The Second Woman

The Second Woman
Theatrical release poster
Directed by James V. Kern
Produced by Mort Briskin
Robert Smith
Screenplay by Mort Briskin
Robert Smith
Starring Robert Young
Betsy Drake
Music by Joseph Nussbaum
Cinematography Hal Mohr
Edited by Walter A. Thompson
Production
company
Harry Popkin Productions
Cardinal Pictures
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • July 7, 1950 (1950-07-07)
Running time
 91 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The Second Woman is a 1950 film noir mystery-suspense film directed by James V. Kern and featuring Robert Young, Betsy Drake, John Sutton and Florence Bates.[1] Sequences of the film were shot on the coastal areas of Monterey, California.

Plot

This psychological thriller tells the story of Jeff Cohalan (Young). He is a successful architect who is tormented because his fiancée, Vivian Sheppard, was killed in a mysterious car accident on the night before their wedding. Blaming himself for her death, Cohalan spends his time alone, lamenting in the state-of-the-art cliff-top home he had designed for his bride-to-be.

Cohalan notices that ever since the accident, he seems to be followed by bad luck. Without explanation, his horse turns up horribly injured and he must put it down, his dog is poisoned and dies. These events lead Cohalan to wonder if he has been cursed.

He meets a woman named Ellen (Drake), and they are immediately attracted to each other. She soon learns about Jeff's past and begins to suspect that he may be much more in danger than he himself realizes.

It turns out that his partner in architecture, Ben Sheppard, was trying to destroy him. Sheppard, who was Vivian's father, held Jeff responsible for her death. But the driver of the car had been a married man with whom Vivian was having an affair. Ben himself had a wife run away from him, and has a psychotic break when confronted with the truth behind his daughter's car crash. Thinking Ellen is Vivian, and angry about his wife running off, Ben shoots at Vivian/Ellen. Jeff gets hit protecting Ellen, but both survive.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Film critic Craig Butler had problems with the script. He wrote, "The Second Woman is an intriguing if frustrating little thriller -- frustrating because it verges on being very good but settles for being merely OK. Part of the problem is that Woman combines elements of various styles -- film noir, psychological drama, mystery, thriller, romance -- but doesn't meld them into a satisfying whole ... All in all, The Second Woman is a good attempt that is worth watching, even if it falls short of reaching its goals."[2]

Film critic Dennis Schwartz was also disappointed, "Robert Young gives a subdued performance that is somewhat credible, but not all that endearing. The film's ultimate villain is the real estate industry that is spoiling the natural beauty in its need to make lots of money. But the brooding melodrama, thought of by many as film noir, never seemed vibrant as a thriller."[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Second Woman at the American Film Institute Catalog.
  2. ↑ Butler, Craig. Allmovie by Rovi, film review, no date. Accessed: August 19, 2013.
  3. ↑ Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, October 3, 2004. Accessed: August 19, 2013.
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