This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
"The joys of love; they last but a short time. The pains of love last all your life."
When Morris returns at the end, Catherine overhears him speaking to her aunt, and de Havilland, with just the slightest of gestures, makes you aware that Catherine loves Morris just as deeply as she did the day he left her behind. She loves him but cannot trust him, so she rejects him. Is her walking up those stairs a triumph? A tragedy?…
Robert Aldrich's film shows the dark side to Hollywood in its portrayal of a actor (Jack Palance) who wants to get out from under his aggressive studio head (Rod Steiger) to life a better life with his wife (Ida Lupino) and son. Steiger and his team of goons (including Wendell Corey as a no-nonsense press agent) have a secret so big over Palance's head that any chance of leaving is fruitless.
Robert Ryan and Van Heflin kept my eyes glued to the screen in this gritty portrayal of the Post-WWII atmosphere in America and the dark secrets many people kept about what went on during the war. Janet Leigh shined in her role as Heflin's devoted wife who even after finding out the dark secret of her husband's life still stood by him. Mary Astor also shone in her role as a prostitute (I think she is) who offers to help Heflin get rid of his issues with Ryan but does more to hurt the situation than help it.
