User reviews

"Don't look back, baby," says a man who knows his Gideon Bible, "You know what happened to Lot's wife." But her fate is mild compared to the torments of two people—and a third they draw into their web—who can never stop looking back to something that happened when they were children. What connects this melodrama with noir films like the perfectly named OUT OF THE PAST, THE KILLERS (in which the hero explains that he is doomed because, "I did something wrong, once"), and many others is the theme that one mistake, one "reckless moment," can seal your fate forever.

The three children are Sam Masterson, a streetwise kid from the wrong side of the tracks; Walter O'Neil, a timid, obedient boy whose father is ambitious for him; and Martha Ivers, the orphaned heiress to a steel mill, who lives miserably with her aunt (Judith Anderson, in Mrs. Danvers mode). On the fateful night, all three are in the house when Martha, driven over the edge (her aunt both insults her dead father, a mill hand, and beats her kitten!) whacks her aunt with her own cane and sends her tumbling to her death at the foot of a grand staircase. Walter's father sees his chance, and holding the threat of exposure over Martha's head, takes control of her fortune and later forces her to marry Walter. When, eighteen years later, Sam (who ran away night of the killing on a circus train) blows back into town, Martha and Walter fear he has returned to blackmail them with his knowledge; Walter also fears, rightly, that Martha and Sam still carry a torch for each other. The highly-charged triangle becomes a quadrangle with the addition of Toni Marachek, a young woman just out of jail whom Sam picks up and befriends.

THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS is a conventional studio product, lacking the expressive camera-work or atmospheric settings that noir usually offers. Bombastic music deafens each emotional climax; women go to sleep with their glossy masks of makeup intact; obvious back-projection and poorly staged action sequences make the film look like a staged play. None of this really diminishes the movie, however, since its power comes from a smart script, especially from the complexity of characters and relationships. There is a strong affinity between Sam and Martha, both tough and poised and hard to read, while Toni and Walter are more vulnerable and obvious, driven by the simple motivation of love. But by the end it's clear that Martha and Walter have become twins, warped by their shared guilt (they both took part in prosecuting an innocent man who was hanged for the murder), while Sam and Toni share a fundamental decency and the capacity to look ahead to a fresh start.

Nice girl Toni is there to provide eye candy and a potential happy ending for Sam, but she gets a lot of screen time, too much in fact for her one-note character. Fans of Lizabeth Scott won't agree, but unless you find her particularly alluring, her scenes get a little tedious. Van Heflin is easy-going as Sam, the self-confident gambler who thinks he's seen it all, until he encounters Martha and Walter's toxic marriage. Heflin, though rather homely, brings a likable raffishness to the part, and his casual opportunism keeps you guessing about what he'll do next.

Kirk Douglas was never cast as such a weakling again (this was his debut film) but the mismatch works brilliantly. His intensity and powerful presence make his abject character fiercely compelling, instead of merely pathetic. A less imposing actor would come off as just a milquetoast; Douglas's manliness adds an interesting touch of perversity to his plight. His weakness is inside. Douglas captures perfectly Walter's insecurity and helpless jealousy, his cowardly use of his power (through Martha's influence, he has become District Attorney), his lame attempts to project confidence, his dependence on alcohol to salve his humiliation. He's not dumb; he knows that Martha would never have married him without the threat of exposure, but he clings to his feeble hold on her because he loves her desperately. You can't help feeling sorry for him, especially when Martha accuses him and his father of coming after her money like leeches, and he cries out, "All I wanted was you!"

Then there's Martha, the mysterious center of the film. Barbara Stanwyck has an amazing ability to draw the audience to her side and at the same time make one's blood run cold. She's in her prime here as a glamorous businesswoman (with steely satisfaction she shows off the improvements she made to the factory, "all by myself") who conveys total control, yet feels trapped in a life she loathes. Her hardness is at once glorious and chilling; she controls her husband like a cruel hypnotist. When she breaks down in tears and tells Sam that she has been the victim all along, powerless and frightened, like Sam you're moved but not quite sure you believe her. Even at the end, the ambiguity is unresolved: how much is Martha the victim, how much the villain? Walter says it's no one's fault; it's just the way things are; it's what people will do to get the things they want. The scenes between Martha and Walter are the highlight of the film, saturated with a poisonous mixture of love and hate, tinged with sado-masochism ("Even pain at your hands…" Walter sighs when she puts iodine on his cut hand). This pact with desire, fear, greed and guilt is the spectacle of ruin--the Sodom and Gomorrah--that prompts Sam to warn Toni, "Don't look back, baby; don't ever look back."

