Crime of Passion (1957)

Director:

Gerd Oswald

Writers:

Jo Eisinger (screenplay)
Jo Eisinger (story)

Release Date:

9 January 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Plot:

Kathy is a smart and tough 1950's advice columnist at a San Francisco newspaper, with her name plastered on billboards all over the city...

Plot Keywords:

Career | Ambition | Detective | Murder | Columnist

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Kathy Ferguson Doyle
Sterling Hayden	...	Police Lt. Bill Doyle
Raymond Burr	...	Police Inspector Anthony (Tony) Pope
Fay Wray	...	Alice Pope
Virginia Grey	...	Sara Alidos
Royal Dano	...	Police Capt. Charlie Alidos
Robert Griffin	...	Police Sgt. James
Dennis Cross	...	Police Sgt. Jules
Jay Adler	...	Mr. Nalence
Stuart Whitman	...	Laboratory Technician
Malcolm Atterbury	...	Police Officer Spitz
Robert Quarry	...	Sam, Reporter
Gail Bonney	...	Mrs. London
Joe Conley	...	Delivery Boy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patricia Merlin	...	Taxi Driver

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG

Company:

Robert Goldstein Productions

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Kathy runs her car into a pole she steps in front of the car to inspect the damage. The right front fender that bore the brunt of the impact shows it is still firmly attached. However any trace of the headlight including the hole where it would mount is missing.

Quotes:

Kathy Ferguson Doyle: I hope all your socks have holes in them and I can sit for hours and hours darning them.

Great!

From a sociological point of view, CRIME OF PASSION has much to offer. It is a rare instance of a film told from a very liberal (especially by 1950s standards) standpoint from this era of "I Love Lucy" doting housewives and such. Most young people today think all wives of the 1950s stood around wearing aprons and catering to their husbands. This film shows a marked contrast between what is perceived to be 1950s typical domestic life, and the quiet desperation which it may have actually hid, and how some women rebelled against the conventions of the time.

This film shockingly shows what happens to an independent woman when she is suffocated by the conventions of her time, in this case the late 1950s, when women were supposed to stay home and cook dinner for their husbands. In fact, there is a fascinating line early in the film when a police officer says just that! The film has a very clear thesis, and builds up adequately to move the viewer. Top notch in this film is the powerful performance of Barbara Stanwyck, still at her peak at this late date. The supporting cast leaves a lot to be desired (Sterling Hayden is awful, as always), the direction is merely average, and everything else is straight out of B-movie territory. That said, it is a fascinating early glimpse of feminism. It should be taught in all sociology classes.