The Postman Always Rings Twice 1946 123movies

Watch: The Postman Always Rings Twice 1946 123movies, Full Movie Online – Drifter Frank Chambers arrives at a quiet California roadside restaurant where he meets and falls for drop-dead gorgeous Cora, the wife of restaurant owner Nick Smith. After weaseling his way into a job, the two begin a deadly love affair and cook up plans to end her marriage and start a new life together. After a few botched attempts at a clean break, they are forced to put their honeymoon on hold after being rerouted into the arms of a D.A. hot to convict and a corrupt lawyer with designs on Cora. Frank and Cora thought they packed just enough luck to avoid what should be unavoidable but the duo failed to account for the possible intervention of a formidable force that doesn’t need a badge..
Plot: A married woman and a drifter fall in love, then plot to murder her husband.
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Ratings:

	7.4/10 Votes: 21,214
	89% | RottenTomatoes
	84/100 | MetaCritic
	N/A Votes: 249 Popularity: 11.167 | TMDB

Reviews:

Though not perfect (the studio and female star could definitely have been improved upon), this is a great noir, and well worth seeking out on blu, as I did, which was on sale and loaded with extras, great ones being feature-length documentaries on the lives and careers of both Lana Turner and John Garfield, each involving huge input from the star’s daughter. Essential viewing for fans of the period, and worth both purchasing and rewatches for fans of noir or of either of the stars.

www.noiroftheweek.com

The Postman Always Rings Twice has one of the most famous character introductions in the history of film.

John Garfield, playing the drifter Frank, arrives at a roadside diner on a hot summer day and orders a burger. The owner of the diner, Nick, runs out to pump some gas leaving Frank alone in the diner. Suddenly a lipstick roll across the floor towards him. Frank (and the camera) looks back to see where it came from. All you see is a bare set of woman’s legs. The camera cuts back to Frank who literally looks like the breath has been knocked out of him. Then there’s a full shot of the leg’s owner – Lana Turner. She all dressed in white and looks like a million dollars. She teases and flirts with Frank but at the same time pretends like she has no interest in him. Moments later you see Frank outside putting a “Man Wanted” sign into a fire. The sign clearly has a double meaning at this point – it’s both an ad for help wanted and “man” wanted. When he finds out that the woman is Nick’s wife he quickly retrieves it. But one more glance at Cora (Turner) in the diner changes his mind again and he puts the sign back into the fire.

Those few moments begin the twisted tale of infidelity and murder told in The Postman Always Rings Twice. Although I think it’s a great film, the rest of the movie could not live up to the opening. I won’t go into the film’s plot in detail because I assume most have seen it. If you haven’t – stop reading and watch it!

The sexual chemistry and star power of the two actors were undeniable and those first few minutes are unforgettable.

Lana Turner began her film career in 1937 but that one scene almost ten years later made her a huge star. MGM made the film (surprising to me. Up until I started to write this review I assumed it was a Warner Bros. production) and they weren’t known for making crime or suspense films. But they were star makers and they had a plan to make Turner the next Jean Harlow. Unfortunately, studios couldn’t make the kind of films they made in the early 1930s due to censorship so they had to rely on the suggestion of sex rather than have characters talk about it or even show it. Turner with her platinum blond hair and perfect figure was up to the task. Unfortunately, she was maybe too “perfect” looking for the part. She comes across too glamorous for most of the film. Jessica Lange, who played the part again years later in the boring 1980s remake, could play sexy but trashy much better.

Garfield – who was borrowed from WB – was already a veteran of these type of films. In fact, his casting is pretty much a no-brainer. Who else but Garfield could play the rebellious Frank better than him? Like Turner, Garfield – who could play scruffy – was here a little too clean cut for the part. An unofficial film version of the story (based on the novel by James M. Cain)from three years earlier, Ossessione,had equally handsome Massimo Girotti play the male lead. But Girotti wore a worn out suit and shoes with holes in them. When Garfield arrives at the diner (driven there but the always-in-the-way district attorney) he’s clean shaved, wearing a black suit and a crisp white shirt. He looks like George Clooney when he gets out of prison in Ocean’s 11. He doesn’t look like a bum who just jumped off the back of a truck like Girotti.

Also, watching it again I found some big problems with the script. The story flaws were no doubt in an attempt to keep the censors happy but they still bothered me.

