And although I know this was written based on a novel of the same name, beyond what forest? The film starts with a voiceover describing the town of Loyalton, Wisconsin, and the fact that an inquest is going on concerning the death of a man killed by Rosa Moline (Bette Davis). She claims it is an accident. You do get from the introductory narration that this is a town where everybody derives their income from the sawmill and that Rosa is an insufferable snob. What you don't know is who it is that Rosa has killed - accidentally or on purpose. Then comes the rest of the movie in flashback.
Rosa is very unhappily married to Lewis Moline, MD (Joseph Cotten). Before I watched this I thought, who would be unhappy being married to handsome Joseph Cotten? But he plays this as such a doormat, a guy who is OK with patients who never pay him, who gives in to every expensive thing that Rosa wants, that it is no wonder Rosa has no respect for him. Fine acting from Mr. Cotten to play this as such a weak milquetoast of a guy.
So Rosa lusts after the wealthy Neil Latimer (David Brian) from Chicago, who has a hunting lodge near Loyalton. He's a strong self made man, and that and the money draw Rosa to him and into an affair. If she knew that David Brian would play a character who beats the living daylights out of Joan Crawford the following year I'm sure that wouldn't have hurt either, but that's another story.
So Rosa's dilemma is how to get out of this marriage and get Neil to care enough about her to marry her. What she does to accomplish this and the problems and twists and turns of the plot that crop up along the way constitute the rest of the film and eventually bring us full circle back to the inquest.
Why do I say it seems that Jack Warner was trying to get rid of Bette Davis with this film? It's not so much her acting - she is as good as she ever was - but she is playing a woman about ten years younger than she looks, especially with the tight fitting clothes that show every inch of extra avoirdupois that she is sporting, plus a ridiculous long black wig. And then there is the dialogue. Every time somebody suggests that Rosa do something that she feels is beneath her, Rosa retorts "I would never do THAT, I'm Rosa Moline". How odd. The whole film is about how much she does not want to be a Moline, yet she seems to proudly hail it as part of her identitiy. There is a ridiculous scene with Lewis talking to an unconscious woman about her blood, and why did Rosa build her house as far from the center of town as possible, but position the master bedroom such that the flames shooting from the sawmill incinerator in the middle of the night glow through the window and even the shades and keep her awake? Rosa is a poor architect of her house and her life.
I could go on forever with what is weird about this film, but the acting is quite good, and the story is so weird that the camp actually becomes one of its strengths. I'd suggest it if you can ever find a copy.
Rosa is very unhappily married to Lewis Moline, MD (Joseph Cotten). Before I watched this I thought, who would be unhappy being married to handsome Joseph Cotten? But he plays this as such a doormat, a guy who is OK with patients who never pay him, who gives in to every expensive thing that Rosa wants, that it is no wonder Rosa has no respect for him. Fine acting from Mr. Cotten to play this as such a weak milquetoast of a guy.
So Rosa lusts after the wealthy Neil Latimer (David Brian) from Chicago, who has a hunting lodge near Loyalton. He's a strong self made man, and that and the money draw Rosa to him and into an affair. If she knew that David Brian would play a character who beats the living daylights out of Joan Crawford the following year I'm sure that wouldn't have hurt either, but that's another story.
So Rosa's dilemma is how to get out of this marriage and get Neil to care enough about her to marry her. What she does to accomplish this and the problems and twists and turns of the plot that crop up along the way constitute the rest of the film and eventually bring us full circle back to the inquest.
Why do I say it seems that Jack Warner was trying to get rid of Bette Davis with this film? It's not so much her acting - she is as good as she ever was - but she is playing a woman about ten years younger than she looks, especially with the tight fitting clothes that show every inch of extra avoirdupois that she is sporting, plus a ridiculous long black wig. And then there is the dialogue. Every time somebody suggests that Rosa do something that she feels is beneath her, Rosa retorts "I would never do THAT, I'm Rosa Moline". How odd. The whole film is about how much she does not want to be a Moline, yet she seems to proudly hail it as part of her identitiy. There is a ridiculous scene with Lewis talking to an unconscious woman about her blood, and why did Rosa build her house as far from the center of town as possible, but position the master bedroom such that the flames shooting from the sawmill incinerator in the middle of the night glow through the window and even the shades and keep her awake? Rosa is a poor architect of her house and her life.
I could go on forever with what is weird about this film, but the acting is quite good, and the story is so weird that the camp actually becomes one of its strengths. I'd suggest it if you can ever find a copy.