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La deuxième femme

Original title: The Second Woman
  • 1950
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Robert Young and Betsy Drake in La deuxième femme (1950)
Film NoirPsychological DramaSuspense MysteryWhodunnitDramaMysteryRomance

In flashback from a 'Rebecca'-style beginning: Ellen Foster, visiting her aunt on the California coast, meets neighbor Jeff Cohalan and his ultramodern clifftop house.In flashback from a 'Rebecca'-style beginning: Ellen Foster, visiting her aunt on the California coast, meets neighbor Jeff Cohalan and his ultramodern clifftop house.In flashback from a 'Rebecca'-style beginning: Ellen Foster, visiting her aunt on the California coast, meets neighbor Jeff Cohalan and his ultramodern clifftop house.

  • Director
    • James V. Kern
  • Writers
    • Mort Briskin
    • Robert Smith
  • Stars
    • Robert Young
    • Betsy Drake
    • John Sutton
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • James V. Kern
    • Writers
      • Mort Briskin
      • Robert Smith
    • Stars
      • Robert Young
      • Betsy Drake
      • John Sutton
    • 52User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos26

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    Top cast31

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    Robert Young
    Robert Young
    • Jeffrey Cohalan
    Betsy Drake
    Betsy Drake
    • Ellen Foster
    John Sutton
    John Sutton
    • Keith Ferris
    Florence Bates
    Florence Bates
    • Amelia Foster
    Morris Carnovsky
    Morris Carnovsky
    • Dr. Hartley
    Henry O'Neill
    Henry O'Neill
    • Ben Sheppard
    Jean Rogers
    Jean Rogers
    • Dodo Ferris
    Raymond Largay
    • Major Badger
    Shirley Ballard
    Shirley Ballard
    • Vivian Sheppard
    Vici Raaf
    Vici Raaf
    • Secretary
    Jason Robards Sr.
    Jason Robards Sr.
    • Stacy Rogers
    • (as Jason Robards)
    Steven Geray
    Steven Geray
    • Balthazar Jones
    Jimmie Dodd
    Jimmie Dodd
    • Mr. Nelson
    • (as Jimmy Dodd)
    Smoki Whitfield
    Smoki Whitfield
    • Porter
    • (scenes deleted)
    Cliff Clark
    • Police Sergeant
    Walter Bacon
    • Country Club Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Vince Barnett
    Vince Barnett
    • Giovanni Strobini
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Bradley
    Paul Bradley
    • Country Club Guest
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • James V. Kern
    • Writers
      • Mort Briskin
      • Robert Smith
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews52

    6.31.5K
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    Featured reviews

    9oldblackandwhite

    Atmospheric Mystery Thriller The Second Woman Is First Rate Entertainment

    The Second Woman is a stylish mystery thriller staring second tier leads Robert Young and Betsy Drake and directed by second tier director James V. Kern. But there is nothing second rate about the finished product. This movie is visually and dramatically stimulating from beginning to end.

    Young plays an architect brooding over the death of his fiancé in an auto crash in which he was the driver the previous year. After a series of apparent accidents, including a suspicious injury to his horse and a fire at his house, it appears that either someone is out to get him, or he is actually doing destructive things to himself because he is a dangerously off-his-nut paranoiac. The local doctor (Morris Carnovsky) believes the latter. His newly acquired girl friend (Drake), who works in statistical studies for an insurance company, turns detective to prove it is the former. The mystery unfolds at a leisurely pace at first but gradually builds tension with surprising twists and turns of the plot. As with any good thriller, you begin to suspect everyone. A brooding, almost Gothic mood is maintained by Joseph Nussbaum's haunting Tchaikovsky-based score and Hal Mohr's alternately dark and luminous black and white cinematography. Frequent shots of the surf crashing on the lonely rocks of the Central California shore help set the forlorn ambiance. Kern's direction is precise, dialog is intelligent, editing smooth. Young and Drake are charming, and they get expert support from Carnovsky, Henry O'Neil, Florence Bates, and John Sutton.

    The Second Woman successfully blends elements of mystery, noir, Gothic, and romantic melodrama. Though released in July 1950, its sensuous style and feel seem to belong more to the l940's than to the 'fifties. But when decades are accounted properly, the year 1950 is actually the last year of the decade we nickname "the forties". In any case it was made near the end of an era. Due to collapse of the studio systems, death and retirement of key personnel, adverse changes in public taste, and other factors, by the end of the 1950's they would no longer be able to make pictures as classy and entertaining as The Second Woman.

    Top entertainment from Hollywood's Golden Era.
    7silverscreen888

    A Truly Intelligent "B" Myystery; One of the Real Sleepers of Noir in Every Way

    This fine "B" film project is basically a psychological film, in the category of the many 1940s and 50s films that were made to explore depth-of-character and motivation. The idea their producers had was to go beyond the inspector calling and assembling suspects in the drawing room to detail who'd done a murder; in the newer mysteries, emphasis was placed upon gradually discovering clues and lines of inquiry, upon revealing actions, pretenses, questionings and complex relationships. This "modern" peeling away of layers of truth relating to an old crime's influence often works brilliantly in my judgment, especially in this movie, Not the least of this unpretentious and beautifully- photographed work's accomplishments is its avoidance of Freudian and false notions that so often muddy attempts to understand individuals' characters in film; Freud applies only to totalitarian societies. Here the investigator is in fact a beautiful woman, very intelligently played as insurance expert and woman-in-love by Betsy Drake. The object of her interest is a man who may or may not be crazy, well-portrayed by Robert Young. He has been suffering a series of accidents or breakdowns that are ruining his life; he has begun to doubt his own sanity. But she insightfully feelss someone is trying to wreck his career and his hopes for happiness. Their search for the perpetrator of the acts being done against him help them to unravel the mystery of his late wife's death and the secrets of the usual nasty small United States town and its equally small-minded citizens (a favorite target of intellectuals in the period, genuinely or not). The director was James V. Kerns, the cinematographer Hal Mohr, whose work was outstanding also. The cast apart from the attractive and bright leads was comprised of Morris Carnovsky, Jean Rogers, Steven Geray, Shirley Ballard, John Sutton and Florence Bates, all well-cast and in top form.. This film was an attempt to do on a low-budget what "Spellbound" had been able to accomplish; the house architect Young designs is outstanding modern architecture; the music by Bernard Nussbaum and the Tschaikovsky excerpts used are I believe add to the atmosphere very nicely. And the relations between characters, acerbic or warm, are unusually well-realized in dialogs and blocking.. This is a true sleeper, with its roots in "The Fountainhead"; and one that deserves much more attention that it has ever received; many elements of an intriguing mystery-noir storyline are quite successfully filmed here indeed.
    dougdoepke