Lewis Milestone's The Strange Love of Martha Ivers presents a, well, strange case. Much if not most of it fits comfortably into the noir cycle that was just gathering its head of steam. But its look, save some recurrent bus-station shots, suggests lavish and well-lit prestige productions (as does its length), and in its deep-rooted narrative it harks back to sprawling, brooding melodramas such as Kings Row.

That narrative is broken-backed as well, with two disjointed time frames. The movie opens in 1928 in sooty Iverstown, a steel city almost certainly somewhere in Pennsylvania. There we meet, as teenagers, three of the story's principals: Unruly Martha, making yet another attempt to run away from her wealthy, rigid aunt (Judith Anderson); her street-urchin buddy Sammy; and prissy school-teacher's son Walter. On the night Anderson is bludgeoned to death (to the tune of lightning, thunder and crashing rains), Sammy waits for Martha to join him; when she doesn't, he signs up with the circus and blows town.

Fast-forward to 1946, when decorated veteran Sammy (Van Heflin), headed west, cracks up his car and finds himself once more in Iverstown. He meets up with the fourth main character, Lizabeth Scott, who not unlike himself has been knocked about (she's a jailbird). When the police lock her up for violating parole, he pays a visit to his old friend Walter (Kirk Douglas, in his debut), now the district attorney, to secure her release.

Douglas, who rarely draws a sober breath, holds the office thanks to the ambition and power of his wife Martha (Barbara Stanwyck). (The original publicity campaign cautioned `Whisper her name!') When she shows up unexpectedly and warmly greets Heflin, all Douglas' insecurities and jealousies erupt; not only does he suspect that Heflin has always been his wife's first love but he fears that Heflin, privy to the long-buried secret of the aunt's death, can undo his marriage, his success, and the industrial empire Stanwyck has built. He takes heavy-handed measures to defend himself, blackmailing Scott into framing Heflin. But hasn't reckoned with the resourcefulness of his adversary – or with the wilfulness of his wife.

But the story is really plotted along romantic coordinates whose intersections are punctuated by Miklos Rozsa's throbbing score. Douglas loves Stanwyck, who really loves Heflin, while Scott loves Heflin, who loves her back but still has unfinished business with Stanwyck (no wonder Douglas drinks – nobody loves him). And in the rondelay of turnabouts and betrayals (or seeming betrayals), The Strange Love of Martha Ivers slips perilously close to soap opera. Its stately pace and prosperous look give it a dated, ponderous feel, quite unlike the rough sleekness of film noir, though there's an unmistakable echo of Double Indemnity – Stanwyck's performance as Martha Ivers reworks hers as Phyllis Dietrichson, right down to the concluding love-death tableau.

But, while occasionally cumbersome, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers stands on its own as an overwrought, obsessive drama, with a very topical acknowledgment of the insulation that money and power can buy, and of the moral and social corruption that inflexibly comes as part of the package. It's a strange movie, all right, but a haunting one as well.

Knowing absolutely NOTHING about this movie (apart from it being the screen debut of Kirk Douglas) I thought it was going to be a potboiler, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. It veers between Noir and melodrama, and I gotta say I was hooked from the get go. I'm not the biggest Barbara Stanwyck fan in the world, but she was well cast as the ruthless matriarch of a small town, and Douglas really pulled off an unusual role for him (basically a drunken wimp). Van Heflin ('Shane') plays the "hero" and holds his own against those two, and I also really liked Lizabeth Scott, an actress I'm not familiar with, who plays Heflin's love interest (sorta). 'The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers' will please fans of 1940s Noir. It deserves to be better known than it is.

