Joan Bennett and James Mason in "The Reckless Moment"

Max Ophuls, a renowned German director who only made four films in the United States, directed The Reckless Moment (1949). It starred Joan Bennett and James Mason. It was only Mason’s third American film. The film is based on The Blank Wall (1947), a novel written by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. The cinematography was by Burnett Guffey who won Academy Awards for From Here to Eternity (1953) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967).

The plot involves Lucia Harper (Bennett) who is trying to keep Ted Darby (Shepperd Strudwick) a low-life criminal from seeing her teenage daughter Bea (Geraldine Brooks). He tells Lucia that he’s willing to stop seeing Bea for a price. Lucia is confident that when she tells her daughter Darby’s true feelings the relationship will come to an end. This is film noir so no situation gets resolved that easily. Without giving anything away, let’s just say things go horribly wrong, exposing Lucia’s daughter and family to some pretty despicable characters. 

Max Ophuls (1931-1957) was born in Germany where his film career began. After it was clear the Nazis would take power in Germany, Ophuls, a jew, moved to France in 1933 where he became a French citizen in 1938. After the fall of France, he traveled through Switzerland and Italy, eventually ending up in the United States. In Hollywood, Ophuls directed Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in The Exile (1947), Joan Fontaine and Louis Jordan in Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), and Caught starring James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Robert Ryan. The Reckless Moment would be his last Hollywood film before he returned to France, where he directed major successes La Ronde (1950) and The Earrings of Madame de…(1953) starring Charles Boyer and Danielle Darrieux.

James Mason (1909 – 1984) was an English actor who was a movie star in the UK before coming to Hollywood. His popular British films include The Seventh Veil (1945) and The Wicked Lady co-starring Margaret Lockwood (1945). His performance in Carol Reed’s Odd Man Out (1947) brought him international acclaim and success in Hollywood. In Hollywood he starred in four films in 1949: Caught, Madame Bovary with Jennifer Jones, The Reckless Moment with Joan Bennett, and East Side, West Side with Barbara Stanwyck. Other popular American films include The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951), The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), Julius Caesar (1953), A Star is Born (1954), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Island in the Sun (1957), North by Northwest (1959), Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959), and Lolita (1963). Mason continued to work in film and television up to the time of his death.

James Mason and Joan Bennett

Joan Bennett (1910–1990) began her film career during the early sound era. A natural blonde, Bennett dyed her hair as a plot device in the film Trade Winds (1938). As a brunette, Bennett projected a sultry persona that had her compared to the brunette beauty, Hedy Lamarr. During this period she starred in two costume epics. She played Princess Maria Theresa in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) and Grand Duchess Zona of Lichtenburg in The Son of Monte Cristo (1940). Bennett was one of two finalists for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), along with Paulette Goddard. She had a very successful collaboration with the director Fritz Lang. With Lang, she starred in the classics Man Hunt (1940), The Woman in the Window (1944), and Scarlet Street (1945). Bennett acted on stage and on television where she became a pop culture icon playing Elizabeth Collins Stoddard on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows (1966-1971).

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The Reckless Moment trivia

• This was the last American film directed by Max Ophuls.
• This was the first film in which Bennett is the mother of an adult daughter.
• Geraldine Brooks was 24 years old when she played Bennett's 17-year-old daughter.
• Bennett made a career switch with this film, going from femme fatale to the "perfect" mother in films like Father of the Bride (1950) and Father's Little Dividend (1951).
• The movie The Deep End (2001) starring Tilda Swinton is loosely based on this film.

Discussion  questions

1. Did The Reckless Moment fit the film noir classification in your opinion?
2. What did you make of James Mason's character? 
3. Were the family dynamics believable? 
4. Could you relate to Bennett's dilemma? 
5. Filmed in Balboa, Newport Beach, and Los Angeles, California. Did the location filming give the film a more realistic feel?
6. Did anything in the film surprise you?
7. Did The Reckless Moment remind you of any other classic movies?