    Noir Meets the Carmel Coastline

    What this b&w noir has going for it is the scenic grandeur of the central California coastline. The roiling sea and rocky outcrops, along with the ultra-modern (circa 1950) cliff house, provide an unusual backdrop to this psychological drama. Bad things keep happening to architect Jeff (Young) for no apparent reason, starting with the highway death of his wife. Enter Ellen (Drake) who seeks to uncover the mystery, though the finger of guilt begins to point at a grieving Jeff who may now be unhinged.

    Both the script and the staging are excellent until the climax, which should have been reconsidered from both ends, especially the ludicrous gunshot that seemingly takes minutes to register. Drake's an appealing actress and projects intelligence in the part. At the same time, she's unusual for a decade that emphasized buxom sex-goddesses, which she definitely is not. She and Young do make a well-matched screen couple. However, Young's performance is rather strange. I don't know if he was reaching for a particular effect, but his low-key demeanor never changes despite the many provocations. Unfortunately, it borders on both the boring and the implausible.

    Nonetheless, it's an intriguing mystery and a real treat for the eye thanks to cinematographer Hal Mohr. Also, I can't help noticing that Harry Popkin produced this film, along with the noir classic DOA (1950) and such imaginative B-movies as The Well (1951) and The Thief (1952). I expect it was he who insisted on the scenic locations for this film, proving that noir need not be confined to gritty urban settings. Anyway, I think it's fair to surmise that Popkin was a producer, unlike many, who understood the artistic side of movie-making. It shows here.
    7richardchatten

    Paranoia on a Hilltop

    It's opening speech tries far too hard to evoke associations with 'Rebecca' (it even features one of the original cast), and it also shoehorns in references to 'Suspicion' and 'Spellbound'. But it actually works perfectly own on it's own terms - with a bit of postwar psychology thrown in and Tchaikovsky on the soundtrack - and ironically harks forward towards later Hitchcocks (notably 'North by Northwest') with it's hero and heroine meeting cute on a train and the hilltop Frank Lloyd Wright-style house that serves as a backdrop to some of the drama.

    A chicly attired Betsy Drake - ironically Mrs Cary Grant at the time - provides an attractive and robust female lead.
    Snow Leopard

    Interesting Psychological Drama

    This interesting psychological drama has a number of strengths that more than make up for the low-budget look and a few minor flaws. The story is full of tension and dramatic possibilities, and things are built up nicely, with the flashback opening and a number of the plot elements frequently reminding you of "Rebecca". It's not really on a par with that story, or with the Hitchcock film version, but it has the same kind of psychology-driven story that takes some skill to tell.

    Robert Young plays a talented architect whose life and mental stability have been troubled by a recent tragedy. Young is well cast, since in his earlier years he came across well as this kind of character, who is likable but whose behavior raises a lot of questions. Betsy Drake was an interesting choice for the female lead, emphasizing sincerity, intelligence, and loyalty rather than the glamour and mystery that often characterize noir heroines. Florence Bates also works well as the aunt of Drake's character, though it would have been nice to see the script give her more to work with.

    The past and present are tied together in an interesting and unpredictable plot. A more carefully scripted climactic sequence, bringing everything out in a more deliberate manner, would have topped it off even better. But even so, it remains among the better B-movies of its genre, and it makes for an hour and a half of good drama.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      At the beginning of the movie, Robert Young's character tries to commit suicide by running his car engine in an enclosed garage. Then in flashback, the doctor says that he's concerned about Young's character's recurring bouts of depression. In real life, Young suffered from depression for decades, and tried to commit suicide in Westlake Village, CA in January 1991 by running a hose from his exhaust pipe into the interior of his car. Young called a tow truck to try to start his car. The driver noticed the hose, and contacted the police.
    • Goofs
      In the opening scene, Robert Young's character is discovered suffocated by heavy carbon monoxide in a sealed garage, but nobody else coming in the garage is affected by the deadly gas. Additionally, unless a car is burning oil or running very rich, exhaust fumes are not visible as was shown here. This reveals some type of smoke or vapor was used, not an actual auto exhaust.
    • Quotes

      Jeff Cohalan: Let's see what the tea leaves say about you... there's a trick my grandmother taught me; she learned it from an old witch in Ireland.

      Ellen Foster: And so you've been drinking coffee ever since.

    • Connections
      Referenced in This Movie Must Die!: The Second Woman (1950) (2021)
    • Soundtracks
      Francesca da Rimini
      (uncredited)

      Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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    FAQ14

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 5, 1951 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Streaming on "Broken Trout" YouTube Channel
      • Streaming on "Chris T" YouTube Channel
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • The Second Woman
    • Filming locations
      • Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Harry Popkin Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 31m(91 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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