#the reckless moment

[womansfilm]

Mildred Pierce (1945) / The Reckless Moment (1949)

[cyrano2021dirjoewright]

"I never did a decent thing in all my life. I never even wanted to until you came along."

The Reckless Moment (1949) dir. Max Ophüls

[forthegothicheroine]

I want evil James Mason to redeem himself for love of me. Joan Bennett has all the luck.

[lesbiancolumbo]

I never did a decent thing in all my life. I never even wanted to until you came along.

The Reckless Moment (1949, dir. Max Ophuls)

[twobootsgirl]

[whosafraidofvirginiawoolf]

Don't go. I'll get help, you're bleeding.

The Reckless Moment (1949) dir. Max Ophuls

[1day1movie]

The Reckless Moment (1949) Max Ophüls.

[rinbylin]

[jasonsutekh]

The Reckless Moment (1949)

After an accident, a mother protects her daughter by trying to conceal evidence but when this attracts blackmailers, her ordinary family life may fall apart.

 It’s an interesting variation on many film noir stories, most notably having a female lead, with a man in place of the femme fatale doing the distant and unconsummated seducing. It’s also far more engaging to have a lead who isn’t a loner but has a well established family life with far more to lose so there are actual stakes rather than just being aligned to the protagonist.

 The daughter is the main focus for the first few scenes but once the film gets started she disappears so we don’t get a proper view of her consequences or guilt. There were a few odd shots, the most unusual being the ones with water as a background through vehicle windows where it’s not clear if they’re in a car or boat.

 Mixing a homely life of class with the criminal aspects of society was an effective contrast and it put pressure on the main character without reducing the realism. The narrative balances suspense using the constant questions from police and blackmailers, with development as the relationship between the two leads changes.

 Overall the story is an enjoyable one but the pace slows down quite a few times. The ending in particular is a little unsatisfying, not in terms of the conclusions the characters get, but the final few actual scenes are somewhat underwhelming, if necessary. It’s also unfortunate there’s no clear closure with the daughter.

 3/10 -This one’s bad but it’s got some good in it, just there-

[dykealloy]

[movieposters1]

[womansfilm]

The Reckless Moment (1949) / There's Always Tomorrow (1956)

[bisexualcroissant]

the way i clamped my hand over my mouth because holy FUCK neil fucking josten.

[forthegothicheroine]

New-to-me movies seen in 2024: The Reckless Moment (1949)

"I never did a decent thing in my life. I never even thought about it until you came along."

The Big Noirvember: Starring Joan Collins

[lesbiancolumbo]

The Reckless Moment (1949, Max Ophuls)

[solar093-art]

some adventures can get too dangerous... so it's time to summon friends :)