Deep Valley (1940)
She’s so pretty, it’s puzzling why Ida Lupino played farmgirls so often, when she could have easily played swanky dames dressed in furs. In Deep Valley, she shines in her greatest performance, playing a sheltered mountain girl abused by her mother and father. Her mother, Fay Bainter, is a self-inflicted invalid who criticizes Ida’s appearance, complains about her husband’s behavior, and bemoans her miserable life. Ida’s father, the crusty, mean, insulting Henry Hull, is incredibly disappointed in his life, wife, and daughter. Ida has a terrible stutter, and Henry repeatedly ridicules her for it.
I’ve seen over thirty of his movies, and I can count on one hand how many times he’s had a chance to play a villain. Sinking his teeth into this different, meaty role, Henry gets to turn this particular villain into a three-dimensional person. Other character actors might have just played the father off as strictly mean, but Henry lets you understand his frustrations. Fay also lets the audience see she used to be a lady before she married beneath her station, which is why she’s so hard on her daughter.
When just one or two performances are strong, I tend to credit the actors themselves. When everyone is fantastic, I congratulate the director. Jean Negulesco, known for getting incredible performances from his actors (Johnny Belinda, Three Came Home, and Titanic, to name a few), helmed this romantic drama that could have easily been as famous as The Postman Always Rings Twice. Ida Lupino’s portrayal of a sheltered, perpetually shamed girl is spot-on, and she doesn’t treat her stutter in any way comical. It flares when she’s upset, mostly when talking to her father. When she finally feels a burst of freedom, she clings to it and throws rationality out the window.
Ida watches a group of convicts doing road work on a mountain near her home, and she feels a connection to one of the men bullied by the foreman. Dane Clark could have the next John Garfield, Humphrey Bogart, or Richard Conte, had he gotten the right breaks. He has a similar look, and as he proves with this role, he’s got just as much of the romantic bad-boy persona as any of the three who did become household names. If you’ve never heard of him, rent this movie.
Obviously, I recommend this suspenseful drama. It’ll keep you on your toes and tug at your heart. It’s well acted, well directed, and has an interesting script. Deep Valley, while strangely titled, is much better than High Sierra or In a Lonely Place.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Henry Hull movies here!
I’ve seen over thirty of his movies, and I can count on one hand how many times he’s had a chance to play a villain. Sinking his teeth into this different, meaty role, Henry gets to turn this particular villain into a three-dimensional person. Other character actors might have just played the father off as strictly mean, but Henry lets you understand his frustrations. Fay also lets the audience see she used to be a lady before she married beneath her station, which is why she’s so hard on her daughter.
When just one or two performances are strong, I tend to credit the actors themselves. When everyone is fantastic, I congratulate the director. Jean Negulesco, known for getting incredible performances from his actors (Johnny Belinda, Three Came Home, and Titanic, to name a few), helmed this romantic drama that could have easily been as famous as The Postman Always Rings Twice. Ida Lupino’s portrayal of a sheltered, perpetually shamed girl is spot-on, and she doesn’t treat her stutter in any way comical. It flares when she’s upset, mostly when talking to her father. When she finally feels a burst of freedom, she clings to it and throws rationality out the window.
Ida watches a group of convicts doing road work on a mountain near her home, and she feels a connection to one of the men bullied by the foreman. Dane Clark could have the next John Garfield, Humphrey Bogart, or Richard Conte, had he gotten the right breaks. He has a similar look, and as he proves with this role, he’s got just as much of the romantic bad-boy persona as any of the three who did become household names. If you’ve never heard of him, rent this movie.
Obviously, I recommend this suspenseful drama. It’ll keep you on your toes and tug at your heart. It’s well acted, well directed, and has an interesting script. Deep Valley, while strangely titled, is much better than High Sierra or In a Lonely Place.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Henry Hull movies here!