James Mason and Joan Bennett

“The Reckless Moment”—an overlooked film noir gem

Max Ophuls, a renowned German director who only made four films in the United States, directed The Reckless Moment (1949). It starred Joan Bennett and James Mason. It was only Mason’s third American film.

The plot involves Lucia Harper (Bennett), who is trying to keep Ted Darby (Shepperd Strudwick), a low-life criminal, from seeing her teenage daughter, Bea (Geraldine Brooks). He tells Lucia that he’s willing to stop seeing Bea for a price. Lucia is confident that when she tells her daughter Darby’s true feelings, the relationship will come to an end. This is film noir, so no situation gets resolved that easily. Without giving anything away, let’s just say things go horribly wrong, exposing Lucia’s daughter and family to some pretty despicable characters.

Joan Bennett in a pivotal scene from The Reckless Moment

The Backstory
Director Ophuls (1931-1957) was born in Germany, where his film career began. After it was clear the Nazis would take power in Germany, Ophuls, a jew, moved to France in 1933, where he became a French citizen in 1938. After the fall of France, he traveled through Switzerland and Italy, eventually ending up in the United States. In Hollywood, Ophuls directed Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in The Exile (1947), Joan Fontaine and Louis Jordan in Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), and Caught starring James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Robert Ryan. The Reckless Moment would be his last Hollywood film before he returned to France, where he directed major successes La Ronde (1950) and The Earrings of Madame de…(1953), starring Charles Boyer and Danielle Darrieux.

Joan Bennett (1910–1990) began her film career during the early sound era. A natural blonde, Bennett dyed her hair as a plot device in the film Trade Winds (1938). As a brunette, Bennett projected a sultry persona that had her compared to brunette beauty Hedy Lamarr. During this period, she starred in two costume epics. She played Princess Maria Theresa in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) and Grand Duchess Zona of Lichtenburg in The Son of Monte Cristo (1940).

Joan Bennett in a still from one of her screen tests for Gone with the Wind. This is the famous paddock scene.

Almost Scarlett O’Hara
Bennett was one of two finalists for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), along with Paulette Goddard, who appeared to be the front-runner. There was concern that Goddard’s marriage to Charley Chaplin wasn’t legal, which made Bennett’s prospects to play Scarlett almost certain until Vivian Leigh showed up to watch the filming of the burning of Atlanta scenes on the Selznick backlot. Despite that disappointment, Bennett had a distinguished film career. She worked with many of the top directors of the period, including George Cukor, Mitchell Leisen, Tay Garnett, Henry Hathaway, and Vincente Minnelli. She had a very successful collaboration with the director Fritz Lang. With Lang, she starred in the classics Man Hunt (1940), The Woman in the Window (1944), and Scarlet Street (1945). She worked with the French director Jean Renoir in The Woman on the Beach and with director Zoltan Korda in The Macomber Affair (both 1947), co-starring Gregory Peck. In 1950, she became the perfect wife and mother in Father of the Bride (1950) and its sequel, Father’s Little Dividend (1951), both directed by Minnelli. A scandal after the release of Dividend pretty much ended Bennett’s film career. She continued to act on stage and on television, where she became a pop culture icon playing Elizabeth Collins Stoddard on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows (1966-1971).

James Mason (1909-1984) was an English actor who was a popular film star in Great Britain before he came to Hollywood. Mason was a top box office star in the UK with hits like The Seventh Veil, The Wicked Lady (both 1945), and Odd Man Out (1947).

