This movie isn't long so much as it is slow. But it's not flat-footed slow because the viewer is pulled along by the unfolding of events and characters. The movie pays off, especially at the end, so stick with it.
Perhaps modern movies are too fast. It's nice to watch a slow movie for a change, after so many hyper-paced movies. Like many old noir movies, there is lots of atmosphere, a sense of place and time, that is more interesting today, as that era fades from memory. The slow pace gives you time to savor it, and to observe the interactions.
Gradually, we get a sense of the true character of the leads as they are tested by circumstance. The results are not entirely predictable, right up to the end. The plot is fairly intricate, and integral with the characters, something we don't see enough of these days. While I wouldn't say there are any holes in the plot, there are one or two premises that seem a bit off, the biggest that the DA would be allowed to try a case he was a witness to. But perhaps rules were looser back then.
Speaking of the DA, this is Kirk Douglas' first film role, and he knocks it out of the park. Every performance is impeccable, including the secondary actors, Lizabeth Scott and Darryl Hickman. One of the characteristics of noir films is moral ambiguity. Here, it is difficult to figure out who the good guys and bad guys are, at least until the end. Their true characters unfold slowly.
This is a director's movie: much of the credit should go to director Lewis Milestone for making everything just right.
This is also a film connoisseur's movie, an undiscovered gem for someone who has seen "everything." Why it is so unknown is a puzzle. Perhaps it was the timing, just after the end of WWII, and being an especially dark noir, unlike, say, The Maltese Falcon, which was leavened by a surprising amount of wry humor. But I think the biggest reason is that it simply isn't a movie most people will want to watch several times: partly because it is too dark, and also because it is so dependent on the ending. The classic noir films can be savored many times over the years.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend film lovers see The Strange Love of Marth Ivers at least once.
Perhaps modern movies are too fast. It's nice to watch a slow movie for a change, after so many hyper-paced movies. Like many old noir movies, there is lots of atmosphere, a sense of place and time, that is more interesting today, as that era fades from memory. The slow pace gives you time to savor it, and to observe the interactions.
Gradually, we get a sense of the true character of the leads as they are tested by circumstance. The results are not entirely predictable, right up to the end. The plot is fairly intricate, and integral with the characters, something we don't see enough of these days. While I wouldn't say there are any holes in the plot, there are one or two premises that seem a bit off, the biggest that the DA would be allowed to try a case he was a witness to. But perhaps rules were looser back then.
Speaking of the DA, this is Kirk Douglas' first film role, and he knocks it out of the park. Every performance is impeccable, including the secondary actors, Lizabeth Scott and Darryl Hickman. One of the characteristics of noir films is moral ambiguity. Here, it is difficult to figure out who the good guys and bad guys are, at least until the end. Their true characters unfold slowly.
This is a director's movie: much of the credit should go to director Lewis Milestone for making everything just right.
This is also a film connoisseur's movie, an undiscovered gem for someone who has seen "everything." Why it is so unknown is a puzzle. Perhaps it was the timing, just after the end of WWII, and being an especially dark noir, unlike, say, The Maltese Falcon, which was leavened by a surprising amount of wry humor. But I think the biggest reason is that it simply isn't a movie most people will want to watch several times: partly because it is too dark, and also because it is so dependent on the ending. The classic noir films can be savored many times over the years.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend film lovers see The Strange Love of Marth Ivers at least once.