Gene's performance in this was extraordinary, no wonder she was Oscar-nominated for it. But Cornel Wilde just didn't fit into this film very well. Gene's acting was so unbelievable, she just shredded him to pieces!
DAMM: Drunks Against Mad Mothers
Yeah, Wilde was good as "the sensitive artist", but I had difficulty imagining him as an outdoorsman whose chief joy is fishing, who likes being on horseback, etc. He was not much of a fighter - and that's what Gene's character called for. He couldn't even spar with her.
shareI had a crush on him even seeing this when I was a child so I'm going to have to disagree. He was suppose to be subdued...and normal ...just to emphasis the psychosis of Gene Tierney's character.
Cornel Wilde does do the physical kind of guy thing very well. Check out Forever Amber from the 40's or The Greatest Show on Earth or The Naked Prey from the 50's and 60's.
He was a very physical athletic guy.
Wilde was perfectly cast as Harlan and did a great job. As for Tierney "shredding him to pieces," it was a movie, not a competition.
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