Customer Reviews

Strange Love of Martha Ivers [Blu-ray] [Import]

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This review refers to the Alpha Video (Gotham) DVD.

Overall Quality of DVD: ***1/2 /**** Sound: *** /**** Plot: ***1/2 /**** Acting: ***1/2 /**** Cinematography: ***1/2 /**** Direction: ***1/2 /****

You will be surprised at the quality of this GOTHAM transfer. There are some frame skips but other than that this DVD is a steal-of-a-deal and an "A"-rated film-noir!

Kirk Douglas and Barbara Stanwyck are very intense in their roles but, in my opinion, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott steal the show. Lizabeth Scott plays the beaten-down, always-taken-advantage-of, world-weary, down-on-her-luck, cute, sexy girl that... well, you just want to take her in your arms and give her a hug, yet, you also know if you do, you will probably have to kiss her and then you'll probably fall in love with her (just as Van Heflin does). In my opinion, this is Lizabeth Scotts' best role that I've seen ("Dead Reckoning" she is also quite good in - "Too Late For Tears" she is not as strong). She seems to need a strong hand in direction and when she gets it she can give A-level performances.

Mickey Kuhn as the young Kirk Douglas, Darryl Hickman (Dwayne Hickman's "Dobie Gillis" younger brother) as the young Van Heflin and Janis Wilson as the young Martha Ivers give riveting performances and are so "in character" in looks and mannerisms with the adult actors it will amaze you!

Also, Judith Anderson (Mrs. Danvers (Danny) in "Rebecca") gives a wonderfully sinister performance.

This is an "A+" story, acted well, directed well, filmed well, great production design and a very smooth transfer.

This film is worthy of restoration but is worthy in its present incarnation as is.

Van Heflin is a gambler who returns to his hometown and gets tangled up with some childhood friends. He left town the night Martha killed her cold-hearted aunt, a murder that was successfully covered up. Now the grown-up Martha, played by Barbara Stanwyck, and especially her weak husband, played by Kirk Douglas, fear he might reveal what happened that night. Heflin gets involved with Lizabeth Scott, a convict, who fears his past relationship with Stanwyck will take Heflin from her. In this film noir, none of the characters is particularly likeable, each trying to protect themselves. There is some biting dialogue and effective use of music, although sometimes it becomes a little overpowering. Stanwyck is terrific as usual, really delivering in the latter scenes. Douglas is too strong of a presence to play the weak, manipulated husband, and would have been better off trading with Heflin. Scott has a strange screen presence, and although it fits the character somewhat, she never seems quite comfortable. But the characters are fascinating (typical for film noir) and the story is really interesting, despite the poor choice of a title. Since so much of this film centres on guilt and how difficult it can be to escape one's past, I think a better title for the film would have been The Guilt of Martha Ivers.

The story opens in 1928, as rebellious teen Martha Ivers is trying to run away from her mean and powerful aunt. Helping Martha is her pal from across the tracks, Sam. They never do escape that night, but something far more dramatic happens involving Martha, her aunt, and a kitten named Bundles.

I really enjoyed this movie, which is an unusual mix of film noir, melodrama, romance, and mystery. Barbara Stanwyck plays grown-up Martha and is perfectly cast as a tough-as-nails and utterly ruthless woman. Her husband is well-played by Kirk Douglas, in his film debut. He's very young but very confident and convincing as an alcoholic loser. The real star of the show is Van Heflin who plays grown-up Sam, a street-wise charmer who can handle himself in a fight. Heflin is handsome, charismatic, and very sympathetic and reminded me of a young William Holden. He is paired with sultry Lizabeth Scott, who was made for film noir tough gal parts.

The script is clever and fast-paced and I was on the edge of my seat right up to the very satisfying ending. If you like gritty, character-driven dramas with plenty of twists and turns, you'll like this movie.

How else but the terrific Barbara Stanwyck could have performed this largely unsympathic role and still had us, the audience , rooting for her?
"Strange Love" is a great film which doesn't seem to be as well known as the great classic "Double Indemnity" but it deserves to be.
Barbara Stanwyck tends to be known for her tough lady characters but in reality alot of her best performances were in very sympathic and feminine roles like "Stella Dallas" and "My Reputation" She was a great actress who could easily play both comedy and drama. In this film she is a ruthless lady hiding a dark secret from her childhood involving murder and deception who believes that her evil past has come back to haunt her in the form of childhood cohort Van Heflin.
What develops in this story is a tense cat and mouse game with both parties waiting to see who will make the next move. Tense stuff indeed and the film is quite rivetting right up to the end.Judith Anderson has a brief but telling role in the first flash back section of the film and ends up a murder victim. She plays Barbara's aunt as a mean, vicious monster which I feel almost lends Barbaras later character a little sympathy. That is what is so unique about "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" no character is really as they first seem , every character has other elements to their makeup not obvious at first. It really is intriguing. Lizabeth Scott also has an important role as the girl from the wrong sid eof the tracks just trying to go straight and make good. Hers is a great performance and her one scene with Stanwyck positively crackles.
The overraul look of the film is lavish with that certain noir quality. Barbara , although not acclaimed as a great beauty is here as always a very attractive woman even when playing a nasty character. As always she is dressed superbly by the great Edith Head. The collaboration of these two women on so many films over the years was definately one of the great partnerships of Hollywood's golden age.
Settle back and enjoy one of the great Stanwyck classics!

