Classic Movie Mondays!~ Sudden Fear

 Joan Crawford is one of my all-time favorite actresses. She is as dramatic as a woman can be in her movies, and I love it!

In Sudden Fear Crawford plays, Myra Hudson, a wealthy playwright who falls in love with the wrong man. 

Myra meets her future husband, Lester Blaine (played by Jack Palance), when he is cast as the leading man in one of her new plays. She doesn't think he's right for the role and is fired from the production. However, the play ends up being a hit!

Before leaving, he does have a few choice words for her, but nothing hateful. Lester and Myra later meet up while traveling by train, and the two fall in love. Watching the scenes of the two on the train together, you might suspect Lester to be anything but genuine, but you'd be wrong. 

Myra marries Lester, and everything seems fine until his ex-girlfriend Irene shows up. It's only then that viewers realize how deceitful Lester truly is.

The movie takes a terrifying turn when Myra unknowingly leaves the recording machine on in her study. When she plays back her recording from the following evening, she hears Lester and Irene discussing her murder.

Myra is frightened but remains calm and devises a plan for revenge against the two. Although the plan doesn't go as expected, I believe it ultimately benefits Myra.

I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it. There's so much more to it than what I've written. I've watched it multiple times, but the suspense is best experienced the first time.

My take on it is this. Lester wanted revenge on Myra because she had him fired, so he set out to marry her and take everything she had. 

I love how suspenseful this movie is. Old movies have the best camera angles and music to thrill the audience. Joan Crawford's facial expressions and dramatic acting are at their finest!

New movies lack those amazing camera angles!

They also lack the music that builds suspense.

The classic actresses such as Crawford, Davis, Fontaine, and Stanwyck were masters at conveying suspense, fear, or sadness through their facial expressions. You rarely see that level of dramatic acting in movies nowadays, and that's why I love classic films.

The director, David Miller, did an excellent job. I'd say this film is comparable to one directed by Alfred Hitchcock. 

The frantic vibes you get from the characters along with the music keep you at the edge of your seat.

Sudden Fear is an exceptional film if you enjoy suspense/thrillers. And the ending, in my opinion, was the perfect outcome for Myra! 

Happy Reading!