A powerhouse cast is assembled for "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers." It's a treat to watch this able quintet at work, making for an engrossing film experience.

Barbara Stanwyck is at her peak--sure, confident, and unfailing. Van Heflin's natural talent makes everything he does seem effortless. Kirk Douglas offers a most impressive film debut in what, in retrospect, is an uncharacteristic role. Lizabeth Scott (who seems to me a fascinating cross between Lauren Bacall and Rosemary Clooney) is constantly engaging. Long after her part has faded, Scott's image remains indelibly fixed in the memory. And finally, the great Judith Anderson is on in a strong character role.

Miklos Rozsa's compositional style is remarkable in its adaptablity. Close one's eyes, and the film could well be set a thousand years earlier--or any point in between. Which is to say, it's general, while at the same time, specific.

The writing team headed by Robert Rossen created a slick and saucy script, which holds interest throughout, and Hal B. Wallis was sharp enough to retain this productional team formula for many years. Were the film to have been given a perhaps more poetic--less Gothic--title, it might have enjoyed even greater stature in the annals of the genre.

As it is, "Ivers" is a worthy member of the noir film family.

this movie is one of those lost gems. barbara stanwyck and kirk douglas do a great job but they are not the reason this is a great gem. van heflin (of shane) and lizabeth scott are superb and in some ways overshadow kirk douglas in his screen debut and stanwyck. lizabeth smolders and pouts her way to perfection, what a babe!!. lizabeth should have been a huge star especially in the film noir genre. both van heflin and lizabeth scott are massively underrated and typically not remembered. that is a shame since they both were fine actors, that is the present generations loss. the plot is superb and throws some nice curves that keeps you on your toes.

Martha Ivers, a young girl under the guardianship of her grandmother played by Judith Anderson, tries often to run away, but is brought back every time. Grandma is one powerful autocratic and twisted old woman. One night after Grandma kills the girl's cat, she kills her. Her tutor's son sees the deed and now has blackmail power. Young Martha also thinks someone else has seen the deed, young Sam Masterson who she has a yen for. He actually skedaddled before witnessing anything.

Flash forward several years. Now everyone is grown up. Barbara Stanwyck is Martha and she's married the tutor's son played by Kirk Douglas in his film debut. He's also the District Attorney. And the main action of the film begins as grown up Sam Masterson who is played by Van Heflin comes back to his home town. He's treated rather strangely and it takes him a while to figure out why.

Life has a funny way of working out and Stanwyck has essentially turned into Anderson. Heflin is no real hero here either, he's quite willing to engage in some blackmail. But he's redeemed somewhat by the love of another girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Lizabeth Scott.

The film is memorable for two reasons, the power packed performance of Barbara Stanwyck and the debut of Kirk Douglas. This is a choice Barbara Stanwyck role, a powerful ruthless woman who'll do anything to keep and protect what's hers.

It's odd that Kirk Douglas makes his debut as a weakling, but even stranger that the dynamism that is his screen trademark is so well hidden in this portrayal. This part isn't exactly Spartacus. But Kirk is one capable player.

Heflin and Scott do well in their respective parts, but even though she's only on the screen for the first 15 minutes the one you won't forget is Judith Anderson. Seeing Stanwyck with her machinations later on, you wonder what must have made Anderson such a twisted human being.

The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers is a well plotted melodrama that does credit to all involved.

A very good feature that seems to be a soap-opera with touches of film-noir. Barbara Stanwyck plays the femme fatale not as cold-blooded as her earlier turn in "Double Indemnity" ,but her "Martha Ivers" is one really selfish lady. And Stanwyck is as usual very good. For me the best performance comes from the always reliable Van Heflin who magnificently manages to almost carry the whole film. Kirk Douglas, in his debut, is very good as the weakling husband of Stanwyck. Lizabeth Scott who plays the most sympathetic character in the movie is very able and memorable.The movie is at almost two hours perhaps a tad long,but it is well worth investing those two hours.

