by Cristina Córdova
This Douglas Sirk movie, playing in Loring Park on Monday evening, is easily the original Lifetime movie; yet it manages not to make my life feel insignificant simply by my watching it. It’s the original. How can that be bad? This is old school, baby. It’s the love triangle, the deep dark side of alcohol, neglect and abuse, unrequited love, best friends in love with the same woman, the evil hand of jealousy, the damsel in distress — and none other than Lauren Bacall, of course. No wonder they’re both in love with her. You’d have to be crazy not to be in love with her. And yet her charms aren’t nearly exploited or explored in this film. I’ll take her with Bogie any day. Rock Hudson just doesn’t seem to make her shine. Actually, it’s the bad guys in this movie that actually make it worthwhile — which is actually pretty amusing considering they’re not the big names on the marquee. Robert Stack’s drunken Kyle and Dorothy Malone’s portrayal of the spurned vixen are enough to keep me entertained. (Of course, I’m a sucker for the classics.)
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