United Artists
Directed by Gerd Oswald
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM Limited Edition Collection)
Brooding account of an unhappy marriage between rancher Sterling Hayden and lovely immigrant Anita Ekberg. The film opens with a startling murder and subsequent trial. The back story is told in a series of flashbacks from different perspectives of those involved in the murder trial. This plot device is often confusing, since the story is not told in chronological order and you never know if you are getting a true account of events. At its best when exploring the theme of small-town closed mindedness, but just as often falls into sordid relationship melodrama. Ekberg struggles with her English which can be distracting, but it does fit her character. Cinematographer Ernest Laszlo has a fine eye for composition which is a pleasure to watch, even when the on-screen drama does not share the same artistry.
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