I watched this film again last night and can't count how many times I've seen it.
What I find fascinating is the that two leads, Nancy Kelly and Patty McCormick don't seem to fit with the talent of the rest of the cast, most of whom are very good character actors.
McCormick plays the role of Rhoda as if she's in the stage play, but on film it comes off as over-acting.
Nancy Kelly is too whiny and seems to swing back and forth between being terrified and oblivious, with no middle range. One minute she thinks her daughter is a murderer and then next she's leaving her alone to go grocery shopping if there's nothing wrong. If she's trying to convey denial due to the love she has for her daughter, it doesn't work.
There are a couple of scenes that don't seem to accomplish anything as they end with someone having to go to dinner or lunch so everyone can just ignore the fact that they believe this child to be terribly disturbed and possibly worse. In this instance maybe we should consider the times in which the film was made.
Something just doesn't flow right for me, yet, I watch this movie almost every time I catch it on television. I can't explain why, but maybe that was the intention of the film maker.
What I find fascinating is the that two leads, Nancy Kelly and Patty McCormick don't seem to fit with the talent of the rest of the cast, most of whom are very good character actors.
McCormick plays the role of Rhoda as if she's in the stage play, but on film it comes off as over-acting.
Nancy Kelly is too whiny and seems to swing back and forth between being terrified and oblivious, with no middle range. One minute she thinks her daughter is a murderer and then next she's leaving her alone to go grocery shopping if there's nothing wrong. If she's trying to convey denial due to the love she has for her daughter, it doesn't work.
There are a couple of scenes that don't seem to accomplish anything as they end with someone having to go to dinner or lunch so everyone can just ignore the fact that they believe this child to be terribly disturbed and possibly worse. In this instance maybe we should consider the times in which the film was made.
Something just doesn't flow right for me, yet, I watch this movie almost every time I catch it on television. I can't explain why, but maybe that was the intention of the film maker.