In 1928, in Iverstown, the heiress Martha Smith Ivers is caught by the police for the fourth time while trying to runaway home with her friend Sam Masterson. She hates her aunt Mrs. Ivers (Judith Anderson) and while in her room with her tutor's son Walter O'Neil and Sam later, the power runs out and she asks Sam to bring her cat back to the room. When Sam is trying to catch the cat in the dark, her aunt comes to the staircase and Sam hides himself. Mrs. Ivers hits the cat with a stick, Martha pushes her in the staircase and Mrs. Ivers dies. Martha lies to Mr. O'Neil and tells that a man had killed her aunt, and Walter confirms the lie. Eighteen years later, Sam (Van Heflin) is driving in the road nearby Iverstown, but he does not pay attention in a curve and hits his car in a post. He brings his car to a body shop in the industrial town, and while waiting for the repair, he meets the gorgeous Antonia Marachek (Lizabeth Scott) in front of the house where he lived. When Antonia loses her bus to her hometown, she accepts the invitation of Sam for a drink and later she goes to his hotel. On the next morning, Antonia is arrested for violation of probation, and Sam decides to pay a visit to Walter O'Neil (Kirk Douglas), now a successful district attorney and married with the wealthy Martha Ivers (Barbara Stanwyck), to ask him to release Antonia. When Walter sees Sam, he believes Sam wants to blackmail Martha and him, and his misunderstanding leads the former friends to tragic revelations about the fatal night and discloses dirty secrets about the couple Martha and Walter.

"The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" is an amazing underrated film-noir. The flawless story is excellent, disclosed in an adequate pace and developing perfectly the despicable characters. The black & white cinematography is magnificent, and the fatal character of Barbara Stanwyck is one of the most dangerous and manipulative villains I have ever seen in a film-noir. Kirk Douglas is great in his debut, but Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott steals the movie with their performances and chemistry. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "O Tempo Não Apaga" ("The Time Does not Erase")

Barbara Stanwyck and Kirk Douglas got top billing on the VHS and DVD boxes I've seen but the real stars of this movie are Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott, the likable albeit corrupt two of the foursome.

This is listed as a crime movie, a film noir, but at times is much more of a melodrama than anything else. It's a little too talky for my tastes yet I still enjoyed it because the acting is top-shelf, the dialog is fun and you get involved with the characters. The film could have used more action. With the 'soap' angle, it reminded me a bit of another melodramatic noir, Mildred Pierce, except the latter is a better film.

This was Douglas' first major role and he handled it well. It's no surprise he went on to be big star. I never thought Scott was all that beautiful, but she looked very good here, the best I've seen her.

With all of the schemes, intrigue, sexual undertones and murder this is a very rare and so incredibly original post-wartime movie.

Many have cited this as the inspiration for the much later 'Neo-Noir' alongside, another Stanwyck classic 'Double Indemnity'.

Unlike the latter feature, this film is not filled with cold and brooding images.

The film starts off dramatically with a strong cameo by Judith 'Mrs. Danvers' Anderson. The teen-aged actors that portray Stanwyck's, Heflin's, and Douglas's characters as youths deliver very moving performances.

They capture the tension of murderess Martha's wicked deed. The teen-aged actors pull off the difficult task of linking their characters with the mature characters- a great start to this bold film.

Personally, Barbara Stanwyck is the best of the 'Golden Hollywood' queens, and displays why with this subtle yet sly performance. Unlike many of the other criminals she portrayed, Barbara is cold-blooded rather than hysterically evil and occasionally reveals the blood that boils behind her gray eyes.

Her lethal attraction to Heflin is passionate at the same time as chilling. It is a true triumph that the colourful relationship between the two sizzles on the screen without the use of lush, colourful cinematography! The black and white colour highlights the gloom of the piece.

Van Heflin swaggers through the film, giving a satisfactory performance as the wronged kid 'from the wrong side of the tracks'. Many have praised Lizabeth Scott for her sultry performance as the equally dubious Toni Marachek. This is true. She is a worthy foe for Stanwyck, and in some scenes does steal the attention away from her co-stars.

