually quite effective. The latter woman has become the stalker of the former, putting great pressure on his marriage to "Lesley" (Faith Brook) even though he swears blind that he has never even met her! When the couple travel to Newcastle to confront the woman, things take a turn for the worst when she presents a signed photo of him... What's going on? Well, having teed it up quite intriguingly, the rest of the plot falls away pretty quickly as Constance Cummings (the lovestruck actress "Kay") and his fair but suspicious boss "Ben" - the underused Roger Livesey - feature in a declining story of duplicity and plotting that doesn't sustain the psychological element well, but degenerates into a rather messy and clunky affair. Basehart is competent - all you could ever really say about him, and Livesey's voice always had an effect in a film, but otherwise it's all about the first - engaging - twenty minutes.

Reggie Wilson (Richard Basehart) is worn out and recounts his story to his doctor. His Hollywood career ended after an affair with his boss's wife. He decided to pick up the pieces and move back to England. He married Lesley, daughter of a film producer and he's back in the game. It is all under threat when he starts receiving blackmail letters from a woman whom Reggie claims not to know.

I really like the premise. I don't like the progression of the last act. I don't get the pub meeting. I don't get their conversation. I don't get him for that section. There are obvious possible answers to the mystery woman. I kept waiting for him to get there. I don't like him discovering her with him on that set and redoing the dialogue. I'm not impressed with the reveal. I would redo the whole third act.

"Finger of Guilt" was directed by Joseph Losey and written by Howard Koch, under a pseudonym - both he and Losey were called to testify during the Red Scare and refused. Both men were certainly capable of interesting work; somehow this film comes off as not that special. The problem may be that it was originally 95 minutes and the version shown is 84. That can make a huge difference.

Richard Basehart is a film executive who left Hollywood after a scandal. Now he is in England, married to the boss' daughter (Lesley Wilson) with an excellent job at a studio, run by his father-in-law (Roger Livesey).

Reggie (Richard Basehart) has been receiving letters from someone he first believes is a fan, but the letters have become more aggressive, stating that they had an affair, and that she wants to continue it. Reggie is positive he doesn't know the woman, let alone had an affair with her.

He shows them to his boss Ben (Livesey). Then his wife receives a letter from this person, and Reggie decides to find her and confront her. His wife insists on accompanying him. The posts come from Newcastle, and they find the address, a rooming house.

The woman (Mary Murphy) turns out to be an actress and she knows way too much. She knows what he drinks and how he drinks it, where he's traveled -- Reggie begins to think he has a double personality. Meanwhile everyone seems to believe her, including his wife.

I wouldn't call this a film noir; it is an interesting movie that keeps you guessing but I for one was disappointed in the denouement.

Constance Cummings plays an actress, an old lover of Reggie's, who is supposed to star in his film, which is in jeopardy. She is excellent, as is Basehart.

I won't say this is a bad film at all, it just doesn't have Losey's artistic touches. Having seen films he made with Dirk Bogarde, this just seemed like an ordinary film for him. But again, I haven't seen the uncut version.

Worth checking out.