Post by pimpinainteasy on May 7, 2018 14:15:26 GMT
***SPOILERS ALERT***
Three kids share a childhood secret involving the murder of a cruel aunt. Many years later, their paths cross once again as adults. Sam Masterson (Van Heflin) returns to him hometown to find that his childhood friends Martha Ivers (Barbara Stanswyck) and Walter O Neil (Kirk Douglas) are now the power couple that rules over the town. Old passions are reignited when Martha who always had a crush on Sam tries to seduce him. The alcoholic Walter tried to stop their affair. Even though Sam falls in love with a hard drinking traveling blonde (Lizbeth Scott), the power couple draw him back into their web of hatred and jealousy. The film ends quite tragically (not for Sam) when after a triangular stand off, the power couple commit suicide.
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers was painfully boring. Milkos Roza's loud and dramatic score ruined the film completely. But the film would have been painful to watch even without the score. The play like quality of the film does not help at all. I found myself wishing that some of the long drawn out scenes would simply end. But they just go and on. I am not sure why this film is classified as noir. It does not feature any of the brilliant noir cinematography, plot twists or clever dialog. Is it because Barbara Stanswyck plays a femme fatale? Probably.
Van Heflin who played overtly decent characters in both Shane and 3:10 to Yuma gets the macho role of Sam Masterson for a change. And he does a good job with it. While Kirk Douglas plays the alcoholic wuss of a District Attorney. Barbara Stanswyck who played the murderous femme fatale in the film's title was strangely unsexy. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she was fully cloaked while her hairstyle was matronly. Lizbeth Scott does lend some erotic relief.