MovieChat Forums > The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) Discussion > Shockingly bad movie

Shockingly bad movie

posted 20 years ago by buff-29
85 replies | jump to latest

I went to see The Postman Always Rings Twice at the Film Forum "Essential Noir" retrospective, and I want to warn people that this is a lousy movie. Lana Turner looks wonderful and acts as if she knows that she is only required to look wonderful. Hume Cronyn's character is so ridiculous that it probably isn't fair to criticize his acting. But he was lousy, so what if it isn't fair to say so. The plot is convoluted and totally incredible. The only asset here is John Garfield and he doesn't/couldn't save the mess. Director Tay Garnett was later blacklisted, I guess for his politics rather than his lack of talent, but one does wonder. the direction here is lousy. OK, that is off my chest. This movie is a silly waste of time.

[–] dWillVanGreemen 8 years ago

No argument there

You hear about how good this film rates
and then you hear about how good
L Turner gets in there
and then you see good reviews

But years later
when you finally get to see this mess
you are shocked
about how bad it can get
especially back when movies were actually good

If this mess came out today
like that sickening remake
then you'd say
yeah
that's par for the course
but P Rings Twice
is actually glorious black and white
when films were actually classics

L Turner is miscast big time
who would fall for something like that
and then get mixes up in triangles with that
just makes no sense

Not even great actors can save this mess
not J Garfield
not A Reed
not H Cronym
not the rest of em

Suffers from bad script
suffers from bad direction
suffers from bad performance
by so-called leading lady L Turner

Would have been better
to have seen this mess
when you first heard about it
until waiting
through all that over hype
and then get stuck
with a disappinting mess like that

[harp] 🎻 [saint] [candle] [piano]

âª  Not even Mad Scientists
get it right every time