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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Sudden Fear is one of those noir gems about a love-hate relationship between a husband and wife that's doomed from the very beginning. Jack Palance plays an ambitious actor rebuffed by playwright and heiress Joan Crawford. He later romances and marries her before falling under the dark spell of ex-girlfriend Gloria Grahame. When Palance and Grahame plot to get her fortune, the evil scheme backfires with ironically twisted results. Palance has no idea how much his wife truly loves him, and she has no idea how sinister he truly is. It's a fascinating if contrived film, with wonderful nuances and sensitive performances by the three leads. --Bill Desowitz
Product Description
Joan Crawford turns in one of the most emotionally charged performances of her career as a playwright who must use her plotting skills to save her own life, in this beautifully crafted film noir thriller. Nominated for four Academy Awards, Sudden Fear is an unbeatable combination of lush melodrama and drop-dead suspense.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
64 of 71 people found the following review helpful
By JGC
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This movie is one of Joan's best films. She made it in the 50's during a slow time in her career after "Mildred Pierce". This was sort of Joan's come-back picture of the 50's. And boy did Joan know how to come back with a vengeance!
Joan plays Myra Hudson (I wonder if she's related to Blanche Hudson?) a successful (and rich) playwright. Myra is re-introduced (she recently fired Lester as lead-actor from her previous Broadway play) to Lester Blaine (played by the very handsome Jack Palance) on a train trip back to her home, from NY.
Myra and Jack soon fall in love and quickly marry. Their marriage seems perfect. Joan's character is an older, successful, beautiful, and highly intelligent women. And Lester wasn't at all intimidated Myra's successes.
...In fact Lester welcomes her success and her money. He soon meets up with his former flame, Irene Neves (played by Gloria Grahame). Irene and Lester plot to murder Myra so they can run away with all of her money.
Myra inadvertently learns of their deceitful plot and thus the title "Sudden Fear" is born! It's now a race against time to see if Myra can sidestep the murder plot.
Joan is absolutely devastatingly beautiful in this picture, and she had such a graceful and elegant presence that always took center stage in this picture. This movie is a must-see for any Joan Crawford fan. I have seen all of her movies and this is right up there with the very best films she made during the 30's & 40's.
Joan plays Myra Hudson (I wonder if she's related to Blanche Hudson?) a successful (and rich) playwright. Myra is re-introduced (she recently fired Lester as lead-actor from her previous Broadway play) to Lester Blaine (played by the very handsome Jack Palance) on a train trip back to her home, from NY.
Myra and Jack soon fall in love and quickly marry. Their marriage seems perfect. Joan's character is an older, successful, beautiful, and highly intelligent women. And Lester wasn't at all intimidated Myra's successes.
...In fact Lester welcomes her success and her money. He soon meets up with his former flame, Irene Neves (played by Gloria Grahame). Irene and Lester plot to murder Myra so they can run away with all of her money.
Myra inadvertently learns of their deceitful plot and thus the title "Sudden Fear" is born! It's now a race against time to see if Myra can sidestep the murder plot.
Joan is absolutely devastatingly beautiful in this picture, and she had such a graceful and elegant presence that always took center stage in this picture. This movie is a must-see for any Joan Crawford fan. I have seen all of her movies and this is right up there with the very best films she made during the 30's & 40's.
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By D. James
Format:DVD
This flawless piece of 1950's film noir is only undone by how badly it has been transposed onto DVD. Such a treasure should have been fully restored and digitally transferred yet it seems to have been hurriedly recorded directly from the grainy VHS original and the result is a fine film that just doesn't look right.
That said if you're a lover of great film noir, a fan of Joan Crawford or simply nostalgia itself don't miss the chance to see and own this gem of a movie. Joan was one hard-working and dedicated performer who never 'slummed it' as she used to put it. Forget about all that Mommie Dearest drivel and enjoy the greatest female star of all time's finest hour!
That said if you're a lover of great film noir, a fan of Joan Crawford or simply nostalgia itself don't miss the chance to see and own this gem of a movie. Joan was one hard-working and dedicated performer who never 'slummed it' as she used to put it. Forget about all that Mommie Dearest drivel and enjoy the greatest female star of all time's finest hour!
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By M. Schreuder
Format:DVD
The movie is a masterpiece of noir with performances that are superb. However, the grainy gooey VHS-like picture quality can only be attributed to a very poor and shoddy transfer by KINO.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Talk about a thriller! Joan's acting is sublime
What a fantastic thriller. This is the kind of plot I adore; the rich woman who finds love in middle age with a handsome lothario, only to come upon something terrifying in her... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Bernadette
3.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, Joan comes out of the closet.
Actually, it is one of two best scenes in the movie. A wind up toy and an unwitting Jack Palance putting the toy on the floor as Crawford nearly faints in the closet. Read more
Published 20 days ago by Ben
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Joan Crawford Film !
Sudden Fear shows why Joan Crawford was a Star ! One of her best 1950's films, it shows the absolute terror her character feels when she finds out her husband is trying to kill... Read more
Published 1 month ago by K. Nolting
5.0 out of 5 stars
This film made me a Joan Crawford fan
Joan Crawford was an actress a generation before mine, and I knew little about her except for some 1960s films like "I Saw What You Did", or the abysmal "Trog". Read more
Published 3 months ago by Midwest Reviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark suspense thriller
For a description of the plot, etc., read other reviews. Just some thoughts on this classic...
Sudden Fear (1952) is Joan Crawford at her best. Read more
Sudden Fear (1952) is Joan Crawford at her best. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Joker
2.0 out of 5 stars
Frustrated in my search
Disappointed in the viewer comment on poor quality transfer from VHS to DVD which has discouraged me from completing my contemplated purchase of the DVD. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Ernest B. Gutierrez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wretched DVD Transfer
The picture on this DVD was actually ok. But the sound was absolutely wretched. We had to turn the sound up almost all the way to even hear the dialogue -- and even then it was... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Don Elarton
4.0 out of 5 stars
5 Star Film, inferior DVD
Stars that I always enjoy watching, Joan Crawford, Gloria Grahame...flawless. I could watch this film every week. Love the location shots. Read more
Published 19 months ago by F. Kaplan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Too bad
I was put off buying this copy - I saw it originally and loved it - because of the reviews saying the film is not well copied to DVD. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mrs. Readall
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real Fear
Joan Crawford creates a portrait of fear that will have you on the edge of your seat. We expect a winning performance from her but we also get Jack Palance in a stellar turn as... Read more
Published on April 30, 2011 by Denia
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