Daisy Kenyon
Directed by Otto Preminger
Written by David Hertz from a novel by Elizabeth Janeway
1947/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Mary Angelus: Want to tell me where you’re going, so I’ll have something to lie about?[/box]
I like Joan Crawford least when she is playing the most desirable thing on wheels. Here she is all that and too old for the part to boot.
Career girl Daisy Kenryon (Crawford) has been having an affair with hot-shot attorney Dan O’Mara (Dana Andrews) for some time. O’Mara is saddled with a neurotic wife (Ruth Warrick) and two children and with the extremely irritating habit of calling everybody of whatever gender or age “honeybunch”. Daisy is conflicted about the relationship but doesn’t do anything to end it until she meets returning serviceman Peter Lapham (Henry Fonda). Lapham is suffering from the after-effects of combat and the sudden death of his wife in an accident.
Despite little encouragement, Lapham falls madly in love with Daisy. They marry and Daisy gradually warms to him. Then O’Mara is caught trying to patch things up with his former mistress and his wife asks for a divorce. Daisy must now decide between her two loves. That is basically the whole story. Any one aware of the requirements of the Hayes Code will be in no doubt as to the outcome.
This is a very well-made product of the studio system with the class one would expect from director Otto Preminger, cinematographer Leon Shamroy, and composer David Raskin. Your reaction will depend on your feelings about Crawford and the subject matter. I was not keen on either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1dRwiSNpJM
Trailer