Now, many have criticised Kirk Douglas's performance as over-acted and unconvincing. I have to disagree. Perhaps for many audiences, it is too much of a shock to see the usually rugged, manly Douglas playing an unstable Daddy's boy manipulated by his wife, and cowardly towards the end. It is a difficult role, but Douglas retains the wimpish quality of Walter from start to finish, also depending on the actions and control of his unbalanced wife.

Towering performances, a gloomy soundtrack, and dark cinematography make this feature dazzle as one of the best 'film noir' genre produced in the 1940s.

Lizabeth Scott in particular gives a commanding performance, which generates interest, glamour and suspicion. These are the stem of the themes to this great film.

Brilliant as it was 59 years ago!

Famed director Lewis Milestone offered this twisted bit of noir melodrama. The film exudes star power - featuring the legendary Barbara Stanwyck, the chronically under-appreciated Lizabeth Scott, veteran Van Heflin and a very young Kirk Douglas. And the talent is generally well used. Douglas' role - that of an alcoholic coward - is a little bit of a stretch for him and he sometimes over-does it. And the script force's Van Heflin into a few scenes which are inconsistent with his generally good interpretation of the protagonist. Contrary to the opinions of some of the reviewers here on IMDb, Lizabeth Scott played the young, naive, but not exactly innocent Toni to the hilt, and was easily the most sympathetic character in the lot.

Sam Masterson (Heflin), a drifting but successful gambler, meets a very beautiful young woman who has just been released from prison and wants very badly to build a new life for herself (Scott). Attracted to his kindness, Toni attaches herself to Sam readily, and begins to develop romantic expectations. The chemistry between Scott and Heflin is very good, and their budding romance is entirely believable despite its pithy evolution.

Sam wanders back into his home town after more than a decade's absence, and looks up two of his childhood friends from the other side of the tracks - Martha (Stanwyck), a near-miss childhood sweetheart who has inherited about half of the town, including its only major industry, and Walter O'Neil (Douglas) her weak-willed social climbing coward of a husband, who has become the town's D.A. The last night this trio was together, in their teenage years, Martha's aunt was murdered by Martha herself, and Martha and Walter now fear Sam's reason for returning.

Martha Ivers is one of the better-played psychos of 20th century film. Her self-loathing and conniving self-interest are only matched by her more or less complete inconsistency. Martha and her husband Walter are two very unhappy rich people whose lives have been set adrift by history and circumstance. Ironically, Toni and Sam, recognized by society as borderline criminals, though drifters, are mostly well-anchored, grounded and centered. This is only one of many ironies that this film could have explored more powerfully had it been written as well as it was conceived.

Jack Patrick's writing essentially tries to do too much within the film's short running time. He does not sacrifice characterization or plot, and the director and editor do a very nice job of creating a fluid pace for the film, but the shifting sands of a couple of the lead characters' personalities can be a little jarring at times.

Despite this minor problem, the film is a solidly entertaining and well made noir melodrama with a great cast and an excellent premise. More than many other noir entries, this is a film which is capable of inducing thoughtful consideration, since it is not just a story of manipulation, tragedy and murder.

I'm surprised by the frequent praise for the acting of Lizabeth Scott in this movie. All I see is flaring nostrils and rolling eyes that wouldn't have been out of place in one of the hammier silents. Perhaps that's not surprising since this was only her second movie. She went on to do much better work in the 1950s.

To see a real movie actress at work, look, instead, at Barbara Stanwyck in the scene in which she confronts Sam and Toni in their hotel bedroom. Watch how Stanwyck times and delivers her lines; her body language; the subtext of complete disdain. Those lines could have been played several ways, but Stanwyck pitches them note-perfect. Now, that's class.

This is a well-written, well-acted, thoroughly absorbing film noir. The always-great Barbara Stanwyck is at her sultriest as Martha, and Van Heflin is incredibly sexy and masculine as Sam. Watching this movie, you wouldn't think Kirk Douglas, who plays the weak-willed, alcoholic Walter, would soon become a bigger star than Heflin and play the tough, romantic hero parts like Sam Masterson. Douglas excelled at those parts, as he did with a very different type of part in this movie, but I can't help thinking that if Heflin had gotten more of those roles, he would have been just as big a star. Husky-voiced Lizabeth Scott rounds out the star foursome nicely as Toni, a wrong-side-of-the-tracks girl who's been burned by trusting the wrong men. This movie, more than most of its era, trades in shades of gray; the "bad" characters, Martha and Walter, have reasons for the evil they do, while the "good" characters, Sam and Toni, are no angels--he's a decorated war hero, but he makes his living by gambling and once killed a man in self-defense, while she just got out of jail. This complexity adds to the film's interest. The film also provides a believable depiction of small-town life; it's realistic, no Bedford Falls. The flashback portraying several of the characters as teenagers has the spark of reality as well. Highly recommended.