"The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" is a film noir tale that will leave you on the edge of your seat throughout viewing. It is a real potboiler of a story, that involves greed, jealousy, hatred and obsession. All four leads in this sordid tale are excellent. Barbra Stanwyck is wonderful, as the town's richest, women who is torn by keeping a terrible secret and the man she really loves, but cannot have.Kirk Douglas is in his first role as Stanwyck's jealous, but weak husband.Van Heflin is great in the center stage role of an innocent guy who gets caught between the two schemers. And last but not least, lizbeth Scott turns in a very sexy performance, as the grade B bad girl, who always winds up in trouble.For fans of the film noir movie genre, this one is right up there with "Double Indemnity". A must Have!

Sam Masterson left Iverstown with a traveling circus as a boy in 1928. 18 years later, having been everywhere and done his share of everything, including being a decorated war veteran, Sam (Van Heflin) finds himself back in Iverstown when he has car trouble as he is heading out West. He intends only to stay a day, and has the fortune to meet a young woman named Toni (Lizabeth Scott) whom he likes very much en route to his hotel. But when the town's first lady, Martha Ivers (Barbara Stanwyck) and her District Attorney husband, Walter (Kirk Douglas), who were childhood friends of Sam's, find out he is in town, they are immediately suspicious. Jealous over Martha's past affection for Sam and paranoid about his own political career, Walter assumes that Sam has come to stir up trouble concerning the untimely death of Martha's Aunt 18 years before. And Walter starts plotting against him.

The film's title very nearly says it all. "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" is about just that: the nature of the affection that Martha has had for Sam since she was a girl and how it influences her actions when she sees him again. The film was directed by Lewis Milestone on what looks like a substantial budget. "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" is a slicker production than is often associated with film noir. It was written by Robert Rossen, who adapted the screenplay from John Patrick's short story "Love Lies Bleeding", as yet unpublished at the time the film was made. The incomparable Barbara Stanwyck once again proves herself to be the queen of noir. Martha Ivers is a complex, inscrutable, and ruthless character, whom Stanwyck plays to perfection. This is Kirk Douglas' first film role and one of his most memorable. Walter is alcoholic, racked with guilt, manipulative, ruthless, but very much in love with his domineering wife. Douglas' performance reveals Walter in all of his pathetic intricacy. Van Heflin is wonderful as the film's "everyman" fighting to survive in circumstances beyond his control. Sam reminds me of the protagonist in another wonderful classic film noir, "D.O.A.". Both characters are victims of circumstance. But in this case, the situation is beyond Sam's control because he isn't aware that there is a situation. It 's the things you don't know that hurt you. I found "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" complex, sinister characters fascinating. It has just the right amount of gleeful cynicism. And I thoroughly enjoyed the film's unpredictability. It has become one of my favorite classic noirs, due in large part to its well-drawn villainous duo. I encourage fans of the genre to give it a try.

The DVD (This refers to the Parade DVD only): Includes written bios of the cast, screenwriter, director, and composer of the film's score. Subtitles available in Japanese only.

Call me an old romantic but there's something GREAT about B&W movies where megagorgeous girls say to ordinary guys things like "Go ahead and slap me; I had it coming!"

and doesn't match up with the movie.
Very much of its time and not many surprises.
Kirk Douglas, in his first film, is very good.
Very pat ending..the bad guys have to pay, right?

This is my all-time favorite movie. Being a Barbara Stanwyck fan nearly all of my life, I of course had to see this movie. She turns in an excellent performance, as does Van Hefflen (and the quarter) and, in his movie debut, Kirk Douglas. Let's not forget Lizbeth either, never the "other woman" or a fling but instead a person that got caught up in another person while his past caught up with him. Steady pacing, past imperfect, future tense, and a shocking ending. You must see this film.

This is an absorbing drama with excellent performances by the cast including Stanwyck, Douglas, and Heflin. Barbara has the difficult task of making her flawed character tough, yet sympathetic. She pulls this off beautifully. Yes, her past does come back to haunt her, but I was routing for her because what happened in the past was an accident which came about because of the cruel actions of someone else. A fine and intense drama. Recommended!