Joseph Cotten's performance is, as always, a class act. Ingrid Bergman... well I'll get to her in a minute. Charles Boyer's performance is so affecting that I almost kicked a hole in the TV. This is both good and bad. Obviously he's a powerful actor, but it's laid on so thick that it becomes downright aggravating by halftime. That is, the idea of an egotistical, domineering husband (and the wife's diffident acceptance of the situation) is so infuriating that I was hardly able to enjoy myself. I almost shut off the movie halfway through because it's no fun to see a woman getting abused and tormented with no recourse. But then I realized that Joseph Cotten, the main reason why I was watching the film, hadn't yet made an appearance (he doesn't come in until the 2nd act when things start picking up).
But I'm so glad that I stuck around, because once things get rolling--once the director begins to make his statement--the film becomes truly powerful, engaging and poignant. The coup de grâce is an absolutely stellar performance by Ingrid Bergman in the last 10 minutes which I won't spoil for you. Suffice it to say that I think it's one of the finest monologues since Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth, and it puts the whole film into perspective.
I'm rating this only a 7 because of my disappointment with the 1st half which I felt was a bit of a gratuitous pity party, but the more I think about it, perhaps it was necessary in order to have such a powerful payoff in the 2nd half. I'll definitely be watching this movie twice, and I urge you to do the same. Cheers.
But I'm so glad that I stuck around, because once things get rolling--once the director begins to make his statement--the film becomes truly powerful, engaging and poignant. The coup de grâce is an absolutely stellar performance by Ingrid Bergman in the last 10 minutes which I won't spoil for you. Suffice it to say that I think it's one of the finest monologues since Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth, and it puts the whole film into perspective.
I'm rating this only a 7 because of my disappointment with the 1st half which I felt was a bit of a gratuitous pity party, but the more I think about it, perhaps it was necessary in order to have such a powerful payoff in the 2nd half. I'll definitely be watching this movie twice, and I urge you to do the same. Cheers.