Phone Call from a Stranger

One where the premise is definitely more intriguing than the result. I got fooled by the DVD blurb, which made it sound like a gemlike noir, but in reality it's just a few strands of soap opera tied together. Good cast though.

I had no idea what this was about for the first hour or so. The film was entertaining but I as waiting for most of the film for Bette Davis.

Outstanding drama with great character performances by all.

A melodramatic film that doesn't really have much to offer. It's not terrible, but it's definitely not good either.

A pedestrian script prevents anyone involved from elevating what is essentially a soap opera into anything more... until Bette Davis appears. Her work is so far above anyone else's that it's startling... suddenly, in the last 20 minutes, this is a movie worth watching. And her scene is one of the few in any of her movies that is truly touching, and ultimately, deeply moving.

Interesting concept, but one that delivers a lot less than it promises. The first half ticks along nicely, with a typically ebullient performance by Shelley Winters, but once the plane goes down it turns into a fairly mundane melodrama. The different stories are interesting in their own right, but Merrill's involvement in each one feels pretty contrived and unconvincing.

How long was Bette Davis in this? 5 minutes? I kept waiting for her and it ended-up being a highly forgettable high-billed "cameo". Instead it's Shelley Winters, Michael Rennie and Gary Merrill doing their best to compensate for the main dish showing up late. The film had interesting format ideas, but the execution was more "what are they aiming for?" than "I'm loving this". None of the stories truly comes to life, and it ends up more dull than it deserved to be.