"Seems like we always spend the best part of our time just saying goodbye"

Some of the most beautiful black and white cinematography and lighting ive seen--- Clift is perfect in this role, those intense brooding eyes and sharp features--just as in Judgement at Nuremberg, Clift produces this tortured dusky man; like a fallen prince---and Elizabeth Taylor is this onyx pearl, the apple of his eye and ours. But alas, they'll have to see each other beyond the pale.

someone pointed out that Clift tripped over the rope in the courtroom and perhaps thats why he didn't know why he didn't save the girl... that the rope was tied around his leg and thats why he couldn't swim over to her... thats an interesting idea and if they had wanted to make him innocent thats how it would've been done---look at his leg and theres a rope burn and boom jury brings back a mistrial or something....

but no, i think the intention with the film is that he did want to kill her, when it came down to it, in that moment, he wanted Elizabeth Taylor so much that he did let that moment pass, and the girl drowned. God what a tragedy.

"Seems like we always spend the best part of our time just saying goodbye"

Some of the most beautiful black and white cinematography and lighting ive seen--- Clift is perfect in this role, those intense brooding eyes and sharp features--just as in Judgement at Nuremberg, Clift produces this tortured dusky man; like a fallen prince---and Elizabeth Taylor is this onyx pearl, the apple of his eye and ours. But alas, they'll have to see each other beyond the pale.

someone pointed out that Clift tripped over the rope in the courtroom and perhaps thats why he didn't know why he didn't save the girl... that the rope was tied around his leg and thats why he couldn't swim over to her... thats an interesting idea and if they had wanted to make him innocent thats how it would've been done---look at his leg and theres a rope burn and boom jury brings back a mistrial or something....

but no, i think the intention with the film is that he did want to kill her, when it came down to it, in that moment, he wanted Elizabeth Taylor so much that he did let that moment pass, and the girl drowned. God what a tragedy.

damn

damn

Lizzie in that white dress at the pool table, slide fade to the parlor where they dance in the doorway under the arch, music swelling, Lizzie in soft focus staring up at Clift. Kind of why we go to the movies, no?

Lizzie in that white dress at the pool table, slide fade to the parlor where they dance in the doorway under the arch, music swelling, Lizzie in soft focus staring up at Clift. Kind of why we go to the movies, no?

Such an introspective temperament for a film made in the early 50’s. Clift is warming on me a bit. Taylor is perfect as always.

Such an introspective temperament for a film made in the early 50’s. Clift is warming on me a bit. Taylor is perfect as always.

It struck me that these days there aren’t many films that are purely about someone being very immoral. And I don’t think we’re too meta or postmodernist for them. Anybody these days watching this is gonna say “that’s evil.” It is though very serious stuff and difficult to take, such is the nature of these Shakespearean tragedies in film noir form. 

This one is about the allure of increasing one’s station, and boldly proposes that even attempting to do so is a violent act. The presiding social structure imposes itself coercively and piercing it necessarily involves violence. Mad.

It’s in this grim darkness where most of the value lies, but less so in the sometimes hokey moments.

It struck me that these days there aren’t many films that are purely about someone being very immoral. And I don’t think we’re too meta or postmodernist for them. Anybody these days watching this is gonna say “that’s evil.” It is though very serious stuff and difficult to take, such is the nature of these Shakespearean tragedies in film noir form. 

This one is about the allure of increasing one’s station, and boldly proposes that even attempting to do so is a violent act. The presiding social structure imposes itself coercively and piercing it necessarily involves violence. Mad.

It’s in this grim darkness where most of the value lies, but less so in the sometimes hokey moments.