THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS

I wasn't previously aware of this 1946 film, but upon reading that it was a film noir with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and that it starred Barbara Stanwyck, one of my favourite actors of the period, I felt I must watch it.

Unfortunately it proved to be further evidence that a 100% rating is quite meaningless.

My first problem with it is the persistent and loud presence of a forgettable and overly  melodramatic score which at times made the film well nigh unwatchable.

Then there is the inordinate amount of screentime devoted to one of the two couples in this story, Sam (played by Van Heflin) and Toni (Lizabeth Scott), both actors not overly blessed with much personality.  The latter in particular comes across as Lauren Bacall-lite.  The fact that she and the producer Hal B. Wallis may have been in a relationship at the time may be relevant.

The other couple, Martha and Walter Ivers, played by Stanwyck and Kirk Douglas (making his screen debut) is far more interesting.  

In an extended prologue we see a young Martha kill her aunt, witnessed by Walter the son of Martha's tutor, Mr O'Neil.  The latter is also in the house at the time and is happy to support Martha's story that an intruder killed her aunt, since he can now control Martha who will inherit her aunt's fortune and business interests.

Fast forward seventeen years to the present and Martha and Walter are in an unhappy marriage, presumably arranged by Mr O'Neil (now deceased), in which she is the dominant partner.  Douglas acquits himself well in what is an unusual role for him, that of someone with a weak personality (and who also has a drink problem).    

Sam by comparison is an uncomplicated soul who has recently returned to his hometown where he and Martha were childhood friends.  When he comes back into Martha's life, complications ensue because she might be in love with him (or with what he represents to her), and because he might know her dark secret and therefore might (or so she and Walter think) be wanting to blackmail her.  

It's all a bit messy and confused, but does lead to a tense and dramatic conclusion, in which Walter shoots Martha dead, and then himself.

This tragic ending in itself does not make this a film noir; in fact what we have here is a somewhat overwrought melodrama.  It's not helped by the lack of visual flair from the director Lewis Milestone.

During the film we learn that at some point (I was a little confused as to when) an innocent man was executed for the murder of Martha's aunt and that Walter might have been the prosecutor.  The film might have been improved by focussing more on this aspect of the story, and on Mr O'Neil, and ditching Toni altogether.  

Barbara Stanwyck does what she can with the material.  Two years previously she had starred in the finest of film noirs 'Double Indemnity' in which her doomed lover is also named Walter.  So every time here she says 'Walter' I was reminded of the earlier film, which of course does this farrago no favours at all.