While not one of the truly greats -- such as Tracy or Grant -- Ray Milland had a number of film performances that were excellent, though he is not well-remembered today, and thus has become rather underrated. There's no real criticism of Milland here, although there are times that the script dialog lets him down. Nevertheless, this is a very good...though not great film.
The supporting cast here is quite impressive. John Hodiak was a fine actor who didn't live long enough to fully prove his worth on the big screen; he's very good her as the supportive friend. Nancy Davis (later Reagan) is better than her usual limited screen performance here; in my view she could have had a rather good film career as a supporting actress, but didn't quite have the looks; here she plays a friend who lost a husband herself. Lewis Stone plays the head of the college department where Milland works; it's far less than a supporting actor of his caliber deserved.
The story has a college professor's wife and son blown up and killed, and it then traces his descent through alcoholism and suicide. Do people act like that> I have no way of knowing, but I have an idea the answer is yes.
This film seems a bit more realistic than many that might cover the same type of topic. I think what makes it better than average is that it also looks at how others around the drunk are suffering because of his behavior. The closing scene with Milland's college class is a bit corny, but aside from that, this is a pretty decent film...not a great film...but certainly worth watching at least once.
The supporting cast here is quite impressive. John Hodiak was a fine actor who didn't live long enough to fully prove his worth on the big screen; he's very good her as the supportive friend. Nancy Davis (later Reagan) is better than her usual limited screen performance here; in my view she could have had a rather good film career as a supporting actress, but didn't quite have the looks; here she plays a friend who lost a husband herself. Lewis Stone plays the head of the college department where Milland works; it's far less than a supporting actor of his caliber deserved.
The story has a college professor's wife and son blown up and killed, and it then traces his descent through alcoholism and suicide. Do people act like that> I have no way of knowing, but I have an idea the answer is yes.
This film seems a bit more realistic than many that might cover the same type of topic. I think what makes it better than average is that it also looks at how others around the drunk are suffering because of his behavior. The closing scene with Milland's college class is a bit corny, but aside from that, this is a pretty decent film...not a great film...but certainly worth watching at least once.