Barbara Stanwyck and James Mason in East Side, West Side (1949)

Hollywood Calling
Mason went to Hollywood to make Caught (1949), directed by Ophuls. He made three other films in 1949: Madame Bovary, East Side, West Side, and The Reckless Moment. In 1951, he entered into an agreement with 20th Century Fox, where they signed a seven-year contract. At Fox, he starred as General Rommel in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) directed by Henry Hathaway. It was a commercial and financial success. He reprised the role in The Desert Rats (1953), co-starring a young Richard Burton, with direction by Robert Wise. In 1954, he played the evil Sir Brack in Prince Valiant and Captain Nemo in Disney’s 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea. That same year, he starred in the role he is probably most identified with, Norman Maine in A Star Is Born, co-starring Judy Garland. For his performance in that film, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He continued to act through the fifties and sixties in a variety of films, including North by Northwest, Journey to the Center of the Earth (both 1959), The Marriage-Go-Round (1961), Lolita (1962), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Georgy Girl (1966), and Mayerling (1968). During the 1970s and 1980s, Mason continued to act in film and on television. In 1982, Mason was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in The Verdict, starring Paul Newman.

Joan Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor Trivia
Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor share the same birthday: February 27.
Bennett played Amy March in Little Women 1933.
Taylor played Amy in Little Women 1949.
Both Bennett and Taylor were grandmothers at 39.
Both Bennett and Taylor gave birth to one of their children on their birthdays.
Bennett and Taylor played mother and daughter, respectively, in Father of the Bride and Father’s Little Dividend.

You can read more about Joan Bennett by clicking here.

Classic Movie Man’s Favorite Christmas Movies: 2018 Edition

Another Christmas season is upon us and I’ve put together some more Christmas movies for your enjoyment. Not every choice can be considered a Christmas movie, but each feature the holiday prominently. One of the choices takes place almost entirely at a Christmas office party. I hope you enjoy these films and have a wonderful holiday season.

Lon McCallister, Charlotte Greenwood and Walter Brennan celebrate Christmas in
Home in Indiana

Home in Indiana—1944 is set in the world of harness racing. It also featured the official film debuts of popular female 20th Century-Fox stars: Jeanne Crain and June Haver. Crain plays Charlotte “Char” Bruce, the tomboy daughter of horse trainer Jed Bruce (Ward Bond). Haver plays Christopher “Cri-Cri” Boole, spoiled daughter of track owner Goodall Boole (Charles Dingle). Char is sweet and good-natured. Cri-Cri is a self-centered flirt who although friends with Char, looks down on her because she isn’t rich. The plot heats up a bit when J. F. “Thunder” (Walter Brennan) and Penny Bolt’s (Charlotte Greenwood) nephew “Sparke” Thornton (Lon McCallister) comes to live with them. Char is attracted to Sparke, but he considers her one of the boys. Cri-Cri has a steady boyfriend, but flirts shamelessly with Sparke, leading him to suspect she likes him. A key scene take place during Christmas when Sparke visits Cri-Cri presenting her with a present. Cri-Cri pretends to like Sparke’s gift. When she’s alone with Char, Cri-Cri reveals what she really thinks. It’s at this point that we know that Char is desperate for Sparke to notice her and in the end he does.

Backstory: The film played in theaters throughout Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky before it went into wide release. The Academy nominated the movie for its color cinematography. April Love, a musical version of Home in Indiana was made in 1957 starring Pat Boone and Shirley Jones.

John Garfield and Eleanor Parker beside the fallen Christmas tree in
Pride of the Marines

The Pride of the Marines—1945 is based on the true story of Al Schmid, a Marine who was blinded during the battle of Guadalcanal. John Garfield plays Schmid who proposes marriage to Ruth Hartley (Eleanor Parker), his long-time girlfriend before he goes off to war. After he’s blinded and discharged from the Marines, Al’s friend and G.I. buddy Diamond (Dane Clark) tricks him into going home to Philadelphia during the Christmas holidays. Ruth who has never doubted her devotion to Al is desperately trying to convey this to him, but he’s too proud to admit he might have to depend on his friends and family more than he would have if he could see. The Christmas scene gets very dramatic and is a turning point in the film. Al argues with Ruth and quickly gets up to leave, but he crashes into the Christmas tree, knocking it to the ground. The film features great performances from Garfield, Parker, and Clark. Director Delmer Daves and Producer Jerry Wald turned out an entertainment that holds up well as both entertainment and a history of what life was like for disabled veterans of World War II and the families that loved them.

