The Worst Film Ever

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Dana Andrews (Father Roth), Farley Granger (Martin Lynn), Joan Evans (Rita Conroy), Robert Keith (Mandel), Paul Stewart (Craig), Mala Powers (Julie), Adele Jergens (Irene), Harold Vermilyea (Father Kirkman), John Ridgely (1st detective), Douglas Fowley (2nd detective), Mabel Paige (Mrs Pearson), Howland Chamberlain (Mr Murray), Houseley Stevenson, Sr (Mr Swanson), Jean Innes (Mrs Lally), Ellen Corby (Mrs Moore), Ray Teal (Ned Moore), Mary Field (Mary Jane Glennon), Virginia Brissac (Mrs Dennis), Frances Morris (Mrs Lynn).Directed by MARK ROBSON. Screenplay: Philip Yordan. Based on the novel by Leo Brady. Music director: Emil Newman. Score: Hugo Friedhofer. Photographer: Harry Stradling. Editor: Daniel Mandell. Art director: Richard Day. Costumes: Mary Wills. Set decorator: Julia Heron. Make- up: Blagoe Stephanoff. Hair styles: Marie Clark. Additional scenes directed by Charles Vidor, written by Ben Hecht. Sound recording: Fred Lau. Producer: Samuel Goldwyn.Copyright 3 August 1950 by Samuel Goldwyn Productions, Inc. Released by RKO Radio Pictures. New York opening at the Astor: 3 August 1950. U.S. release: 30 September 1950. U.K. release: December 1951. Australian release: 16 August 1951. 99 minutes.U.K. release title: STRONGER THAN FEAR.SYNOPSIS: "It's simple story about a boy who wants a fine funeral for his mother, so he kills a priest." — Sam Goldwyn, explaining the plot to an eager group of journalists.NOTES: After its New York opening, Goldwyn rejigged the movie by adding narration, plus a prologue and epilogue, written by Charles Brackett and Ben Hecht, directed by Charles Vidor. Even with the additional scenes, the movie still came in at 96 minutes — 3 minutes less than before. Considerable excisions were made. Some of the most powerful episodes were deleted altogether, whilst others, notably the undertaker's sequence, were unmercifully diluted.VIEWERS GUIDE: Adults.COMMENT: This film is not now available in its original form but, whether called "Edge of Doom" or "Stronger Than Fear" (its U.K. release title), in a version somewhat mutilated by the addition of a fatuous prologue and epilogue and a patronizing commentary, all written by Ben Hecht and flatly directed by Charles Vidor.In its present state, the movie's entertainment quotient hasn't been increased, but lessened. Nonetheless, there are still features of interest to the connoisseur. The scene in which Harold Vermilyea is murdered still comes across with considerable force. The driving pace of Robson's direction, the moody black-and-white photography of Harry Stradling, the fine sets of art director Richard Day and some very good performances, particularly Vermilyea, Keith and Stewart, plus incisive dialogue are all positive recommendations.Offsetting all these is the glum performance of Dana Andrews, whilst Farley Granger makes an unlikely hero. Mala Powers is also very weak as the hero's girlfriend. And then there's that commentary!OTHER VIEWS: Whatever induced that normally astute showman Sam Goldwyn to attempt a film of Leo Brady's morbid novel? (Some sources say it was his wife, a convert to Catholicism). Whatever, Sam parted up with no less than $150,000 just for the film rights. He then ripped the guts out of the book by casting Dana Andrews as the priest. What few virtues Mr Andrews has as an actor — doggedness, certainly — neither sincerity nor saintliness, let alone spiritual strength, figure in that short list. Not that Farley Granger was any more charismatic, but at least his weakness was right for the role. As for the movie itself, even the re-edited light version is still mighty heavy going. — JHR writing as George Addison.

Excellent, truly depressing, forgotten noir starring Farley Granger. He plays a young man who's had an incredibly difficult life: he has grown up poor. His father, when he was a teenager, committed suicide after committing a robbery. The church denied providing any services for his father and basically told Granger and his mother that the guy was doomed to rot in Hell. Granger's mom was too religious to give it up, but Granger holds a powerful grudge for the church. The film opens with his mother dying, and Granger has to honor his mother's final wishes by going to the church to get her a funeral. A big one, he insists, because she never had anything good in life. Unfortunately, the priest his mother trusts (Dana Andrews) is out on a call, and he is forced to deal with the same priest (Harold Vermilyea) who denied his father a proper burial. This agitates Granger so much, he ends up committing a horrible crime. Andrews is quicker to understand the truth than the police, so he tries to get Granger to turn himself in before he gets himself in more trouble. Both Granger and Andrews are very good in their roles, and Mark Robson, who previously directed several horror films in the Val Lewton cycle, does an excellent job ratcheting up the suspense. This was kind of a bomb on its first release. It perhaps was too dark, even for the genre. Farley Granger didn't think it was very good, but he was wrong. He should have been proud of it. You can find this film right now on Netflix Instant. It was on VHS, but has never been on DVD.

My view is that this movie falls somewhere between hose two genres. I'd call it closer to soap opera. And how, with all the talent involved, it failed so badly, makes it something of a mystery as well.The same year, "Side Street" came out. Farley Granger was heartbreaking. He had been heartbreaking in the most poetic of all noirs two years earlier, too: "They Live By Night." Here he shows, and elicits, no emotion at all. His character is written as someone who's a little slow. But why? There were lots of young men living with, and fanatically attached to their mothers. There still are some.)(By the way, I read the entry by the person whose father wrote the original book and feel empathy. There is certainly potential here. The movie just seems to have lost its way -- and lost it very early, despite the ministrations of a fine director, Mark Robson, and a superb screenwriter, in Philip Yordan.) None of it rings true, to put it bluntly. None of the major parts, that is. The florist for whom Granger works is well played and convincing. But the major characters are not credible.) Dana Andrews is miscast or ill directed as the understanding young priest who tries to help Granger. He goes in for such seriousness he seems to be speaking his every word in a hushed sounds. His delivery reminds me of Anne Baxter's when she is trying to convince people of her sincerity in "All About Eve." She convinced them for a while but he doesn't convince me. None of the principals do. And what a shame, too: It has potential and is performed, written, and directed by major talents.None is at his best here.

Samuel Goldwyn produced this hybrid of social consciousness, religion and noir stylistics, which is not successful on any level. The plot pits wise priest Dana Andrews against clean-cut slum kid Farley Granger. Ironically, this anti-poverty lesson is decked out in a sumptuous production, complete with Harry Stradling's glowing photography of the mean streets.