The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers

By: Denis Blot

DVD Features Video:1.33:1 B&W Audio: Dolby Digital Mono Theatrical release: 4/24/1946 DVD released on 10/25/2005 by Paramount Running time of 115 minutes Starring: Kirk Douglas, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, Barbara Stanwyck Director: Lewis Milestone Plot: Three youths – Martha, Walter and Sam – are forever bound together by a terrible secret. Decades later, Martha and Walter are now married – she’s a wealthy, successful industrialist; he’s a popular, ambitious District Attorney. But when Sam unexpectedly drifts back into town and into their lives’ tensions rise. Is he simply back for a visit…or is he looking for a payoff to keep their awful secret buried?

There are only a handful of women who posses the beauty, presence, and conviction to be a femme fatale. With her performance in Double Indemnity, Barbara Stanwyck became the most notorious of these. Her voice going from sultry and seductive to simply vengeful and vindictive and her eyes starting from a come hither look only to turn glaringly cold, could break even the hardest man. Its then not surprising that she would be cast in the female lead in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. The character is very much a femme fatale, but the film only masks as a film noir. A dramatic love triangle is what drives the story, a twisted romance lacking the normal mystery and crime found in a film noir.

The film could have been wonderful had the story not indicated early on that Sam knew nothing of the murder that took place. The lack of this information would have generated a great deal of suspense. Instead we witness the drama of seeing Sam harassed by his two childhood friends. Luckily, the drama is superb, tensions mount from sexual frustration, re-kindled lovers, jealousy, and greed.

The drama is effectively conveyed via talented actors. Besides the aforementioned Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas’s performance as a weak cowardly alcoholic is astounding, especially if one has become accustomed to seeing him in action films. Van Heflin’s character works well playing off of Stanwyck and Douglas, though he could have used a bit more of an edge, considering the circles he works in.

The film could have could have certainly used the somber shadow laden lighting and claustrophobic generating camera angles, found in your better film noirs, to great effect in this film. However, director Lewis Milestone was more of an actors director than a visual one, which is why the acting takes center stage.

The DVD unfortunately has no extras. Paramount would have been wise to have at least included the original trailer and actor biographies (particularly since the actors had lengthy careers). Certainly does not make it all that tempting to check out if you have already seen the movie once before, or own it on video.

The film will disappoint those expecting to see as classic film noir, but for those looking for a well acted drama without the devastating feeling one gets at the end of a film noir, look no further.

Reviewer’s Opinion: RENT IT!!