"Shockproof" brought together the disparate talents of two men who were both destined to achieve their greatest successes as directors in the 1950s. Samuel Fuller who wrote the screenplay had previously worked as a newspaper crime reporter and had also written pulp novels. His simple and forceful style used tabloid and pulp influences to produce a script which is full of drive and colour. Douglas Sirk, who directed the movie, was a sophisticated man whose instincts leant more towards the polished style which in later years, characterised the glossy melodramas for which he became famous. Forbidden, inappropriate or doomed love affairs provide powerful material for melodramas and whilst the relationship depicted in "Shockproof" offered Sirk the kind of subject matter which instinctively appealed to him, the extreme and criminal consequences it produced very much suited Fuller's style of writing.
When Jenny Marsh (Patricia Knight) is released from prison, her parole officer Griff Marat (Cornel Wilde) gives her a list of strict conditions which she is required to adhere to in order to avoid being sent back into detention. One of the most important ones (besides not getting married) is that she must stay away from Harry Wesson (John Baragrey), a smarmy gambler who was partly responsible for the events which led to her conviction. Marat is annoyed when, despite being set up with a job and a place to live, she persists in seeing Wesson and is even caught by the police when they raid a bookie's business. As he's convinced of her potential to reform, Griff employs her in his own home looking after his blind mother, an arrangement which he feels will be helpful to give her first hand experience of family life and also keep her away from the attentions of Harry Wesson.
Griff falls in love with his parolee and proposes marriage. She turns him down but when Harry hears about the proposal he puts pressure on Jenny to accept because this would make Griff an accomplice to breaking the terms of her parole. Jenny and Griff get married in secret but one day Harry phones Griff and starts to tell him something about Jenny. Their conversation is suddenly interrupted when a shot is heard. When Griff finds out that Jenny has shot and seriously wounded Harry (and it's uncertain whether he'll survive), the couple go on the run with the intention of escaping to Mexico. The problems they encounter in trying to evade the police eventually become so intolerable that they decide to turn themselves in. When they do however, the events that follow come as a great surprise.
Although Griff is a very conventional and ambitious man with an ideal family life, when he becomes attracted to Jenny, a startling change occurs and a great deal of crazy stuff follows. His intelligence and powers of judgement seem to desert him, otherwise why would he invite a convicted murderer to work in his home and look after his blind mother? Why would he marry her knowing that his complicity in breaking the terms of her parole would damage his reputation and jeopardise his career? His lack of concern about the fact that she attempted to murder Harry is remarkable and it's amazing how readily he goes on the run with her and also how quickly he resorts to criminal action when the need arises. He also seems to suddenly ignore the implications of his actions in terms of how they will impact on his family and his political ambitions.
"Shockproof" provides an account of how powerful passions can derail the lives of even the most conservative and respectable of people but does so in a way which is entertaining, fast paced and competently acted. Unfortunately, a studio imposed ending does detract from the power and the credibility of the story, but this short low budget movie still, nevertheless, remains interesting and well worth seeing.
When Jenny Marsh (Patricia Knight) is released from prison, her parole officer Griff Marat (Cornel Wilde) gives her a list of strict conditions which she is required to adhere to in order to avoid being sent back into detention. One of the most important ones (besides not getting married) is that she must stay away from Harry Wesson (John Baragrey), a smarmy gambler who was partly responsible for the events which led to her conviction. Marat is annoyed when, despite being set up with a job and a place to live, she persists in seeing Wesson and is even caught by the police when they raid a bookie's business. As he's convinced of her potential to reform, Griff employs her in his own home looking after his blind mother, an arrangement which he feels will be helpful to give her first hand experience of family life and also keep her away from the attentions of Harry Wesson.
Griff falls in love with his parolee and proposes marriage. She turns him down but when Harry hears about the proposal he puts pressure on Jenny to accept because this would make Griff an accomplice to breaking the terms of her parole. Jenny and Griff get married in secret but one day Harry phones Griff and starts to tell him something about Jenny. Their conversation is suddenly interrupted when a shot is heard. When Griff finds out that Jenny has shot and seriously wounded Harry (and it's uncertain whether he'll survive), the couple go on the run with the intention of escaping to Mexico. The problems they encounter in trying to evade the police eventually become so intolerable that they decide to turn themselves in. When they do however, the events that follow come as a great surprise.
Although Griff is a very conventional and ambitious man with an ideal family life, when he becomes attracted to Jenny, a startling change occurs and a great deal of crazy stuff follows. His intelligence and powers of judgement seem to desert him, otherwise why would he invite a convicted murderer to work in his home and look after his blind mother? Why would he marry her knowing that his complicity in breaking the terms of her parole would damage his reputation and jeopardise his career? His lack of concern about the fact that she attempted to murder Harry is remarkable and it's amazing how readily he goes on the run with her and also how quickly he resorts to criminal action when the need arises. He also seems to suddenly ignore the implications of his actions in terms of how they will impact on his family and his political ambitions.
"Shockproof" provides an account of how powerful passions can derail the lives of even the most conservative and respectable of people but does so in a way which is entertaining, fast paced and competently acted. Unfortunately, a studio imposed ending does detract from the power and the credibility of the story, but this short low budget movie still, nevertheless, remains interesting and well worth seeing.