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The Night Walker
The thought must have been more or less this "I have Barbara Stanwyck
and Robert Taylor as protagonists and Robert Block as a writer,
therefore, I would save on the gimmicks". Well, of course we do not
really know how things have gone, what is certain is that our William
Castle, here renounces to his legendary promotional tricks to shock the
audience, thus removing that eccentricity that made him unique.
Oh God, it's not the only thing that the American director gives up,
because over time "give up" to tell an electrifying story, relying on
the presence of the aforementioned big names.
Sacred cinema monsters and actors in an usual elegant movie with
theatrical structure and the. Too much elegant. So much so that the
development is also affected by a central core used so many times that
it cannot generate anything surprising.
The usual corrosive Bosley Crowther from the columns of the "New York
Times" disapprove everything writing that the only goal of the
protagonist is to sleep well, that here are a series of infinite
absurdities and that if there were not Robert Taylor and Barbara
Stanwyck, it would make no sense to see this film.
A little exaggerated. Moreover, he is right. The presence of the two
actors, great stars of the time and above all ex-spouses is a great
attraction. Barbara Stanwyck is in those years one of the most
appreciated actors of Hollywood, with a career in the cinema (ended
with this work and continued in a very good way on television) and many
Oscar nominations that led however only to a career victory in 1982.
Here is Irene Trent, a role that originally had to be star by Joan
Crawford who had already worked with Castle in the previous
"Strait-Jacket", but that due to commitments has passed to her.
Co-starring is Robert Taylor another star of the time, to which are
added Judi Meredith, Hayden Rorke and Rochelle Hudson.
Irene (Barbara Stanwyck) is married to the jealous Howard (Hayden
Rorke), who in addition to being blind, constantly checks her by
recording every conversation. However, she is very loyal, even if she
is troubled by the daring family lawyer Barry (Robert Taylor). Her
husband dies in a mysterious fire but a new and equally mysterious
character upsets the life of a woman who believes she is crazy.
Vengeance? Consciousness? Presences from beyond?
As usual the mysteries, reality and nightmares are mixed, in a film not
too successful that gives us two pearls not to be missed: the prologue
and the horror marriage, with the mannequins (the marriage itself is
already a moment of terror, but here every fantasy is overcome).