Joseph Cotten takes the lead in this genre-less film that takes place during the mid-1800s and is set in New York. Joe is a poor poet who frequents Jim Backus's bar far more often than he should, and when Leslie Caron blinks her doe eyes at him, he gets involved in a deadly mystery to help her. Leslie is on a mission to get some money from her boyfriend's grandfather, Louis Calhern. Louis is dead-set against his grandson, but he's taken with the French cutie pie so he agrees to hear her out. While staying in his house, however, Leslie gets the feeling his servants are trying to kill him, so she asks Joe to help her out.
Frank Fenton's screenplay is witty and smart, so even though this is a drama, there are several times when you'll laugh at Jo's drunken quips. As fun as it is to see Leslie Caron in her second film, she's still pretty green and doesn't really bring as much stage presence to the screen as her costars. But, with Barbara Stanwyck, Joseph Cotten, and Louis Calhern as her supporting players, they're able to buoy the movie up and make it enjoyable. Parts of this movie are suspenseful, parts are romantic, parts are funny, so there's a lot to keep your attention when you sit down during the afternoon to watch it. You might groan a bit at the far-fetched ending, but overall, it's pretty good.
Frank Fenton's screenplay is witty and smart, so even though this is a drama, there are several times when you'll laugh at Jo's drunken quips. As fun as it is to see Leslie Caron in her second film, she's still pretty green and doesn't really bring as much stage presence to the screen as her costars. But, with Barbara Stanwyck, Joseph Cotten, and Louis Calhern as her supporting players, they're able to buoy the movie up and make it enjoyable. Parts of this movie are suspenseful, parts are romantic, parts are funny, so there's a lot to keep your attention when you sit down during the afternoon to watch it. You might groan a bit at the far-fetched ending, but overall, it's pretty good.