***SPOILERS*** Shell shocked as well as water logged navy man Let. Scott Brunnet, Robert Ryan, has never gotten over his experience in WWII when his ship was hit by a German undersea mine and sank. Trying to get his head together Scott in charge of a Coast Guard station on the Atlantic coast takes daily rides along the beach on his horse and one day runs into Peggy, Joan Bennett, picking up woods from an abandoned ship wreck. During a friendly talk with her Peggy, as if she were psychic, has the surprised Scott analyzed down to the tee about his past and the hang-ups he developed from his WWII experiences.
Invited into Peggy's home Scott finds out, when he shows up unexpectedly, that her husband Tod, Charles Brickford, is a world renowned artist as well as being blind. Tod takes an immediate liking to Scott almost inviting him to stay overnight even though he has to report back to his Coast Guard station within the hour. It's then that the film takes on an almost surreal look with Scott becoming so obsessed with Peggy that he virtually leaves his totally crazy about him girlfriend Eve,Nan Laslie, at the altar and falls crazily in love with Peggy, a married woman.
The relationship between Peggy and Tod is by far the most interesting element in the film with her feeling guilty for the condition that he found himself in. We, and Scott, find out from Peggy that she go into a drunken fight with Tod and broke a bottle over his head resulting in him ending up blind. It's the fact of Tod's blindness that Peggy stayed and put up with his abuse of her feeling guilty that she took away the one love that he had in the world; eyes to both see and paint with.
The rest of the film has Scott and Tod play this weird game of chicken with Scott trying to prove that Tod isn't really blind in order to free Peggy from his clutches and keep her all for himself. Scott's actions are so outrageous that he almost has Tod killed twice in the film, by falling off a cliff and drowning in an Alantic storm, the second time with Scott almost getting killed along with.
Tod soon realizes that it's his paintings that has him going somewhat insane with his obsessive actions towards both them and Peggy and finally decides to burn them in order to set himself and Peggy free. Being blind Tod in trying to set the painting on fire sets his and Peggy's house on fire as well leaving himself homeless and penniless with only the clothes, and his car, on his back. The film ends with Peggy realizing that Tod needs her more then ever leaves Scott standard on the beach, watching her and Tod's house burn to a crisps, and agree to drive back with Tod to New York to start a new life. As for Scott we can assume that he'll now go back to Eve whom he promised to marry earlier in the movie, that's if she'll be willing to take him back in the first place.
Invited into Peggy's home Scott finds out, when he shows up unexpectedly, that her husband Tod, Charles Brickford, is a world renowned artist as well as being blind. Tod takes an immediate liking to Scott almost inviting him to stay overnight even though he has to report back to his Coast Guard station within the hour. It's then that the film takes on an almost surreal look with Scott becoming so obsessed with Peggy that he virtually leaves his totally crazy about him girlfriend Eve,Nan Laslie, at the altar and falls crazily in love with Peggy, a married woman.
The relationship between Peggy and Tod is by far the most interesting element in the film with her feeling guilty for the condition that he found himself in. We, and Scott, find out from Peggy that she go into a drunken fight with Tod and broke a bottle over his head resulting in him ending up blind. It's the fact of Tod's blindness that Peggy stayed and put up with his abuse of her feeling guilty that she took away the one love that he had in the world; eyes to both see and paint with.
The rest of the film has Scott and Tod play this weird game of chicken with Scott trying to prove that Tod isn't really blind in order to free Peggy from his clutches and keep her all for himself. Scott's actions are so outrageous that he almost has Tod killed twice in the film, by falling off a cliff and drowning in an Alantic storm, the second time with Scott almost getting killed along with.
Tod soon realizes that it's his paintings that has him going somewhat insane with his obsessive actions towards both them and Peggy and finally decides to burn them in order to set himself and Peggy free. Being blind Tod in trying to set the painting on fire sets his and Peggy's house on fire as well leaving himself homeless and penniless with only the clothes, and his car, on his back. The film ends with Peggy realizing that Tod needs her more then ever leaves Scott standard on the beach, watching her and Tod's house burn to a crisps, and agree to drive back with Tod to New York to start a new life. As for Scott we can assume that he'll now go back to Eve whom he promised to marry earlier in the movie, that's if she'll be willing to take him back in the first place.