Walk Softly, Stranger
Crime • Drama • Romance
Theatrical (limited) Release (US)
~ A Strange Lie! A Strange Love! ~
Overview:
A petty crook moves to an Ohio town and courts a factory owner's disabled daughter.
Director:
Robert Stevenson
Status:
Released
Language:
English
Buget:
$0.00
Revenue:
Key words:
Cast
Joseph Cotten
~ as ~
Chris Hale aka Steve
Alida Valli
Elaine Corelli
Spring Byington
Mrs. Brentman
Paul Stewart
Whitey Lake
Jack Paar
Ray Healy
Jeff Donnell
Gwen
John McIntire
Morgan
Howard Petrie
Bowen
Frank Puglia
A.J. Corelli
Esther Dale
Miss Thompson
John Chard
Written 11 year(s) ago
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Walk Softly, Stranger is directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Frank Fenton. It stars Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Spring Byington, Paul Stewart and Jack Paar. Music is by Frederick Hollander and cinematography by Harry J. Wild.
Chris Hale (Cotton) arrives in Ashton, Ohio, with manipulation and a robbery on his mind. But when he meets wheelchair bound Elaine Corelli (Valli), it alters the course of his future plans…
It’s the other Cotton and Valli movie, the one that isn’t The Third Man. It’s also the movie that marked the wind of change at RKO as Howard Hughes breezed into the studio and promptly set about putting his own stamp on things, badly as it happens. Walk Softly, Stranger sat on the shelf for two years and subsequently got released in 1950, no doubt due in part to the success of The Third Man the year previously.
It’s a strange blend of romantic melodrama – cum thriller – with some film noir edginess, something which doesn’t all together work. It’s very slowly paced and settles into a mood approaching disquiet, a femme fatale of sorts is nicely set up, and the whole “just one last job” vibe keeps interest in the story high. Acting from Cotton and Valli is strong, Paul Stewart is as usual good value when playing a twitchy loser bad guy type, and Byington almost steals the film from the leads with an ebullient show as the widow Brentman.
Unfortunately, come the final third the picture fails to deliver on its moody promise, choosing instead to rely on one action set-piece and a waft of optimism for pic’s closure. It’s not the pay off required or hoped for, a shame because as a production in general it’s of good quality. 6/10