Sunday, January 22, 2006
FRAMED
Today, we saw Susan Hayward walk the last mile in
It is a strange selection for a Best 1176 Film selection because it seems so dated. On the other hand, in this period, it was the social issue film; a Dead Man Walking for its time.
It is based on the more or less true story of Barbara Graham; an amoral two bit criminal who gets in with the wrong people from the very beginning. She does time for perjury to save someone else. So she is a loser too.
Whatever her history she did not kill anyone but she got pretty much railroaded in a trial which painted her as a 'scarlet woman'. The other two defendants pinned the murder on her and would not recant. Deals were made all around.
The picture really has two parts. The first half has Hayward living her dissolute life and is done in noir style. It is very good to look at. Robert Wise puts a jazzy underworld look to the whole story accompanied by a band headed by Gerry Mulligan (we get to see him play in a club) with a score by Johnny Mandel.
The second half is all cold jail cell stuff up to and including a pretty convincing portrayal of what happens in a gas chamber. The minutes tick by as many tries for a reprieve or stay is attempted.
It was difficult to watch because it is dated in the way that Hollywood films at that time are now. Hayward has full eye makeup and the rest. Today, she would be Uma Thurman or someone plain with a sneer.
Some of it is overacted but Hayward got an Oscar so who can deny the performance's effectiveness.
I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.
