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The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
7/13, 12/24
7/13:
The first moment that Lana Turner appeared, John Garfield had to suck in his breath at the sight of her.
It's the most famous movie moment of The Postman Always Rings Twice. She had never been sexier since then.
Unfortunately, the rest of the film is no To Have and Have Not. The lack
of chemistry between the two is disappointing.
Although the downfall should've started with the old man's marriage to Cora Smith, it's more even so when the case
was brought before the judge. Soon then, the plot becomes too absurd to believe. Thereafter, the tragedy seems
about making up for the blunders that defy logic in order to climb out of its own quicksand.
Neither Lana Turner nor John Garfield was nominated for an Oscar although she was more deserving of it. As for
the story, it's too far-fetched and ridiculous most of the time while the sizzler between Lana Turner and
John Garfield is never quite there.
All in all, it's worthwhile to see The Postman Always Rings Twice for Lana Turner who was, once upon a time,
certified eye candy.
12/24:
The most famous movie of Lana Turner's career is The Postman Always Rings Twice.
A lot of people thought she couldn't act, but I don't agree with them. Yes, Lana Turner was good as Cora Smith
and should have been Oscar-nominated, but she got much better afterwards. Up for the task is John Garfield who
never gets blown out of the water. They have decent chemistry but not enough to sizzle the screen like how Kathleen
Turner and William Hurt did in Body Heat. That's because the screenwriters
eliminated all of the sex just to please the Hays Code.
While the first half of the film is standard, it's the second half that throws me off. Who is this lawyer, why
does he show up out of nowhere, and what makes it okay that Cora Smith has to follow all of his directions
without her say-so? Afterwards, things make less sense, and finally, Cora and Frank die in an automobile accident
only because he can't keep his eye on the road for more than thirty seconds.
Anyway, I know The Postman Always Rings Twice is among film noir greats but don't agree with it.
There's very, very little noir in appearance; it's more of a love tragedy. Cora didn't have a lot to do with
the murder of her husband; it was Frank's idea the whole time, and she simply followed along with much uncertainty.
Then again, what's the point of that? All Cora had to do was forget about her husband by running away.
Look at the guy himself; who are we kidding here? He's way too old for her, and she has the looks to become
a model or an actress and make way, way more money than the stupid pit stop in the middle of nowhere in California.
All in all, if you've never seen Lana Turner act before, make The Postman Always Rings Twice
your first choice.