Great movie. This is probably one of the most "complex" story lines in all of Noir. The moral ambiguity makes it impossible to determine how you want the characters lives to turn out. The viewer is pulled in so many directions and because of the moral complexity I found myself pulling for the corrupt characters despite their flaws. Stanwyck was amazing. This was my first noir with Van Heflin and I thought he was just spot on with his performance. A very young Kirk Douglas chews up the scenery with an over the top performance that none the less works perfectly for his character. Lizabeth Scott as Heflin's secondary love interest was also excellent. I am amazed that this film, in the noir genre, has not gotten more attention. It's really a work of art and stands up as relevant and moving 65 years after it's release. Awesome movie!

An American drama; A story about a deeply unhappy woman who strives to escape her loveless marriage, but there is a complicated history to her relationship, and when a long lost friend steps into town 18 years later they all face further complications. This story about evil and greed and manipulation is superbly enacted. This film noir has a melodramatic tone, second tier in terms of production, but it is well directed with a finely crafted plot from Academy Award nominated John Patrick.

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

A perfect high drama--tight, tragic, tender

Lewis Milestone is a director with much earlier roots, and famous partly for two Steinbeck adaptations, the first rate Of Mice and Men and a decent The Red Pony, as well as the superb All Quiet on the Western Front. This strange soap opera/film noir rates with the best of his work--he pulls off a complicated and rich drama with a sense of ease that belies the disparate elements involved, including making the opening scenes in the 1920s mesh with the main plot in the 1940s. It works beautifully, with great writing and acting, and a rich mise-en-scene. I wouldn't miss this for the world.

Martha Ivers presents a peculiar plot, tightly constructed, with cross purposes throwing you and reinterpretations of events needed on the fly. We have powerful woman, played by already legendary Barbara Stanwyck, in the kind of role that she was best at, and about a weak man with a heart, her husband, Kirk Douglas, the really sympathetic side of the actor in his first movie role. These two seem to be the stable core of the movie. But far more involving and impressive is the main character in the role of his life, Van Heflin as Sam Masterson. His likable ease with a hidden, disturbing past, and an inquiring open mind about the future, define the best of the film noir archetypes. An ordinary man with depth, someone we can relate to, or want to be friends with. In the movie he becomes friends with the fourth leading role played by a noir fixture, Lizabeth Scott, and though she is the stiffest of the four, she fills out the group with great balance. She is, after all, the reality that our main man prefers, whatever the temptations of high life in the small city of Iverstown.

What else is there? A great script, great acting, great visuals, well paced and intelligently edited with economy and continuity. Does it have great social meaning? Is there a disturbing or revelatory core here? No, maybe not. But then again, just being thoroughly drawn in, moved, and made to consider this kind of situation from Masterson's point of view is a thrill of great cinematic fiction.

Great old movie, with a good story line, the only thing I didn't like was the version of it to watch on Freevee had been colourised. I hate it when they do this to old black and white movies. Leave them alone, Restore them if need be but don't Colour them, it ruins the atmosphere of the film.

While this isn't technically an example of Film Noir (since it isn't a cop or gangster film), it has many, many aspects of Noir and this makes this film much better than the average "soaper" of the day. The film abounds with great Noir sensibilities, such as the camera work, snappy dialog and occasional gripping violence.

