{"id":5452,"date":"2008-04-13T22:11:18","date_gmt":"2008-04-14T05:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5452"},"modified":"2021-01-20T17:12:42","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T00:12:42","slug":"postman-always-rings-twice-the-1946","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5452","title":{"rendered":"Postman Always Rings Twice, The (1946)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;With my brains and your looks, we could go places.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/Postman-1946-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/Postman-1946-Poster-134x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"134\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-22852\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/Postman-1946-Poster-134x300.jpg 134w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/Postman-1946-Poster-57x128.jpg 57w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 134px) 100vw, 134px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA drifter (John Garfield) falls for the beautiful wife (Lana Turner) of an older restaurant proprietor (Cecil Kellaway), and the two young lovers are soon plotting murder.\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>Audrey Totter Films<\/li>\n<li>Cecil Kellaway Films<\/li>\n<li>Courtroom Drama<\/li>\n<li>Femmes Fatales<\/li>\n<li>Hume Cronyn Films<\/li>\n<li>Infidelity<\/li>\n<li>John Garfield Films<\/li>\n<li>Lana Turner Films<\/li>\n<li>Plot to Murder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAlthough two foreign adaptations had already been made of James M. Cain&#8217;s 1934 novel &#8212; <a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0031222\/\">Pierre Chenal&#8217;s <em>Le Dernier Tournant<\/em> in 1939<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0035160\/\">Luchino Visconti&#8217;s <em>Ossessione<\/em> in 1943<\/a> &#8212; this 1946 MGM iteration is widely referred to as &#8220;the original&#8221; version of Cain&#8217;s story, in contrast with <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5462\">Bob Rafelson&#8217;s steamy but disappointing 1981 remake<\/a>. While the latter is more authentic to both the novel and the time period in which it takes place, the stylized look and feel of MGM&#8217;s version (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tay_Garnett\">Tay Garnett<\/a>&#8216;s best directorial effort) nonetheless lend it a sort of classic timelessness: from Lana Turner&#8217;s infamous &#8220;lipstick entrance&#8221;, to Turner&#8217;s (nearly) all-white wardrobe, to the spic-&#8216;n-span cleanliness of Kellaway&#8217;s roadside diner, this <em>Postman<\/em> lingers in one&#8217;s memory long after viewing. <\/p>\n<p>As the unwitting <em>femme fatale<\/em> who causes the downfall of both Garfield&#8217;s drifter and Kellaway&#8217;s bumbling restaurateur, &#8220;sweater girl&#8221; Lana Turner gives what is widely considered her best, most iconic performance: she&#8217;s all tanned legs, platinum hair, and seductive poses &#8212; literally a cheesecake model come to life &#8212; and while some (see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1081ring.html\">DVD Savant&#8217;s review<\/a>) have argued that she&#8217;s too pristine and wooden for the role of a gritty roadside waitress, Turner&#8217;s sunkissed looks are the perfect embodiment of a seductive force too strong to resist. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/postman-1946-turner-entrance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/postman-1946-turner-entrance.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5456\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>John Garfield is well-cast as smitten Frank Chambers, and is a perfect match for Turner, effectively capturing the frustrations of a man torn between erotic desire, wanderlust, and a basic sense of decency. Other bit roles are nicely played as well, particularly Hume Cronyn as the brilliant if corrupt lawyer who first plays Turner off of Garfield, thus starting a downward spiral which ends &#8212; in typical <em>noir<\/em> fashion &#8212; tragically. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>John Garfield as Frank Chambers<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/postman-1946-garfield.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/postman-1946-garfield.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5453\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lana Turner &#8212; in her best role &#8212; as Cora Smith<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/postman-1946-turner.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/postman-1946-turner.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5454\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Hume Cronyn and Leon Ames as competing lawyers<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/postman-1946-lawyers.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/postman-1946-lawyers.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5455\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its status as an undisputed noir classic. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0038854\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1946\/05\/03\/archives\/the-screen-the-postman-always-rings-twice-with-lana-turner-in-a.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/post.html\">FilmSite.org Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1081ring.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/378\/the-postman-always-rings-twice#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-postman-always-rings-twice\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;With my brains and your looks, we could go places.&#8221; Synopsis: A drifter (John Garfield) falls for the beautiful wife (Lana Turner) of an older restaurant proprietor (Cecil Kellaway), and the two young lovers are soon plotting murder. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Audrey Totter Films Cecil Kellaway Films Courtroom Drama Femmes Fatales Hume Cronyn Films Infidelity John Garfield Films Lana Turner Films Plot to Murder Review: Although two foreign adaptations had already been made of James M. Cain&#8217;s 1934&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5452\"> 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":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5452","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=5452"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64764,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5452\/revisions\/64764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}