The Postman Always Rings Twice (DVD)

Introduction
Having recently read the book, I was delighted to find that the film version was shown over the holidays; all the more so when discovering it was the version starring Lana Turner and John Garfield and not the later version starring Jack Nicholson - much as I love Nicholson, I have heard that the earlier version is better. The book, by James M Cain, is raw and powerful and I was interested to see how this would translate over into ...
...the film didn't quite match up to the excellence of the book. Still, this is a quality film and well worth seeing.

The director
William Taylor Garnett, better known as Tay Garnett, began screen-writing after serving in the First World War, eventually moving into directing. His most famous films were made in the 1940s, the best-known being The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949). ... more

Introduction
Having recently read the book, I was delighted to find that the film version was shown over the holidays; all the more so when discovering it was the version starring Lana Turner and John Garfield and not the later version starring Jack Nicholson - much as I love Nicholson, I have heard that the earlier version is better. The book, by James M Cain, is raw and powerful and I was interested to see how this would translate over into the film. The results are good, although as often happens, the film didn't quite match up to the excellence of the book. Still, this is a quality film and well worth seeing.

The director
William Taylor Garnett, better known as Tay Garnett, began screen-writing after serving in the First World War, eventually moving into directing. His most famous films were made in the 1940s, the best-known being The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949). He moved to England in the 1950s, where he made a few films, but ended up in television on his return to the US.

The characters/actors
The role as Cora Smith in this film brought Lana Turner to international attention and it was believed that a great career lay ahead of her. Yet, despite numerous films and eventually ending up in 'Falcon's Crest' in the 1980s, Lana Turner's career was beset by many problems, including seven marriages, the murder of one of her husbands by her daughter and alcoholism. She died in 1995. Her role as Cora, provided that she is not compared to closely to the book, is flawless. She portrays just the right amount of sulkiness, passion and sadness at her position in life, yet making the audience feel sympathy for her at the same time. Compared to the book, Turner plays the role well, although is not quite as sullen as she perhaps should have been.

John Garfield, real name Jacob Julius Garfinkle, played a variety of roles from the 1930s through to the early 1950s, when he died of heart problems at the young age of 39. He was linked to the Communist cause, although he swore before Congress that he had nothing to do with it, which affected his ability to get good roles. In the role of Frank Chambers, I think he is excellent, playing the slightly sinister, yet somehow likeable layabout that falls in love with Cora. The great passion described in the book is not there, but for the time, this is not surprising - the book was banned for too much eroticism when it was first published. Despite his murderous tendencies, my sympathy for the character grew throughout the film, as it did in the book, which can only be the sign of a great performance.

The other role worth mentioning is Nick Smith (Papadakis in the book), played by Cecil Kellaway, Nick is Cora's husband and rescued her from a life of poverty. He is older than Cora, but is kind and caring, treating Frank as part of the family, yet not realising that he is having an affair with his wife. I should have felt annoyed with him for not realising what was going on under his own nose, but Kellaway's performance was such that he came over as being a genuinely kind, trusting person. Very well-acted.

The plot
Frank, a layabout and drifter, hitches a lift to near the café that Nick and Cora run. Nick is looking for someone to help out in the café and so takes Frank on. Frank doesn't expect to stay long…until he sees Cora for the first time. He is instantly attracted to her and eventually, his attentions are returned by Cora, who is bored and wants something more out of life than she has. They run away together, but Cora has a change of heart and returns to her husband. They plan Nick's murder, which fails, narrowly escaping being charged for Nick's accident.

Frank leaves, but cannot stay away from Cora. While hoping to bump into her in the nearby town, he meets Nick, who invites him back to the café and tells him of his plans to sell the café and take Cora to Canada to look after his wheelchair-bound sister. This time, Frank and Cora know that they must get rid of Nick if they are to have a future and so make plans to kill him. This time they succeed, but will they get away with it or will the previous attempt make the prosecutors suspicious? And will the couple's love for one another be strong enough to prevent them from going behind each other's backs?

Conclusion
It is always easy to be critical about a film when you've read the book first. For once, this is a very good film version of a superb book. The plot sticks very closely to the book, which makes a nice change, with only some fairly minor and understandable changes made. One of the main changes made is to the sexual nature of Cora and Frank's relationship, which I think had it been portrayed well, would have made this an even better film, but as mentioned before, it is understandable why this was done. On the whole, the lustful and raw nature of the book is exceptionally well-portrayed in the film. If the book is taken out of the equation all together, then I would have nothing but praise for the film - the acting is superb and it would be hard to beat the plot. The ending is also strong, surprising and yet satisfactory.

The film is, of course, in black and white, which some may not like. I personally felt that it added to the brooding atmosphere of the film.

I watched the film version, but the DVD is available on Amazon for just £5.97 - there is a 70% discount at the moment. Fabulous value for such a classic film.
 

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