Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tinear (A) on February 10, 2008 at 05:48:13

king of the extraordinarily long tracking shot.
A mysterious drifter (Dana Andrews: he of the ultra-mellifluous voice and casual, never non-plussed attitude) arrives in a town and immediately is stricken (as are half the males in the small coastal town S. of San Francisco) by the smoldering intensity of the local coffee shop waitress, Stella, played by the impossibly hot Linda Darnell.
But even though they strike violent sparks against one another, she has decided no man will possess her again until she is wed... and provided with a house!
Through working a sham, Andrew's character becomes acquainted with two spinsters, two of the wealthier local citizens and he hatches the plan of swindling one of them and absconding with the money and Stella.
The fierce relationship, the explosive dialogue between Andrews and the beautiful, passionate--- but tough as nails Stella is what elevates this film. That, and the clever plot manipulations which keep one guessing about the identity of the murderer up until the final frame. Murder? Of course there's one! I said noir, didn't I?