From the very first moment, the melancholic musical score combined with the wintry dreariness of Manhattan in stark black and white sets a very dismal tone for the rest of the film. From this opening, just about everyone in the film is deeply unhappy, so I can't say that I wasn't warned in advance at the very start of the general despair to follow. Although I found the overall atmosphere to be very depressing, the outstanding acting and the skillful direction by Delbert Mann managed to overcome the prevailing gloom.
I agree with other reviewers that the film seems padded at times and should have been shortened to ninety minutes. There should be a very good reason for any movie to extend beyond ninety minutes, and this picture just doesn't have one.
Fredric March was a terrific actor who successfully played a wide range of notable roles including the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Count Vronsky in "Anna Karenina", Norman Maine in "A Star is Born", Al Stephenson in "Best Years of Our Lives", Matthew Harrison Brady in "Inherit the Wind", and an unforgettable Willy Loman with dozens of other good portrayals in between. Although I don't believe that the ethnic background of Jerry Kingsley is ever specifically stated, he is clearly Jewish and obviously a New Yorker, and March, who was neither, plays the part very convincingly without overdoing it, which must have been a real temptation for him.
Kim Novak, who had just appeared as Madeline/Judy in "Vertigo" a year earlier, was the one visual bright spot in an otherwise dark, dismal, and even oppressive atmosphere. Her weak, constantly struggling character should be unappealing and even annoying, but how could Ms. Novak ever be unappealing or annoying? For me, that's not possible.
The supporting cast is excellent, especially Martin Balsam, Lee Grant, Albert Dekker, and Glenda Farrell as the mother who suddenly takes an interest in her daughter for the first time in twenty four years. Upon meeting Jerry (March), she disapprovingly cracks, "He's no Spencer Tracy!". Was that a veiled reference to the second Jekyll/Hyde? Balsam might have even topped his Oscar winning monologue in "A Thousand Clowns" as the disappointed husband who is suddenly told by his wife that the two week, winter vacation in Florida is off. Don't mess with a tax accountant who has to face busy season in January without first taking a promised two week vacation in Florida. This is another setup for a perfect "Martin Balsam moment".
In the end, will Jerry and Betty manage to rise above the despair that overwhelms them from every direction? After such a wretched winter, can spring be far behind? In a world as despondent and desolate as this one, is spring even a possibility? I'm not sure.
I agree with other reviewers that the film seems padded at times and should have been shortened to ninety minutes. There should be a very good reason for any movie to extend beyond ninety minutes, and this picture just doesn't have one.
Fredric March was a terrific actor who successfully played a wide range of notable roles including the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Count Vronsky in "Anna Karenina", Norman Maine in "A Star is Born", Al Stephenson in "Best Years of Our Lives", Matthew Harrison Brady in "Inherit the Wind", and an unforgettable Willy Loman with dozens of other good portrayals in between. Although I don't believe that the ethnic background of Jerry Kingsley is ever specifically stated, he is clearly Jewish and obviously a New Yorker, and March, who was neither, plays the part very convincingly without overdoing it, which must have been a real temptation for him.
Kim Novak, who had just appeared as Madeline/Judy in "Vertigo" a year earlier, was the one visual bright spot in an otherwise dark, dismal, and even oppressive atmosphere. Her weak, constantly struggling character should be unappealing and even annoying, but how could Ms. Novak ever be unappealing or annoying? For me, that's not possible.
The supporting cast is excellent, especially Martin Balsam, Lee Grant, Albert Dekker, and Glenda Farrell as the mother who suddenly takes an interest in her daughter for the first time in twenty four years. Upon meeting Jerry (March), she disapprovingly cracks, "He's no Spencer Tracy!". Was that a veiled reference to the second Jekyll/Hyde? Balsam might have even topped his Oscar winning monologue in "A Thousand Clowns" as the disappointed husband who is suddenly told by his wife that the two week, winter vacation in Florida is off. Don't mess with a tax accountant who has to face busy season in January without first taking a promised two week vacation in Florida. This is another setup for a perfect "Martin Balsam moment".
In the end, will Jerry and Betty manage to rise above the despair that overwhelms them from every direction? After such a wretched winter, can spring be far behind? In a world as despondent and desolate as this one, is spring even a possibility? I'm not sure.