Outrage

Certainly deserved to be made and get the ball rolling on serious women issues in film. I'm almost of the opinion that this can only exist as something of historical significance with its clunky dialogue and just about all of the runtime being occupied by a lead actress that only sometimes makes things work.

I've always liked Ida Lupino, and this is the first time I've seen her do something that feels personal. The first half is magnificent - the leering and the lechery are almost physically exhausting - but it craps out when it shifts perspective to the sanctimonious and dull priest.

There's no denying that it's a daring film. And the opening act is amazingly executed. It's worth watching the film just for that. But the rest, for all its good intentions, is just too hokey to be effective and the third rate actors don't help. At least the lead is good.

A melodrama full of innocence and naivete. The script and directing aren't too sophisticated and the entire conclusion is terribly silly and tacky. Still, aside from the fact of its immense historical importance as the film that shattered the glass ceiling for female filmmakers in mainstream cinema, it is obvious that Lupino has a vision, a voice, and interesting things to say. All of these things shine through and make this a moving, thought-provoking film despite its simplemindedness.

In another universe, or perhaps even just in a country where movies weren't forcibly sanitized, this could have been the start of a long and revolutionary career for Lupino. The first act is stunning, a bit of overacting notwithstanding, with Lupino using both sound and images to deliver some harshness and trauma that early 50s Hollywood barely had words for. Unfortunately the film falls into predictable, if well-intentioned, melodrama after that, but it doesn't rob the first bit of its power.

The subject matter was extreme for the time period and the acting for the most part was solid except for Mala Powers who really overacted almost to the point of parody. The whole thing is so earnest with its message it hard to dislike the movie. It gets pretty preachy at the end which sours things a bit.

This isn't a classic studio picture that distills rape into an easily digestible topic. Instead Ida Lupino's writing, editing, and photography create a nightmare world that translates the lead's PTSD for an audience. Yet the second half loses this insightful thematic core as it turns into a melodrama about a woman far away from home. Still, the ending is very progressive as it shows how men engineer toxic systems only to blame women for participating. Admirable, underrated, and worth a watch.

Dated in style but packed full of themes still being explored in cinema today.

A primeira metade é uma obra prima, tem aquela tensão que o Fritz Lang conseguiu com M, o desenrolar é pertinente com a época, com O Segundo Sexo da Beauvoir recém lançado, ainda não era difundida a ideia de que o estupro é algo inerente à sociedade patriarcal e não uma "doença" de alguns individuos como o padre/pastor diz em seu discurso que hoje soa extremamente datado, apesar de ter alguns reacionários que ainda pensam assim. No mais, é um divisor de águas, por tocar num assunto

Absolutely groundbreaking at the time from Ida Lupino. That scene was traumatic, and it builds on the effects of the mental torment such an experience would create. Might feel dated today, but this was a time they didn't really talk too much about the affects of rape, so it was an important message to speak out on.