This ultra boring so-called "troubled teen" film is the nadir in the career of producer Val Lewton and director Mark Robson. So much potential is destroyed in this film that was taken out of it's producer's hands and reedited with apparently an altered script. I don't think that this was "Citizen Kane" or "The Magnificent Ambersons" in the first place, but a minor B without sparkle and point, and often nails down the chalkboard irritating, especially every time that Vanessa Brown appears, acting like a late teenaged Margaret O'Brien complete with preteen voice. She has two of the most abusive parents on screen ever, but that plot point is barely touched upon.
Some better from Val Lewton's other films (past and future) appear in this and suffer for the lack of atmosphere usually delightfully macabre in his films. Bonita Granville, Kent Smith and Jean Brooks get top billing, but the messy convoluted story (teens and young adults act up because of messed up parents even though they are basically nice) just makes the film impossible to follow. Poor sound recording also has a major effect, and after a while, it becomes hard to take. Add in a sudden documentary take on juvenile delinquency, and you end up with probably one of the worst films from a major studio made in the 1940's. Instantly forgettable!
Some better from Val Lewton's other films (past and future) appear in this and suffer for the lack of atmosphere usually delightfully macabre in his films. Bonita Granville, Kent Smith and Jean Brooks get top billing, but the messy convoluted story (teens and young adults act up because of messed up parents even though they are basically nice) just makes the film impossible to follow. Poor sound recording also has a major effect, and after a while, it becomes hard to take. Add in a sudden documentary take on juvenile delinquency, and you end up with probably one of the worst films from a major studio made in the 1940's. Instantly forgettable!