Daisy Kenyon

"Fairly recently, Otto Preminger's Daisy Kenyon has been starting to get some of the acclaim and attention it deserves." - Dan Callahan

I thought the three main characters went around in circles, with no idea as to what they really want, a bit too much.

Solid romance drama -there are some melodramatic moments but it mainly focuses on the complex nature of feelings in its 3 protagonists

One of the more interesting characters Dana Andrews portrayed during his career. He's an cheating asshole obsessed with his love-on-the-side Joan Crawford, but when she gets married to less complicated Henry Fonda he clicks and goes on a destructive path. Not sure I liked the story on any level, but with Andrews being such a prick, there was elements to get me watching Daisy Kenyon (1947).

I was surprised at how amazing this little known Crawford vehicle is. It features one of her best, most concentrated, intimate performances. Preminger goes straight to the point and the frankness of the script and streamlining of the director are commendable. The camerawork was specially engrossing and nurtures the storytelling. Will revisit for years to come.

84.00

Complicated, flawed people, searching so deeply for the things that will make them happiest, destroying lives in the process. There are glimmers of noir, shades of melodrama, but in the end, what makes Daisy Kenyon so remarkable is how it sheds convention to create one of the most painfully realistic portraits of relationships that I've ever seen. It is Hollywood filmmaking at its finest, but you've also never seen a Hollywood movie quite like this one.

A strange, fascinating melodrama as much about post-WWII life as it is about affairs and love triangles. The dualities continue beyond its purposes and number of suitors, however- it throws itself wholeheartedly into both heightened and realistic sensibilities, and actually pulls that off, believe it or not. Kenyon establishes the resulting tone early and with aplomb by introducing itself with a romantic flourish of a musical score, then revealed to be a song playing on a radio.

Crawford, although miscast, is as watchable as ever. Henry Fonda is rather too stolid but Dana Andrews is terrific, giving by far the strongest work in the film. I wasn't convinced by the ending but enough enjoyable stuff up to then to keep it chugging along amiably enough.

It never makes a false move and as it goes on it feels more and more honest and more and more tragic and as a consequence more and more compelling. The writing isn't the sharpest and the leads have all given better performances, but it all fits together to build up to something really great. There are some missteps here and there, but the film quickly recovers so they feel more like organic missteps from the characters or life than bad writing. It snuck up on me.

"Do you think these dysfunctional personalities are essential to film noir?" "Absolutely!" http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2014/11/episode-36-films-noir-of-otto-preminger.html

Henry Fonda and Joan Crawford shine bright, but Dana Andrews won me over the most with his noble, witty lout whose flashy alpha male tendencies ultimately cut a tragic figure as Fonda stoops to conquer.

old

Undistinguished sudser. Not much of a plot, and the Fonda character remains in an undeveloped, enigmatic state. Joan is very good throughout, but Fonda is limited as usual, and Andrews seems a bit miscast (his stone-faced approach not really suitable for such a roguish lout). Some exciting moments in the score anyway.