There is a reason that Joan Crawford retrospectives barely acknowledge this film. When she finally shows up (all the characters just stand around and discuss her--like in every other Crawford movie) it's clear she is miscast to within an inch of her life. She tries hard (this was a "celebrated" play, according to the opening credits), but she's so arch, mannered, and inconsistent for a while I thought the character of Susan was supposed to be a manic depressive lunatic. She plays every scene in a different way--usually in some variation of "Crystal Allen" from THE WOMEN, and obviously George Cukor thinks he's still directing THE WOMEN too. Reliable talents like Ruth Hussey and Frederic March are also quite bad here, obviously uninspired by the clunky script and the vacuous lead performance. Just a painful experience.
Who would imagine Crawford would be so convincing in STRANGE CARGO the same year?
Who would imagine Crawford would be so convincing in STRANGE CARGO the same year?