Every once in a while it's good to indulge oneself in something which is not overly taxing, which is largely escapist and, in this guy's opinion anyway, with enough entertaining features to diminish the concomitant flaws. In short, I'm talking about the type of movie to take one's mind of "stuff" in general. And let's be honest, current events are leaving all of us in need of a bit of distraction. With that in mind I turned to The Two Mrs Carrolls (1947) the other night. My impression is that this movie doesn't enjoy a great reputation but for one reason or another, which I'll have a go at articulating later, I've always had a bit of a soft spot for it.
The relationship between art and commerce has always been an uneasy one and it feels somehow apt that Hollywood, home to many a tempestuous real-life marriage itself, should train a glass on this dichotomy. Maybe it's down to a familiarity with the inherent duality within itself that has led the film industry to occasionally cast a dubious glance in the direction of artists in general. Geoffrey Carroll (Humphrey Bogart) is certainly a case in point; before the first scene has ended the audience is left in no doubt whatsoever that here is a man who is a clear stranger to emotional stability. He's been romancing his latest muse Sally (Barbara Stanwyck) while, initially unbeknownst to her, trying to figure out a way to extricate himself from his marriage. In short order we learn that he achieves that by the simple expedient of popping a dose of poison into his unwanted spouse's milk. This leaves him free to marry the conveniently wealthy Sally. You might imagine that a new life in idyllic surroundings for himself and his young daughter (Ann Carter) would have chased away the demons. However, it becomes clear that the creative juices are drying up again, and then an attractive socialite (Alexis Smith) arrives on the scene...
As I said at the top of this piece, I don't believe The Two Mrs Carrolls is regarded all that well. In fairness, there are problematic areas, the script and direction allows the story to sag a little in the middle, and both tone and performances can be uneven. On the other hand, the film is, for me anyway, an enjoyable slice of domestic suspense/melodrama. What's more, it has that attractive visual aspect that I've noticed before in the work of director Peter Godfrey (who has a cameo role as a racetrack chiseler) - both Christmas in Connecticut and Cry Wolf have a visual aesthetic which really appeals to me - and this boosts the pictures stock considerably. Allied to this is that studio recreation/imagining of a kind of fairy tale England (and Scotland in the brief opening scene) which either works for you or doesn't. Personally, I'm a big fan of the artistry that goes into conjuring up that kind of illusion.
A final reason for my own fondness for the movie, and one I will freely admit is wholly dependent on the individual, relates to the time it is first seen. While I can't put my finger on the exact time, it would have been somewhere in the mid-1980s when I came across this picture on TV. I would have been in the process of broadening my experiences of cinema (something which I can happily say continues to this day) and was on the lookout for as many Bogart features as I could find. The point is I caught this one at a time when it just clicked for me, and that feeling has never really deserted me ever since.
The Two Mrs Carrolls appears in the middle of an especially strong run of post-war movies starring Bogart. Looked at in comparison to some very strong and memorable work for Hawks, Huston and Daves, it's perhaps not surprising that the movie is seen less favorably. That said, the star's performance is inconsistent; the romantic interludes are handled just fine, as are the handful of incidences of hard-boiled insolence, while the manifestations of instability are seriously overcooked. Stanwyck, who rarely gave a sub-par performance at any point in her career, fares better overall and handles the melodrama with greater assurance.
Alexis Smith had already played opposite Bogart in and vamps attractively here, trading barbs effectively in a memorable introductory scene. I guess most movie fans will recall Ann Carter chiefly, and quite rightly too, for her excellent playing in the haunting and rather touching Val Lewton/Robert Wise picture The Curse of the Cat People. She's very good again in The Two Mrs Carrolls and her calm composure offers a neat contrast to some of the adults around her. Irish actors Pat O'Moore and Anita Sharp-Bolster are solid (and amusing) in support, and of course few performers ever bumbled quite so endearingly as Nigel Bruce.
The Two Mrs Carrolls was given a DVD release in the US via the Warner Archive, and clones later appeared on the European market. As far as I'm aware it's not been given the Blu-ray treatment as yet, and I'm not sure it has a high enough profile to warrant that anyway. Generally, it looks fairly strong in standard definition and I'm pleased just to have it and be able to watch it. Objectively speaking, it's not one of Bogart's or Stanwyck's best movies and I'm not about to sell it as such. It does have its positives though, as is true for almost anything with these stars. Frankly, it's a welcome piece of cinematic fluff at any time, and especially so at the moment.