{"id":4948,"date":"2007-12-09T23:36:26","date_gmt":"2007-12-10T06:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4948"},"modified":"2020-12-27T01:01:42","modified_gmt":"2020-12-27T08:01:42","slug":"sudden-fear-1952","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4948","title":{"rendered":"Sudden Fear (1952)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[<strong>Note:<\/strong> The following review is of a non-Peary title; click <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=4388\">here<\/a> to read more.]<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;I was just wondering what I&#8217;d done to deserve you.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Poster-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-33711\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Poster-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Poster-675x1024.jpg 675w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Poster.jpg 989w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA wealthy playwright (Joan Crawford) marries an actor (Jack Palance) who she recently fired from her play, not realizing that his love for her is a sham, and that, together with an old girlfriend (Gloria Grahame), he plans to murder her for her money.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gloria Grahame Films<\/li>\n<li>Homicidal Spouses<\/li>\n<li>Jack Palance Films<\/li>\n<li>Joan Crawford Films<\/li>\n<li>Plot to Murder<\/li>\n<li>Writers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nIn the long list of Joan Crawford titles inexplicably missing from Peary&#8217;s book, <em>Sudden Fear<\/em> is perhaps the oddest omission, given its status as both an Oscar nominee and one of Crawford&#8217;s signature flicks. It&#8217;s a taut, well-crafted thriller with atmospheric b&#038;w cinematography, excellent use of San Francisco locales, a jazzy score by the inimitable Elmer Bernstein, several lengthy visual sequences that would do Hitchcock proud, and fine performances by the entire cast &#8212; particularly Crawford, who&#8217;s in nearly every scene. At the time of the film&#8217;s release, Crawford&#8217;s performance wasn&#8217;t very well received, with Bosley Crowther of the <em>NY Times<\/em> complaining that &#8220;a viewer not entirely a slave to Miss Crawford&#8217;s brand of histrionics might argue that an excessive amount of footage is given to close-ups of the lady in the throes of mental traumas and other emotional disturbances.&#8221; Today, however, it&#8217;s clear that Crawford is actually giving one of the best performances of her career: other than her later turn in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2144\"><em>What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?<\/em> (1962)<\/a>, she&#8217;s never appeared so genuinely frightened or emotionally vulnerable (the sweat and tears she produces are copious). <\/p>\n<p>The infamous sequence during which Myra (Crawford) accidentally overhears Palance and Grahame&#8217;s plans to murder her is particularly wrenching; Myra&#8217;s not only afraid for her life, but heartbroken and stunned to learn that her beloved husband is nothing <em>close<\/em> to what he appears. It&#8217;s a hell of a thing to learn in one fell swoop that your husband is not just deceitful but a homicidal psychopath as well. Once this &#8220;plot twist&#8221; occurs, the remainder of the film plays out with remarkable tension and suspense: while we know that Myra&#8217;s concocted a plan, and that it will likely be a good one (Myra is, after all, a renowned playwright), we have no idea exactly how the machinations of her elaborate scheme will work. To her credit, even once she learns of her husband&#8217;s untold treachery, Crawford&#8217;s Myra is rarely bitter or cynical; she dreams of revenge, but only as a means of personal survival &#8212; and we can&#8217;t help rooting for her until the film&#8217;s exciting climax. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Joan Crawford as Myra (Hudson) Blaine<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Crawford.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Crawford.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-59875\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Crawford.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Crawford-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Crawford-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Sudden-Fear-Crawford-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jack Palance as Myra&#8217;s homicidal husband<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-palance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-palance.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4952\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gloria Grahame as Irene<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-grahame.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-grahame.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4953\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The infamous Dictaphone revelation sequence<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-dictaphone.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-dictaphone.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4954\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Charles Lang&#8217;s noirish cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4949\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine direction by David Miller<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-direction.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-direction.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4955\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The exciting final chase sequence<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-running.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-running.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4956\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Excellent use of hilly San Francisco locales<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-san-francisco.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-san-francisco.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4957\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A remarkably frightening depiction of spousal deception<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-fear.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/sudden-fear-fear.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4958\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Elmer Bernstein&#8217;s distinctive score\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as one of Crawford&#8217;s best flicks. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0045205\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.nytimes.com\/movie\/review?_r=1&#038;res=9A01E6DD123AE23BBC4053DFBE668389649EDE&#038;oref=slogin\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/91824\/sudden-fear#articles-reviews?articleId=1274789\">TCM DVD Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/MBd5axsT3tk\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[Note: The following review is of a non-Peary title; click here to read more.] &#8220;I was just wondering what I&#8217;d done to deserve you.&#8221; Synopsis: A wealthy playwright (Joan Crawford) marries an actor (Jack Palance) who she recently fired from her play, not realizing that his love for her is a sham, and that, together with an old girlfriend (Gloria Grahame), he plans to murder her for her money. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Gloria Grahame Films Homicidal Spouses Jack&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4948\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-missing-title-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4948"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59877,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4948\/revisions\/59877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}