Mon 13 Jul 2015
Reviewed by Dan Stumpf: THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH (Book & Film).
Posted by Steve under Films: Drama/Romance , Reviews[5] Comments
MITCHELL WILSON – None So Blind. Simon & Schuster/Inner Sanctum Mystery, hardcover, 1945. Hillman #182, paperback, 1960. Film: RKO, 1947, as The Woman on the Beach.
THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH. RKO, 1947. Joan Bennett, Robert Ryan, Charles Bickford. Based on the book None So Blind by Mitchell Wilson. Director: Jean Renoir.
Ever wonder why some books even get made into movies? The question crossed my mind when I read None So Blind by Mitchell Wilson. It starts out as a moody and intriguing thing about a shell-shocked Naval Officer running a shore patrol station and trying to get his head together, as they say, who gets mixed up with a mysterious lady painter and her blind (or is he?) abusive husband.
The ensuing story flirts with violence like a floozie in a Biker Bar, and it’s a pretty fine read… till the author writes himself into a corner, and their attempts to get out turn pretty sloppy; downright embarrassing, in fact.
The closer I got to the end, the sorrier I felt for these poor schlemiels, as what could have been a nifty tale of murder for love turned to mush before my eyes.
So for some reason, RKO decided to film this in 1947 as Woman on the Beach, and it suffers in the end game, too, but not quite so badly. The way it looks, when Director Jean Renoir saw there was no way to kill the story, he just quit shooting the damthing and went back to France.
Beach ends without resolving the plot or consummating the Murder that looks to be bubbling just off-screen, but along the way there are some wondrous visuals of horses galloping across the gothic seacoast, desperate trysts in derelict shipwrecks, and fine performances from Joan Bennett, Charles Bickford, and especially Robert Ryan as the neurotic sailor.
It’s no masterpiece, but off-beat and intriguing enough to make it worth your time.
July 13th, 2015 at 11:04 pm
A strange film by any standard and visually stunning, but you keep waiting for Ryahn or Bennett or Bickford to murder someone and they never do …
Great to look at, but you do not want to think about it too much.
July 13th, 2015 at 11:13 pm
This film is saved by the acting of Ryan, Joan Bennett, and Charles Bickford. I understand it is another example of studio interference and in fact the director, Jean Renoir, left Hollywood after this film and never returned. At 71 minutes, it looks like the studio cut almost ruined the movie.
I consider this an unusual film noir and an example of how Hollywood had no idea of how to utilize a great director.
July 14th, 2015 at 1:14 pm
I’ve never seen this one. I think I’ve always had it confused with FEMALE ON THE BEACH, the one with Jeff Chandler and another Joan, Joan Crawford.
July 14th, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Hollywood always seems to be doing remakes, how about this one, but with a snappy ending?
July 14th, 2015 at 11:14 pm
One quality we have to give the film is how well the characters are set up for what never actually hapoens. Ryan has a strong role as a sort of shell-shocked Heathcliff and Bennett exudes that particular brand of sexy she patented in film noir. Bickford manages to be pitiable and unpleasant as well as threatening all at the same time, and then not a damn thing happens much.
Remake it? I would be happy if they just released it with a commentary that explained it.