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Sudden Fear

Play trailer Poster for Sudden Fear Released Aug 6, 1952,  1h 50m,  Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Buy Now Watchlist 92% 12 Reviews Tomatometer 84% 1,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Following a whirlwind courtship, acclaimed playwright Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) marries Lester Blaine (Jack Palance), a slick actor she has just fired from her latest play. Shortly after the honeymoon, Myra overhears Lester and his lover, Irene (Gloria Grahame), plotting to murder the wealthy writer for her inheritance. Shattered by the revelation, Myra pulls herself together and hatches a revenge scheme. But can she go through with her violent plans?
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Sudden Fear

Critics Reviews

View All (12) Critics Reviews
Melissa Anderson Village Voice Like many underrecognized treasures, David Miller's Sudden Fear fits into and defies different genres, its convention-scrambling partly the result of the fact that the film looks both forward and back. Aug 10, 2016 Full Review Francois Truffaut Cahiers du Cin茅ma Outside of two very short but fairly unpleasing sequences, there is not a shot in this film that isn鈥檛 necessary to its dramatic progression. Not a shot, either, that isn鈥檛 fascinating and doesn鈥檛 make us think it is a masterpiece of filmmaking. May 10, 2022 Full Review

Audience Reviews

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Bill B Slow start but finds itself a satisfying, if a bit predictable, finale. I was most impressed with Palance, who plays his dual role convincingly from both sides. More of a suspense drama than traditional film noir. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/10/24 Full Review Jeff M This is an absolute must for anyone who loves classic movies, particularly film noir of the 40s and 50s. It's an extraordinarily entertaining and surprisingly engrossing tale of love, betrayal and revenge. At its best moments, it feels like something Hitchcock would have been proud to make at the peak of his prowess. There's one moment in particular during the climax involving a wind-up toy that had my pulse racing. Crawford is stupendous here - it's a shame her reputation has been overshadowed by the MOMMIE DEAREST persona because one tends to forget she was one heck of a movie star. Palance had a face that was made for villainy and holds his own in one of his very first movie roles. Both were Oscar nominated and deservedly so. The last 20 minutes are a whirlwind, and while I had an idea where we'd end up, I had no idea how we were going to get there. In the end, it all falls upon padded shoulders of Crawford, and she is electrifying - equal here to her Oscar-winning turn in MILDRED PIERCE. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/24 Full Review
Sudden Fear

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Movie Info

Synopsis Following a whirlwind courtship, acclaimed playwright Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) marries Lester Blaine (Jack Palance), a slick actor she has just fired from her latest play. Shortly after the honeymoon, Myra overhears Lester and his lover, Irene (Gloria Grahame), plotting to murder the wealthy writer for her inheritance. Shattered by the revelation, Myra pulls herself together and hatches a revenge scheme. But can she go through with her violent plans?
Director
David Miller
Producer
Joe Kaufmann
Screenwriter
Robert Smith, Lenore J. Coffee
Production Co
Joseph Kaufmann Productions
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 6, 1952, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 13, 2016
Runtime
1h 50m
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