High class corporate intrigue/soap opera with an outstanding cast. Wise once again proves his dexterity with most any genre by steering this somewhat stagy drama smoothly over the hurdles.
He's aided by a great cast that could have only been pulled together by one of the top studios during its peak years. As the main couple William Holden and June Allyson are surprisingly simpatico as the idealistic young husband and wife whose happy home life and future are suddenly jeopardized by an unexpected turn of events. His intense, reactionary temperament and her sunny, somewhat quivery rectitude on the surface would seem an odd fit but instead they come across as a long married couple whose differences only strengthen their union.
As far as the other men go, Fredric March and Louis Calhern are interesting contrasts as two kinds of opportunist. March a resolute, basically principled bean counter who allows his ambition to compromise his integrity and Calhern a profligate heel who miscalculates at the wrong moment. Walter Pidgeon's character doesn't get to do much but be exasperated at different people and on the phone, he's more of a plot device to move the story forward. To a lesser extent the same is true of Paul Douglas' harassed salesman but he does get a couple of chances to flesh out his character in his interactions with Shelley Winters.
Considering this is a 50's boardroom narrative it's nice to see several decent women roles included besides June's. Barbara Stanwyck as befits her star status gets the juiciest role, even if it is limited in actual screen time. At first her big emotional outburst seems overdone until you realize it's decades of frustration and pain she's pouring out, the rest of the time she cool and classy. Shelley Winters' secretary has a vulnerability not common in her work but she plays it well. That leaves Nina Foch, an excellent actress and she's fine as the dutiful executive secretary but she was Oscar nominated for this and that's a puzzler. Of all the parts in the picture hers is the lest fleshed out. She's a steadying force but nothing else, we learn nothing of her and she doesn't make much of an impact on the flow of the film.
Similar in structure to Patterns, The Power and the Prize and the much glossier Women's World if you like films about power struggles and the backstage machinations involved with them you're sure to find this enjoyable.
He's aided by a great cast that could have only been pulled together by one of the top studios during its peak years. As the main couple William Holden and June Allyson are surprisingly simpatico as the idealistic young husband and wife whose happy home life and future are suddenly jeopardized by an unexpected turn of events. His intense, reactionary temperament and her sunny, somewhat quivery rectitude on the surface would seem an odd fit but instead they come across as a long married couple whose differences only strengthen their union.
As far as the other men go, Fredric March and Louis Calhern are interesting contrasts as two kinds of opportunist. March a resolute, basically principled bean counter who allows his ambition to compromise his integrity and Calhern a profligate heel who miscalculates at the wrong moment. Walter Pidgeon's character doesn't get to do much but be exasperated at different people and on the phone, he's more of a plot device to move the story forward. To a lesser extent the same is true of Paul Douglas' harassed salesman but he does get a couple of chances to flesh out his character in his interactions with Shelley Winters.
Considering this is a 50's boardroom narrative it's nice to see several decent women roles included besides June's. Barbara Stanwyck as befits her star status gets the juiciest role, even if it is limited in actual screen time. At first her big emotional outburst seems overdone until you realize it's decades of frustration and pain she's pouring out, the rest of the time she cool and classy. Shelley Winters' secretary has a vulnerability not common in her work but she plays it well. That leaves Nina Foch, an excellent actress and she's fine as the dutiful executive secretary but she was Oscar nominated for this and that's a puzzler. Of all the parts in the picture hers is the lest fleshed out. She's a steadying force but nothing else, we learn nothing of her and she doesn't make much of an impact on the flow of the film.
Similar in structure to Patterns, The Power and the Prize and the much glossier Women's World if you like films about power struggles and the backstage machinations involved with them you're sure to find this enjoyable.