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Jeopardy1953 US Dir John Sturges Cast Barbara Stanwyck, Ralph Meeker, Barry Sullivan IMDb |
Idiotic but harmless — maybe I haven’t seen enough B-movies to appreciate what they do have to offer in spite of the style and substance they’re missing, but it’s hard to get past how spare and silly this is on the way to a few satisfying thrills. Barbara Stanwyck & family are vacationing on a deserted Mexican beach. A serene spot, but is it any wonder the infrastructure hasn’t been kept up?
I couldn’t stop laughing when the young boy dusts off an old sign at the base of a pier, spells out loud P-E-L-I-G-R-O, shrugs and proceeds to walk the precarious length of it. Stany & her man are too busy with long-awaited foreplay to notice, and the kid gets stuck out there and needs to be rescued. After a goofily protracted but admittedly suspenseful walk to the end of the pier and back, the husband falls to the beach as part of the structure collapses and pins his leg underneath it.
Now it’s a race against time as the tide’s coming in, and it’s up to reportedly hysterics-prone Stanwyck, who comes across rather typically cool, to drive off in search of a rope to save his life. Inconveniently, she runs into a mass murderer along the way, and this is where the film becomes both doubly stupid and doubly interesting. Ralph Meeker gets the few good lines and puts more effort into his dumb but self-adoring thug than anyone else in the cast. It doesn’t make sense that he should never really be violent with his captive even when she tries to kill him, nor are his ultimate self-sacrificing helpfulness and her change of heart toward him particularly believable, but in between she pretty blatantly trades sex for her husband’s life which, if equally unlikely, is at least a compelling turn.
Stany wonders if all wives think about what they would do in such a situation, and while I kind of doubt it, that line of thought is just where the Jeopardy fails the most: a more thoughtful and thorough film might have delivered a blazing critique of gender roles.
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Fascinating the things you are doing with your blog. Do more. Do you plan to see more noirs (with Stanwyck?)?
Comment by Mango — 20 October 2008 @ 20 October 2008You know, I play around when I have nothing decent to write.
I’m using Stany as my intro, and I will be seeing at least Crimes of Passion (on Gaston’s raves) and Sorry Wrong Number before I get on to anything else. Oh, noir recommendations are very welcome. Besides a course in Nicholas Ray and slaving after my favorite actors, I’m aimless. I’m sure you have some interesting favorites…
Comment by Lauren — 21 October 2008 @ 21 October 2008Eh, my favorite noirs aren’t that interesting. I am pretty sure they are the type you would hate. Actually, you detest Kiss Me Deadly, which is one of my favorites. I don’t imagine you go for Welles’s noirs, either.
You don’t seem like much of a noir girl. The romantic noirs, maybe (They Live by Night?).
I want to see some indecent writing.
Comment by Mango — 21 October 2008 @ 21 October 2008Hahaha, you have so called it. Yeah, I’ll be inclined away from the Kiss Me Deadlies and toward the They Live By Nights (which I totally adore). Oh, it’s true, you have my number. I want to see the Welles though. I do like The Lady from Shanghai very much, if that counts.
Comment by Lauren — 22 October 2008 @ 22 October 2008You like The Lady from Shanghai? Hmm… Have you seen Touch of Evil? The Stranger? I already predict you will despise Mr. Arkadin…
I see you have In a Lonely Place coming from NetFlix. A perfect romantic noir for you. I haven’t seen enough to give a comprehensive list of recommendations, but if I have time I might make a small list of romantic noirs I think you would enjoy.
Comment by Mango — 22 October 2008 @ 22 October 2008Romantic noirs. I love the concept — yep, it seems like the right avenue to go down. I’d love a list of recommendations of any size.
Yeah, I really liked Lady from Shanghai. I saw Touch of Evil yeaaaaars ago and wasn’t very impressed but I don’t necessarily trust any opinions from that time anymore. It’s due for a rewatch. I don’t know enough about the others to hazard a guess but I’d like to see them. Now seems a good time to go on with Welles.
Comment by Lauren — 22 October 2008 @ 22 October 2008Maybe you should make a post on TLC about Romantic Noirs and ask for the opinions of others.
I read that you are getting TCM tomorrow. Coincidentally, the whole day is lined with noirs until Prime Time… which has Touch of Evil in one of the slots. I guess you’ll probably be busy during most of the day, as I will be. But I plan to watch My Name is Julia Ross tomorrow morning. TCM!
Comment by Mango — 22 October 2008 @ 22 October 2008Good idea!
Damn, my service won’t actually start until Tuesday. I feel like I’m missing all the good stuff! But every night is good stuff, right? Seriously, I’m going to withdraw from the world now.
Comment by Lauren — 23 October 2008 @ 23 October 2008Next Tuesday? Oh, you are going to miss the final night of Carole’s Star of the Month! (Ah, but next month is Charles Laughton–another good pick.) TCM is currently responsible for something like a third of viewings (uh, averaging about 20 per week just now). If it weren’t for TCM, my life would probably be much more active. Withdrawal is good, though. I really enjoy it.
Comment by Mango — 23 October 2008 @ 23 October 2008I rather love this movie, mainly because of Missy and Ralph’s chemistry.
Comment by The Maiden — 3 January 2009 @ 3 January 2009