Paula (1952) User Reviews

Schmaltzy but amazingly good!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 13 June 2015]

"Paula" is NOT a film for the cynical. After all, unless you are willing to see a schmaltzy film that will tug at your heart, the film probably won't be your sort of thing. However, if you do see it, be prepared--having a box of Kleenex handy wouldn't be a bad idea!

Loretta Young plays a woman who is struggling with her own infertility. While her life is otherwise great, she clearly misses not having a child of her own. How she gets one is the very strange twist in this story!

One night as she's driving, a child darts out and she accidentally hits him. In a panic, she drives away after she sees that the child is going to get medical help. Her conscience, however, cannot handle this-- she feels very guilty about the accident. So, she decides to volunteer at the hospital to see what she can learn about the boy. It turns out that he will survive but the injury left him brain damaged. While he looks pretty normal, he cannot speak and must re-learn this. But he's an orphan and it costs a lot of money to have a full-time teacher--and Young's character volunteers to take the boy into her home and teach him. But what if the boy or anyone figure out who she is and why she's doing all this?

This is a terrific family film. I loved the very original story as well as the performances by Young and Tommy Rettig (as the boy, David). A heart-warming yet exciting and well made movie--one of Young's best.

Loretta Young develops guilt complex after hit-and-run accident...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 7 January 2011]

If the script for PAULA hadn't become so maudlin in certain crying scenes, this might have emerged as more than a melodramatic soap opera.

LORETTA YOUNG is quietly competent in the leading role of a woman who develops a noble cause after a serious auto accident leaves TOMMY RETTIG unable to talk. This noble gesture of acting as his therapist and taking him under her wings is the sort of role that even Greer Garson might have had trouble making believable. But Miss Young does her best with an overly dramatic role as a long-suffering wife who cannot bear children of her own.

And others in the cast are quietly effective too, including KENT SMITH as the husband who learns that his new job means he has to avoid all scandal and Alexander KNOX as Paula's doctor friend who gives her the emotional support she needs.

It's an interesting premise, inspired somewhat by another film of this type--THE MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION about a man with a similar guilt complex after an accident.

But there is no real depth to the screenplay which seems more suitable for a one hour TV drama, the kind done so often in the '50s. The acting is better than the script deserves, especially by Miss Young who is coolly efficient in manner but gives the film some real warmth.

Paula-Speak Up Loretta-Morally Correct to Do ***

[edwagreen · 7/10 · 29 August 2007]

Loretta Young loses her baby and is told in the hospital that she will never be able to have children. Dr. Alexander Knox, who was so brilliant in "Wilson" tells her this. She is married to college dean Kent Smith. The latter never had much sex appeal or appeal of a leading man in any of his pictures.

While driving to join Smith at a pre-promotional party for him, Young accidentally hits 7 year old Tommy Rettig of "Lassie" fame. Rettig, with those sad eyes of his, evoked a lot of emotion here as he is unable to recover from the accident.

Not admitting to the police that she did this, Young instead volunteers at the hospital and takes in the boy and suddenly becomes a speech pathologist. She is guided by Knox who suddenly is an expert in this field anyway.

Young and Rettig pull out emotional stops in this film. You may want to question the criminal justice system in the nonetheless happy ending.

Atoning for what was beyond her control.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 2 February 2016]

In one of her last and most intense dramatic roles, Loretta Young plays a despondent woman, suffering from a miscarriage who finds torment both in that and the sudden accident which caused a young boy to suffer a brain injury. Having indirectly caused the accident, Young decided to take in the ironically orphaned boy and strives to help him regain his speech. But when the little boy (an excellent Tommy Rettig) realizes that it was Young who caused him to become injured, Young must find a way to keep the truth from coming out. Is her motive to further help him or to keep him quiet?

