August 20, 2016

Susan Hayward, My Foolish Heart

as ELOISE WINTERS


By now it's been a few weeks since I first watched My Foolish Heart, and for some odd reason I've really struggled trying to find the words to describe my feelings towards it. I elected to watch it first amongst 1949's batch of Best Actress contenders because I didn't think I'd like it and wanted to get it over with. My suspicion proved to be correct -- twas a severely dull film, an exercise to maintain engagement. So why then, has it been so tough to summarize how I felt about it?

I suppose the short answer is: there's nothing to summarize. Both My Foolish Heart and Susan Hayward are so incredibly dull and forgetful that it bears little else to be said. The storyline, a Hollywoodized handling of J.D. Salinger's Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut, is insanely conventional as it is uninspired, its points of drama too antiquated and contrived to bear any sort of impact on me. (Perhaps the issue here is that, even looking at a synopsis of Salinger's Uncle Wiggily, this is a story that's more meant for the stage than it is the cinema.)

In the film's opening scenes, we see a drunk, bitter Eloise, which brings to mind a watered down version of the Hayward's Angie Conway. Shortly after, as the film focuses on a college-aged Eloise, we're witness to a 31 year old Hayward play giddy and girly. And then, perhaps most crucially, we watch as Eloise falls for Dana Andrews' Walt; however, the chemistry between the two is lacking, and Mark Robson's direction of the film does little to stimulate the trajectory of this relationship. So essentially what we have is an hour and a half of Hayward playing along to a script that, at its seams, just doesn't really work. Hayward and the film aren't "horrible" -- but just supremely bland and middle-of-the-road. She has a heavy dramatic moment or two in the film's last act that are above average, but compare this to Smash-Up and you'll notice a stifled actress with much less fire to share. The fact of the matter is: there's too much mediocrity here, far too much for the performance to be anywhere near a "Best" shortlist.


9 comments:

  1. I expected this rating. I don't care too much for Susan Hayward in general - she definitely had talent but she often had a tendency to go for loud, over-the-top acting which becomes a bit tiresome after a while.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haven't seen too many Hayward films just yet - what's interesting though is that she's far from loud or OTT in this film, she's actually pretty subdued...but bland.

      Delete
  2. This was one of the hardest films to find for my Best Actress archive (took me years!). Now it's safely stored there, will never see it :P :)) doesn't seem as fun as Come to the Stable (not kidding; I like that for all the silly reasons). :P

    I haven't see any of Susan's nominated performance except for Smash-Up. I expect I'll Cry Tomorrow to be THE one..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whadya mean you'll never see it?! You'll see it when you eventually get the inspiration to start blogging where you left off. (I continue to hold on to that hope)

      Agreed, I'll Cry Tomorrow seems like something I'd really like.

      Delete
  3. I think Hayward has her moments as an actress, but this isn't one of them. When she 'came into her own' by Academy standards, it was in 'weepies' or what are now known as 'chick fliks'. Either category comes with a warning: lots of melodrama or cute comedy and exceedingly bland storylines. Hayward's nomination for this blah film signals two things: 1949 was not a stellar year for actresses and she was now an official Academy darling, receiving three nominations for so-so performances and two for roles that had merit in the span of eleven years. "My Foolish Heart" is pedestrian and I don't think there's anything in Hayward's performance that screams Oscar. The film's theme became a huge pop hit so maybe that made this seem more prominent than it was. I can't think of any other reason for Hayward's nomination.

    BTW, it's nice to have your voice back in the fray, Allen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a sparse year indeed, and I think her inclusion here is indicative of where she stood in the Academy's favors. Good point on the film's theme!

      And thanks Click5 - I'm hardly ever away though...always around, always watching films...

      Delete
  4. I think it is interesting you said Hayward is bland here because she has always struck me as an actress who made bold choices, even if it is too much at times.

    She was amazing in I'll Cry Tomorrow. Her oscar winning performance was pretty greay too, but I'll Cry Tomorrow is really one of my top female performances.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I'll Cry Tomorrow is the only one of her nominations that I'm actively excited to see!

      Delete
  5. She's good in "I Want to Live", too, which is also her best film.

    ReplyDelete