Ah... how can I not love a movie shot by John Alton, with Barbara Stanwyck in the starring role to boot. Well, I'd probably love it more if it weren't so poorly lit that I could barely see anything most of the time. Hopefully that's due to the quality of the print -- though it looks plenty sharp. The movie starts off with Stanwyck making phone calls, and I nearly laughed because it reminded me so much of Sorry, Wrong Number. The story then concentrate on a mental duel between Stanwyck's and George Sanders' characters. Sadly, Sanders has the upper hand for the most part of the movie and that makes this aspect of the movie rather irritating. In fact, after the police hastily decided that Stanwyck should be sent to a mental clinic for psychiatric evaluation, it almost became Changeling. Mercifully, the movie switches to a more physical confrontation, and I honestly couldn't follow how both characters, along with the police, wound up on top floor of a skyscraper.Alton's cinematography was amazing. Some shots are truly bizarre: there was one that aims obliquely from a side of a chandelier toward a door. Other shots, with shadows and dark contrasts, reminds me of Double Indemnity. In many ways, the cinematography was the reason to see this movie, as much as I love Stanwyck.
