Starring: Joan Crawford, Dana Andrews, Henry Fonda, Ruth Warrick, Martha Stewart Directed By: Otto Preminger Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC Label: 20th Century Fox Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: March 11, 2008 Running Time: 99 minutes Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 1947
Product Description: Film noir a classic film style of the '40s and '50s is noted for its dark themes stark camera angles and high-contrast lighting. Comprising many of Hollywood's finest films film noir tells realistic stories about crime mystery femmes fatales and moral conflict.Joan Crawford Dana Andrews and Henry Fonda deliver dazzling performances in this "highly polished slick triangle melodrama" (The Film Daily) based on the novel by Elizabeth Janeway and directed by Otto Preminger!Daisy Kenyon (Crawford) is a lovelorn commercial artist caught in a romantic triangle with two men - one she loves but cannot have and one whose love she cannot return. While in an emotionally draining love affair with married attorney Dan O'Mara (Dana Andrews) who refuses to leave his wife she meets returning army sergeant Peter Lapham (Henry Fonda) - a decent and gentle man - who instantly falls in love with here. Althought she carries a torch for Dan she knows Peter will give her the secure life she desires and she agrees to marry him. But when Dan divorces his wife Daisy is suddenly torn between her obligations... and her passions.System Requirements:Running Time: 99 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/CLASSICS Rating: NR UPC: 024543446644 Manufacturer No: 2244664
Amazon.com: Otto Preminger's Daisy Kenyon is an unsung beauty from Hollywood's golden age, a remarkably good and intelligent movie that's all the more gratifying because it could so easily have come out formulaic and sappy. In 1947 it was regarded (and implicitly shrugged off) as a "women's picture" or, more specifically, a "Joan Crawford picture." But there's more going on here. This was shortly after the Oscar for Mildred Pierce revived the actress's career, and the nature of a Crawford picture was changing since she had entered her (gasp) 40s. New York careerwoman Daisy (a magazine illustrator) is trying to break off her longtime affair with a high-profile lawyer and family man (Dana Andrews), and tentatively beginning a relationship with an attractive WWII veteran and widower (Henry Fonda). The men's roles are as important as Crawford's, and neither man is entirely what he first seems--Andrews a self-centered manipulator in all arenas, Fonda a poetic New Englander who used to design boats. Enough ambivalence, wounded psyches, and intimate violence surface to make the movie a kissing cousin to film noir... albeit a variation of noir in which no gun is pulled. Noir also leaks in through the gorgeous Fox craftsmanship. Leon Shamroy's lustrous lighting paints the characters and their studio-made, persuasively three-dimensional environs with insinuating shadow, while still serving director Preminger's penchant for fluid camerawork and mise-en-scène that doesn't dictate our attitudes toward the characters. The production is a model of Hollywood professionalism at every level, and the three star performances are each atypical and complex, with Crawford more restrained and thoughtful than we're accustomed to seeing her. And speaking of model performances, plan to rewatch the film while listening to the commentary by Foster Hirsch, author of the excellent critical biography, Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King; Hirsch is especially sharp on Preminger's stylistic choices and the underappreciated Dana Andrews. --Richard T. Jameson
DULL AND VAPID. ONE OF JOAN'S WORST FILMS Few of Joan's Crawford's films were good. This film is not an example of a good one. First this is a bland soap opera through and through. It starts off completely dull and does not improve.
The "noirish aspect" of this film is indeed present but Director Otto Preminger's handling of the material is incompetent. The screenplay lacks focus and direction and all the characters except for Fonda's are unlikeable. Fonda himself hated this picture and his role and only agreed to appear in it to complete his contractual obligation for Fox.
The problem is one cannot understand why Crawford would want Andrews who is as stale as cardboard. I agree with the reviewer who said that Crawford had no sex appeal (despite her being a nymphomaniac in real life) and absolutely no chemistry with her leading men. She is also unflatteringly photographed in a lot of scenes (you can actually see blemishes and her freckled skin).
Another problem is the question of why Fonda is enamored of her. There is nothing in the screenplay to explain his motivation or his attraction to her. Thus, the entire plot is unbelievable and as such, it does not impress because one feels no empathy or sympathy for the characters. A good movie makes one root for its protaganists. One could care less how this film turns out.
The mood is atmospheric and the lighting is dark as film noir should be. That's about as "noirish" as it gets. The film is worth a look if you haven't seen it but I know almost definitely that this is one film I have no desire to watch again.
Daisy Kenyon This is one of Joan Crawford's finest performances. She was too old to play Daisy and she knew it, but she saw a chance to give a controlled, sincere performance. She fought for and got two of the hottest male stars of the time, Dana Andrews and Henry Fonda. Andrews was just off of LAURA and Fonda had just returned from the War. They both excel in their roles. Of course a key light does follow Joan highlighted her expressive eyes in many scenes, but other than that, the whole production is top drawer. Otto Preminger directs with a sure, professional hand. Ruth Warrick is also a plus as Andrew's neurotic wife. Production values are great. A super scene at The Stork Club, full of atmosphere and famous personalities making cameo appearances. Look for John Garfield seated at the bar sipping a drink! This is a MUST for Crawford fans. You won't be disappointed.
Enjoyable Women's Film This "Fox Film Noir" series release is misleading. Despite starring Mildred Pierce's Joan Crawford, re-teaming Otto Preminger and Dana Andrews (Laura, Fallen Angel), and featuring Martha Stewart (In a Lonely Place), this film is by no means a "film noir," but it is a fine and enjoyable (but pretty much routine) vehicle for Joan Crawford, on loan-out to Fox from WB during her post-Mildred Pierce comeback phase, as a working "girl" torn between two lovers. Dana Andrews and Henry Fonda, as her suitors, an unhappily married wealthy lawyer with two daughters and a widowed WWII veteran/boat designer, are clearly fulfilling studio contract duties with this film and neither of them seems very inspired by their roles, but they get the job done and Joan Crawford is always fun to watch. If you like 1940s women's films, you'll enjoy watching this movie. If you want bonafide film noir, look elsewhere.
Not the best of Joan Crawford's work but worth watching! The quality of this DVD is mediocre but very watchable and somewhat enjoyable. It is always difficult to unwrap FOX dvd titles; the spine is always left damaged. I have seen this movie several times. It's just OK. Watch for yourself and judge.
One of My Favorites I have never written a review before, but needed to say that I am so taken with this movie, I have been watching it, including commercials, on an old vhs tape that has to be at least 15 years old. Yes, the story is nothing new, but I love this film for the clothes, lifestyle, and New York itself, right after WWII. Here is an independent woman with two men in love with her. She has her own apartment and a successful career, which were not necessarily the norm for films at this time. It was after the war and people wanted to see films about uniting families. We also see how "society" was, with The Stork Club and flowers and cocktails and sophisticated attitudes. Preminger directed this, as always, with his technique of story-telling. We are drawn in right from the beginning and want to watch until we see how it all concludes. He directed "Laura," also about an independent woman, in the same way (I could write a book about how much I adore "Laura"). I would not say this is what is popularly thought of as Film Noir; there is no murder mystery with detectives and tough guys, or suspicious characters in unsavory situations. This is 100% melodrama. And now on dvd--hurray!
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