It is hard to believe about this film, which came out in 1945, that we see Joan Bennett as this alluring seemingly young woman who attracts all manner of men. Yet only 5 years hence the same actress is being cast as Elizabeth Taylor's mother in Father of the Bride. Quite a remarkable and very quick cinematic transition.
shareWhat is really amazing to me is that if you look at photos of her from "Father of the Bride," she is only 40 years old at the time, but looks a whole generation removed from her look and persona in "Scarlet Street" and "The Woman in the Window." IMO, she is unrecognizable as the same person if you hadn't told me, or if I hadn't read the credits.
I think a lot of it has to do with hairstyle of course, but many celebrities age gracefully into their later years and their beauty is still somewhat recognizable and undeniable (Kim Novak, anyone?).
When other posters in other boards had mentioned that they had only looked up and watched Joan's 1940's film noir movies out of curiosity, discovering as it were her "other" career, because they had only known her from watching her as a kid on "Dark Shadows," I looked up some photo stills from that 1960's TV show.
I have to tell you that no way would I have ever guessed that THAT was the same Joan Bennett, especially when she had a rather dour expression on her face.
I always thought she was still very attractive on Dark Shadows and aged better than most women then or even today. Not that she was still Scarlet Street hot at that time, of course. She was really amazing to look at in that film.
No blah, blah, blah!
Back then, I don't think women, even beautiful actresses, over 40 or even 45 thought they could or should look young. Also, thousands of stunning young women arrived in Hollywood every year. Shelf life was short. I remember that, in the '60's and '70's, my mother never colored the gray away. Women in her group just did not do that. And, the styles were off the forehead and so stiff. They often looked better once they went entirely gray.