Gloria Grahame

She really was a terrific actress. The thing that amazes me, though, is the somewhat misbegotten reputation she has as a femme fatale (she was very femme but I take the fatale part very seriously); her only real foray into this characterization is in The Big Heat, but even then she's on the morally right side, and her vengeance is deserved. Instead, I feel her grounding in film noir was as a victim, still hoping for a silver lining in the seemingly hopeless world she inhabits. And this movie is not only no different, but the film's shocking ending left me with the feeling that this woman had lost faith in life, and she beckoned her death because she had nothing left to live for. It's a truly sad, nihilistic ending.

God, why have you forsaken me?
Because I don't exist

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Her final scene on the train is perhaps the greatest moment of her career and certainly the most chilling end for any noir woman--you have the sense that she knows exactly what she's doing, and what the result will be.

It still shocks me, though I've seen the film many times.

She's always great.