as LEONA STEVENSON
It's an hour and a half of Barbara Stanwyck experiencing a meltdown in bed! As with Irene Dunne, Stanwyck's run with the Academy came to an end in 1948 with this nomination, and the implications of this role along with the fact that Stanwyck is always a fab actress make this a prospectively juicy endpoint. But while I'm inclined to say that I'm impressed by her work here, there's also much that I wished I could have seen.
The way I see it, there's two sides of Leona Stevenson in
Sorry, Wrong Number: that of the wealthy, manipulative brat and that of the woman who positively loses her wits and her shit on the telephone. The pros: Stanwyck plays up the two halves of Leona very well. Stanwyck's cutting cool is perfect for Leona as she goes about stealing your man or throwing fits of fury such that you
will abide by what she wants, a bitchiness that keeps you locked in on her. I thought Stanwyck plays up Leona's ascending bedside bedlam to the best of her ability; starting out perplexed and gradually becoming more and more freaked out, it's exhausting work that I imagine was very difficult for Stanwyck to tune on and off as they filmed the sequences consecutively over two weeks. This culminates in a visceral final phone conversation near film's end which I found to be resonating and pretty heart pounding (something I can't say I've felt via the 1940s films I've seen thus far). The cons: there's little connection between these two presentations of Leona, and the film's screenplay does little to flesh out the character into a cohesive whole. While she technically plays the two sides of Leona well, because of the lack of written detail for the character it feels as though she's resting on the same note for the entire film. Little teases to other dimensions of Leona, such as the insecurities she has with Henry that are hastily explained towards the end, aren't explored -- instead, the film seems to want us to feel that Leona is an annoying character (read: entitled, whiny), perhaps so as to better justify the murder plot against her? It's strange, considering that we are, after all, her audience. We see her at her most vulnerable for over and hour, we are mapped back to parts of her journey leading up to this point, and yet we don't see much to her besides her bitchiness and franticness (arguably one's less attractive features). Overall, it's a well-done albeit impetuous performance.
The first time I saw her I thought this was one of the worst performances ever nominated. The second time I actually liked her. Not sure what I will think next... :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, not sure if I agree about worst performance ever...it was good, though I've seen her really kill it in other films, so perhaps not as great to the standard that I'm used to!
DeleteHaven't seen her, I often like her but I've heard other people complaining about the annoying and one-note nature of the role itself. How is Burt Lancaster?
ReplyDeleteBurt is...okay I guess? He's as good as any secondary male character you'll find in movies this old, which is to say -- he's alright, not noteworthy. I take it I'll be more impressed with him in the fifties.
DeleteI wish Agnes Moorehead did the film version, but Stanwyck was the best replacement I can think of. She's very watchable.
ReplyDeleteCool that you liked all her nominations :D.
I'd actually be really curious about how Moorehead would take on the role. Such a shame!
DeleteThis was a perennial radio drama with Agnes Moorehead in the lead role. It was expanded for the film version and all of the new scenes made this a flaccid production in my opinion. I also think this is Stanwyck's worst nomination because she is shrill and the character is rather one-note. This could have been so much more with the right director and screenplay, but as it is this is melodrama without a formidable lead character for Stanwyck to play. The final scene, however, works exquisitely and always does ... the dramatic tension is spellbinding.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with your thoughts on the last scene. Very well done! Think that the overall arching subplot with Lancaster and company are too confusing and not exciting enough to match up with the concept of this invalid woman fearing for her life...
DeleteI’ve always loved Barbara Stanwyck. But I have to chuckle at the flashback scenes of her college coed days. She was forty years old and totally unbelievable in those scenes. Love it when Leona asks Henry for a dance and says, “Mind if I cut in? It’s an old Spanish custom; the HAG line!”. And that short, matronly hairdo doesn’t do her any favors. But Anatole Litvak, the director, wasn’t about illusions and subterfuge, was he?
ReplyDelete