Tag Archives: joan crawford

The Damned Don’t Cry [1950] 1. Always, the sound of oil pumps in the background. 2. The main room of the club is a series of low-slung arches receding into the background. 3. Patricia, pronounced puh-TREE-sha.

Possessed [1947] 1. Dissolve from water pitcher to dark water. 2. “The polka has changed a lot since it was in my day. Something new has been added.” 3. She leans against the quilted headboard, staring straight ahead with a … Continue reading →

Humoresque [1946] 1. We watch him play the violin through the snifter she’s holding. 2. “It isn’t what you are, it’s what you don’t become that hurts.” 3. Upon exiting the water they climb up to the terrace, where she … Continue reading →

Mildred Pierce [1945] 1. The cop whacks his nightstick across the rail. 2. He walks past Ida, who’s just coming in, saying, “I hate all women.” 3. She tears up the check and gets slapped, falls against the wall.

A Woman’s Face [1941] 1. Motif: faces dissolving into flashbacks. 2. As the embrace deepens he tightens his grip on her neck. 3. Sleigh-powered whip battle.

The Story of Esther Costello [1957] 1. “You can’t turn a hard woman into a soft woman. It’s like hardboiling an egg backwards.” 2. “Book. Book. Book. Book. Book.” 3. Perverse: rape heals her psychological trauma.

Autumn Leaves [1956] 1. “Am I a neurotic need?” 2. She takes off her apron and unconsciously wraps it around the plate she was drying. She then carries the bundle around the room. 3. Chicken salad, no bread.