movie film review | chris tookey
 
     
     
 

Postman Always Rings Twice


     
  Postman Always Rings Twice Review
Tookey's Rating
5 /10
 
Average Rating
7.85 /10
 
Starring
Lana Turner , John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway
Full Cast >
 

Directed by: Tay Garnett
Written by: Harry Ruskin, Niven Busch from James M. Cain's novel

 
Tookey's Review
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Released: 1946
   
Genre: UNDERRATED
ROMANCE
THRILLER
   
Origin: US
   
Colour: BW
   
Length: 113
 
 


 
Lovers (John Garfield, Lana Turner) murder her husband (Cecil Kellaway) , but don't get away with it.
Reviewed by Chris Tookey


Controversial on release for the sexually frank portrayal of adultery but hailed nowadays as a masterpiece of film noir, this is a very sanitized version of James M. Cain's novel, which had been filmed previously in France as Le Dernier Tournant (1939), and unofficially in Italy as Ossessione (1942). It suffers from boring leading characters, but the stars perform well, the drama is efficiently handled by the director, and it remains watchable. It's better, and sexier, than the 1980 remake, with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. The surprisingly poor reviews it attracted on release may have less to do with its perceived immorality than the fact that it followed a far superior example of its genre, Double Indemnity, which had a similar plot.

"It was a real chore to do Postman under the Hays Office, but I think I managed to get the sex across."

(Tay Garnett, long after release)


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