Backstory: John Garfield met Al Schmid during his rehabilitation before a movie was ever planned.

Joan Bennett does some Christmas shopping before things begin to unravel in
The Reckless Moment

The Reckless Moment—1949 is an underrated film noir classic, directed by German-born Max Ophuls. During the Christmas holidays, while her husband is away on business, Lucia Harper (Joan Bennett) discovers that her 17-year-old daughter, Bea (Geraldine Brooks) is having an affair with a sleazy criminal, Ted Darby (Shepperd Strudwick). To protect her daughter, Lucia confronts Ted. She orders him to stop seeing Bea, but Ted will only do so if she pays him off. Lucia refuses and tells Bea about her meeting with Ted, which leads to a terrible argument between mother and daughter. Bea and Ted meet and things do not go well. After the meeting, Ted accidentally injures himself, which eventually leads to his death by a jetty near the Harper’s house. When Lucia discovers the body, she thinks Bea is responsible for Ted’s death so she takes the body and hides it in a swamp. The body is discovered by the police which puts more pressure on Lucia to shield her daughter. Another criminal, Martin Donnelly (James Mason) is in possession of the letters that Bea wrote to Ted. If Lucia doesn’t come up with $5000, Martin will pass the letters along to the police, which could lead to Bea being charged with murder. Lucia is half crazed with keeping this situation from her family, while she prepares for Christmas! The irony of these horrible situations taking place during the Christmas holidays cannot be ignored. What should be a happy peaceful time for the Harper family turns into a nightmare for Lucia. Things take a strange twist when Martin begins to fall in love with Lucia, which in an odd way makes things turn out for the best. Are you dying to see this movie now?

Backstory: This was James Mason’s third American film. Joan Bennett was married to the producer, Walter Wanger, from 1940 until 1965. Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, edited by Steven Schneider.

Nancy Kwan, Joyce Blair, Victor Spinetti, and Terry-Thomas during the height of
the office Christmas party in The Wild Affair

The Wild Affair (1965) is a little-known film from the swinging 60s! Almost the entire movie takes place at an office Christmas party—like they don’t have anymore—at a fancy cosmetics company in London. Filmed in 1963, but not released until 1965, the movie fell through the cracks. It stars Nancy Kwan as Marjorie Lee, a young office assistant who is about to be married and is having some doubts about her romantic choices. When she looks in the mirror, she sees her alter ego, Sandra, a sexier version of herself staring back at her. Sandra encourages Marjorie to let herself go and mix it up with as many men as possible before she settles down to a life of ironing and housekeeping. Marjorie’s last day at work just happens to land on the date for the office Christmas party and just the place for our heroine to perhaps have a last fling before the wedding. As the workday begins, Marjorie is romanced by an overseas salesman and just about every male in her office, especially at the party when the alcohol starts flowing. The makeup artist at Marjorie’s company makes her over in what he calls the “vampire look.” When Marjorie looks in the mirror, she sees Sandra, her sexier self. At first she’s startled, but then decides to go with it. Kwan is terrific as Marjorie and she is dressed by designer Mary Quant and given an iconic hairstyle by the soon-to-be famous Vidal Sassoon. Will Marjorie have a fling at the office party or will she remain true to her fiance? The film features great support from a British cast that includes Terry-Thomas as the adulterous head of the cosmetics company.


Backstory: The release of the movie was held up for over a year, which pretty much doomed it to obscurity. Had it been released in 1963, it would have been cutting edge, but when released in 1965, its edge had worn off. Vidal Sasson’s short cut on Kwan caused a sensation when she was pictured in the U.K. edition of Vogue.

Marjorie’s makeover in The Wild Affair

To check out past year’s favorite movie choices, click on links below. 

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2010 Edition
Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2011 Edition

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2012 Edition

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2013 Edition

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2014 Edition

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2015 Edition

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2016 Edition

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2017 Edition