There are lots of films about drug addiction, and lots of casino heist films--Ocean's Eleven is just the most famous one--but films about the nuts and bolts of gambling, the suffering at the individual level are few. California Split and La Baie des Anges are the only two that come to mind, and now I add The Lady Gambles, in which Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Preston form a nearly ideal couple. She's about 40, and suddenly discovers a passion for cards and dice while on a trip to Las Vegas; he's a reporter who tries to deal with the increasingly obsessive behaviour of his wife. Edith Barrett as the clingy older sister, and Stephen McNally as the oily casino boss provide excellent support. In the first scene, gamblers punch Stanwyck in the face repeatedly; she's a star who isn't afraid to look terrible.
Review of The Lady Gambles