The film begins in the 1920s, when the leads are all kids. Martha Ivers is desperately unhappy in her home with her guardian (her aunt). So, with the help of local "bad boy", Sam Masterson, she makes her escape but is soon caught. Against her will she is brought back and its obvious in watching the dynamics between them why Martha ran away--the aunt is very cold and incredibly controlling. Shortly after this, the horrid aunt finds a cat smuggled into the home by Martha and starts beating it to death with her cane!!! Martha, naturally, comes to the cat's rescue and the aunt is accidentally killed in the process. The only witness to this is the weasel-like kid, Walter O'Neil--who keeps her secret for a price! The film then begins again many years later. Martha and Walter (played by Barbara Stanwyck and Kirk Douglas in his first film) have been married for some time and with her millions and strong support, Walter is in line to be the next governor. Rather coincidentally, Sam (Van Heflin) returns to town. He just wants to get his car fixed and continue on his way. However, Martha and Walter THINK Sam knows about the accidental death and are afraid he might talk--especially since there is much more evil the pair have done to cover up for the original event. Sam only comes to their attention after he meets a nice "bad girl" played by Lizbeth Scott. She's in trouble with the law and Sam thinks his part relationship with Walter can straighten all this out, since Walter is currently the District Attorney. Unfortunately, he was totally unprepared for Walter's reaction, as Walter thinks Sam is out to blackmail him! There's certainly a lot more to the plot than this, but telling more would ruin the suspense. However, the plot is truly delicious with so much double-dealing and unexpected evil to spice things up. Stanwyck plays much the same type person she so wonderfully played in DOUBLE INDEMNITY--a cold woman without a soul. Douglas, unexpectedly, plays a guy who is a bit of a wimp and weasel--not exactly what you'd expect based on his later films, but his screen persona was certainly not yet established. Lizbeth Scott, as usual, plays a great "dame". However, the actor who came off best in the film was Van Heflin--in probably his best film. Had the film been made just a few years later, it is likely Douglas might have played the part because it called for a tough and worldly but ultimately decent hero--exactly the sort of guy you would expect Douglas to be. Unfortunately, Heflin's great performance was not to materialize in a major improvement in the types of film roles he would receive and he continued to be a sort of second-tier leading man or supporting actor. It's a real shame, as he was the perfect Noir hero. His lines were suburb but the action scenes (particularly when he slammed Douglas' hand in the desk drawer) were classic.

The bottom line is that this is a terrific film from MGM. Full of twists and turns as well as terrific characters, it's a shame they don't make 'em like the used to.

The plot of this movie moves at a slower pace than most film noir, devoting more time to character development and background than expected. This is only for the good. The childhood scene that opens the movie at first seemed unnecessary but serves to anchor the characters, making them people you can care about. For once the femme fatale seems realistic, she has motives and emotions besides the obvious. The ending scene is made far more powerful by the build-up in the rest of the film. Overall a surprisingly tsrong and engaging movie.

The script of this film is one of the best "noir" efforts ever penned, right up there with Maltese Falcon. Van Heflin's engaging performance proves what great potential he had to be one of the biggies. His portrayal of the drifting, yet honest, gambler outshines by far even Douglas' complex performance as the corrupt, yet troubled, district attorney. Stanwyck's adds another crackerjack performance as the woman in the middle, and Lizbeth Scott rounds out the cast with an understated winning performance. The story is multilayered and truths reveal themselves slowly though the pace moves briskly. Like most noir, heavy on the moral ambiguity, but not to the point of pointlessness. Highly recommended.

Lewis Milestone directed this melodrama that stars Barbara Stanwyck as Martha Ivers, who, as young girl, killed her evil aunt(played by Judith Anderson) and involves her two boyfriends Walter O'Neil and Sam Masterson. Sam leaves town, but Martha and Walter remain. Many years later, Walter(played by Kirk Douglas in his film debut) is a successful District Attorney, and Martha the power and drive behind him. When Sam(played by Van Heflin) returns to town, he befriends a young woman(played by Lizabeth Scott) whom have mutual sympathy and attraction, but Sam gets mixed up with Martha and Walter, who have corrupt doings going on, and there still is that long ago murder... Good cast, but marginal film is ultimately too melodramatic and unrealistic to succeed, though young Martha had my sympathies for killing her cat-hating/murdering aunt, a truly loathsome character!