Filled with dramatic moments of intensity and some fabulous character performances, it also has its share of cringe-worthy spots as well. Some are downright uncomfortable, both out of sad truths of humanity as well as one or two out of unnecessary melodrama. Will Wright is hateful but excellent as a seemingly woman hating ranch owner who witnessed the accident and irrationally accused her of being drunk and running out on the accident so he could get his picture in the paper as a hero. When he shows up again on the premise of wanting to thank the woman who took poor Rettig in, you may want to reach through the screen and strangle him, but there is no doubt that Wright is truthful in his portrayal no matter how despicable and self serving he is.

As the husband at first distressed by Young wanting to adopt "a freak", Kent Smith quickly warms up and has a bit of high comedy when he has to give the mute but still pranksterish Rettig a bath. Alexander Knox is a wise and kindly confidante as Young's doctor. She is very good, although one scene she seems like she is gloating over Rettig's illness to his face. Kathryn Card, Lucy Ricardo's T.V. mother, is amusing in a walk-on as a hospital volunteer.

Quite different in its storytelling, this is mostly plausible even if a few moments had me rolling my eyes. A sad moment has Rettig trying to join a pack of playing kids, but they turn to harass him when they realize that he us mute. All of the great actors say on interviews that a good audience can see when you are telling the truth and when you are lying. Fortunately, there's more truth here so the lying moments soon fade from memory. The ending of the film will have to be an individual choice for satisfaction, and for me, it seemed a bit rushed even if I ultimately accepted the conclusion.

The movie poster is an imposter!

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 18 March 2021]

Loretta Young is in the title role as the wife of a college dean who, after several miscarriages, learns she will never have children. On her way to a formal event, she accidently hits a little boy (Tommy Retting) on a dark road, and before she can find out if he's okay, a nasty local yokel (Will Wright) shows up, calls her a reckless woman driver and whisks the kid away. Wright likes the spotlight as 'the guy who saved the orphan', , telling reporters the driver was a drunk society woman, and describing her car. Young is torn between her worry about the boy and concern that any breath of 'scandal' can hurt her hubbie's career.

She volunteers at the hospital, and arranges with her doctor (Alexander Knox) to help him learn to speak again and she devotes herself to him. She and her husband decide to adopt the boy, and one night Young is dressed for a dinner out..and wearing the same distinctive necklace as the night of the accident. Little Retting recognizes it..and knows she's the one who hit him. He tries to tell others, but his speech is still limited..and Young knows he knows. What does she do? Confess? Knox knows too, but is aware that Young really loves the boy, and returning him to an orphanage would be a mistake. Knox's MD character is a bit confusing in the film..he's a friend/obgyn/pseudo psychologist/speech therapist...hmmm.

There's a little twist when Wright shows up at Young's home, ranting about the boy, but a heart warming ending. Young is fine in her role, Kent Smith as her husband is pretty dull. I put this a step above the 'woman's pictures' of the time because there is some suspense involved...at one point, Young says to the boy 'you can't tell anyone because you can't talk' in a cool, almost menacing tone...to scare him or to prod him to try harder? Or both? Not bad at all...

For a lack of truth in advertising, take a look at the movie poster. It's got a picture of Young in a skimpy low cut dress and says "If you were Paula would you have stopped?" Ahem. I think quite a few men who bought tickets were probably disappointed that this turned out to be a "motherhood is good film".

Good Drama

[Michael_Elliott · 28 February 2008]

Paula (1952)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Interesting but too overly dramatic film about a wife (Loretta Young) who suffers her second miscarriage and is about to give up on life when another tragedy strikes. While speeding to a meeting, she runs over a seven year old boy who becomes deaf to the wreck. Another man takes the boy to the hospital so the police don't know who hit him but the woman feels so guilty that she adopts the boy so that she can try and teach him to speak again. However, the police are still on the hunt for who hit the boy and the boy eventually remembers who it was. This film could have been a lot better had they toned down the crying moments. By crying moments I mean that this is one of those films that tries to make you cry every five minutes, which becomes quite annoying after a while. The scene where Young learns she lost her second baby is heartbreaking but other moments don't come off as good. Young is very good in her role, which requires her to be a snob, a heartbroken mother and a woman trying to do what's right with both the child and the law. Kent Smith is also very good as her husband who at first doesn't want to take in a mute child. The film loses some steam in the final act as things turn very stupid during one scene where the man who drove the kid to the hospital shows up at Young's house and starts a fight. The ending is predictable but touching.

