The Woman on the Beach (1947)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Jean Renoir

Writers:

Frank Davis (screenplay) and
Jean Renoir (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 June 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Romance

Tagline:

Go ahead and say it...I'm no good!

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Intrigue | Based On Novel

Cast

Joan Bennett	...	Peggy
Robert Ryan	...	Scott
Charles Bickford	...	Tod
Nan Leslie	...	Eve
Walter Sande	...	Otto Wernecke
Irene Ryan	...	Mrs. Wernecke
Glen Vernon	...	Kirk (as Glenn Vernon)
Frank Darien	...	Lars
Jay Norris	...	Jimmy

Also Known As:

Desirable Woman (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (1971) | Finland:K-16 (1948) | Iceland:L | USA:Approved (PCA #11450, Adult Audience)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Quotes:

Scott: Well, let's face it, I'm not well!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007)

Underrated Gem

Woman on the Beach, The (1947)

*** (out of 4)

This film features a very interesting story and there are a lot of great moments but at the same time there's a lot of silly and over the top moments and all of the blame has to go towards director Renoir. There's a very good love triangle going on here with a very well done mystery but for some reason Renoir lets the film slip into several over the top moments, which get a few laughs, which certainly wasn't the intent. One problem are the performances by Bennett and Ryan. Both fit their roles very nicely but each have scenes where their characters go so over the top that you've gotta wonder if Renoir was even watching what they were doing. There's also a scene near the end where it seems like Bennett was calling the shots on her own and doesn't know how to act in the scene, which turns out being rather confusing on her characters part. Bickford on the other hand delivers a very fierce and strong performance as the blind man with a temper. He clearly steals the show and acts circles around the other two leads. The film runs 71-minutes and goes by very fast and includes a couple very suspenseful scenes including one where the man wants to know if the husband is really blind and makes him walk on the edge of a cliff. Overall, the film kept me entertained but it's a shame this didn't turn out to be a masterpiece because all the pieces are there but just don't gel as well as they should.