A slight but far-reaching blunder.

[daviuquintultimate · 6/10 · 9 August 2023]

One night, Paula Rogers, with her car, accidently runs over little David, a 7-years old boy running away from the orphanage. The last thing David sees before fainting is the fancy necklace of Paula, who, after stopping her car, is leaning over him to get him first aid.

David, because of the accident, loses the power of speach, and he needs proper rehabilitation in order to speak again. Due to a series of circumstances, Paula doesn't tell the police, but is designated to be the speaking and spelling teacher for little David, whom she and her husband John guest in their house and intend to adopt.

All goes well for some times, but one day David sees again Paula wearing the fancy necklace of the night of the accident, recognizes her (so the film makes us believe) as his hit and run driver, and begins to hate her.

But, wait a minute: David hasn't seen (so the film showed us) the face of the driver who run over him, but only the face (and the necklace) of the first woman who came to his rescue. So it is simply not possible that he recognizes her. A little but important blunder, that casts a heavy weight upon a movie which - apart from that - is quite likeable (and I won't tell you how it develops).

It 's a long long time before the dawn.

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 24 May 2022]

Loretta Young was seldom prettier than in this melodrama:her beaming face illuminates the whole movie.

There are implausibilities : after the heroine lost her infant during childbirth and was told she would not be able to bear children anymore , her husband suggests they adopt one ; and ,by chance, the injured child is an orphan but it is the name of the game of the genre ;besides ,the truck driver's interventions get in the way and his last visit is only a trick to end the movie .One could have done without it. The "thriller" side pales into insignificance next to Paula/boy's relationship.

The plot recalls "magnificent obsession" (although Douglas Sirk's movie (1953) is more famous, Stahl 's first version was made in 1935) : a character ,consumed with remorse ,who causes an accident and wants to undo the harm he has done .And there are more "coincidences "in "magnificent obsession" than in "Paula" .

The boy has lost his speech in the accident : "he may recover it ,says the doctor (Knox),but it will take a long long time,and he'll need a teacher .So Paula will become a new Annie Sullivan for her Helen Keller .Or GI Montgomery Clift for the little boy in Zinnemann 's "the search" (1948). The keynote is communication ,and the very last word goes straight to the viewer's heart. Recovering speech means forgiving the would be hit and run ,and vice versa.

Overly Sentimental, but Captivating Drama

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 28 August 2007]

Loretta Young stars as the wife of University professor Kent Smith. Life seems wonderful; however Ms. Young is told, after a second miscarriage, she can never have children. Later, she is speeding home, after some event, and hits a child with her car. A truck driver (also on the road) takes the boy, and leaves the desperate woman wondering what injuries she's caused.

"Paula" begins as a seemingly routine Loretta Young drama, but keep your eye on the picture for a grabber. The story becomes very interesting as circumstances make Young a dramatic hit-and-run driver. The story builds suspense in several ways -- beginning as Young searches for the boy she hit, while the police search for Young.

Although it's a great story, the script becomes more and more sentimental -- by the end, it's so maudlin you'll want to scream (if you're not crying). Tommy Rettig is notable as the boy; in fact, he is Young's co-star. Mr. Rettig also played one of Lassie's famous owners (Jeff). Young and Rettig do well, but they would be even better after a realistic script re-write. The film has some unexpected depth, and raises some interesting crime/punishment questions; perhaps, its flaws could be addressed in a modern re-make.

***** Paula (1952) Rudolph Maté ~ Loretta Young, Tommy Rettig, Kent Smith