Some spoilers:

The district attorney (Leon Ames) was aways around – from driving Frank to the diner all the way to the two deaths at the end. Wasn’t he a little too personally involved in the case? Why was he so suspicious of Frank when Nick first goes to the hospital? Why was he called to the hospital in the first place? (When Frank and the D.A. give each other sideways glances at the hospital I had to laugh)

Cara pleads to manslaughter and gets probation? I’m not a lawyer but I would assume she’d get some jail time.

Even if Frank is considered a suspect in Nick’s death clearly the death of Cara is an accident and they wouldn’t have a case against him.

End of spoilers
My re-watch did remind me of some of the things I’d forgotten about and enjoyed. The two lawyers, Ames and Hume Cronyn (who almost steals the whole film), battling it out to a point where they forget about right and wrong is smart and well written regardless of the questionable legal mumbo jumbo. Also, Garfield recites the line “With my brains and your looks we could go places.” The line is even more clever when you realize that Frank Chambers is a dope and Cora has pretty much tricked him in to doing everything. He’s so “whipped” at the end he talks to a priest and wonders if Cora still loves him!

The roadside killing of Nick is also fantastic. Seeing poor Nick singing away when Frank raises the bottle to kill him is great. (Ossessione, by the way, doesn’t show the killing! What’s the old movie rule? “Show it don’t tell it.”)

The middle of Postman sags quite a bit after the suspenseful killing. Even the appearance of Audrey Totter doesn’t liven it up much. Ossessione handles the middle parts and end much better.

But, even with my nitpicking, I have to say The Postman Always Rings Twice is still one of my favorite films thanks to the famous first few minutes that are burned into my memory.

She’s funny that way….
Those movie audiences who think that explicit sexual scenes shown in movies these days make a film sexy, should take a look at this 1946 steamy MGM picture. “The Postman Always Ring Twice” made an impact on the way movies looked at the time, when the censure of the Hays Code dominated what could be shown on the screen for general consumption.

James M. Cain’s novel of the same title was adapted by Harry Ruskin and Niven Busch, two writers that clearly caught all the nuances of the book. Ty Garnett direction made this film a surprise and a star out of the gorgeous Lana Turner, who was at the height of her beauty when the movie was shot. The great camera work of Sidney Wagner made this movie a classic for its sensual look it focused on its female star.

Nick, the older owner of the roadside diner, has married Cora, a woman much too young for him. Cora, who clearly has found her meal ticket, is happy in the way her life has changed. When Frank Chambers arrive at the diner, Cora realizes the mistake she made in marrying Nick; Frank stands in sharp contrast with Nick. Cora’s sexual needs awaken when Frank pays attention to her. As lovers, we realize they are doomed.

Because both Cora and Frank are amateurs, they botch the well laid plans they have for getting rid of Nick. Everything conspires against them because it’s too clear what they have done. They will not be able to get away with the crime, or a life together because unknown to them everyone had seen through them from the beginning.

Lana Turner, whose whole wardrobe is white, made a great Cora. She is heartless, but she is all sexual whenever she is around Frank. This was perhaps was one of the best things Ms. Turner did in the movies. John Garfield, who is so sure of himself, at the start, loses all his will because Cora smolders him and he doesn’t think rationally. Cecil Kellaway is good as the older Nick. Leon Ames, Hume Cronyn are seen in small roles.

“The Postman Always Ring Twice” is a classic of this genre thanks to Ty Garnett’s direction and a brilliant appearance by an inspired Lana Turner.

I love Film Noir,…but wasn’t thrilled with this film
This is one of those films that I just don’t see what others see. While I would agree it’s a decent film with some great moments, it also is very uneven and I can think of many Noir films I like a lot more. Now before I go on there are a couple important things to mention. First, Noir is perhaps my favorite type of film and I have a genuine love for the genre–and having seen so many Film Noir movies I think I have a rather informed opinion. Second, I just saw this film for the second time because I thought perhaps my original assessment for the film was unduly harsh. While I liked it a little more the second time, my opinion didn’t change dramatically.

As far as why I didn’t love the film, I think much of the problem is that casting Cecil Kellaway as the husband of Lana Turner goes WAY beyond just suspending your disbelief to enjoy the film. He was old, drank too much and wasn’t particularly rich or interesting. So, WHY would a lady that looks like Lana Turner marry him in the first place?! And, if she did, of course she’d want to get out of the marriage!! Additionally, the first half of the movie was much weaker than the second. The dialog was pretty sappy and unbelievable between Turner and Garfield until after Kellway returned from the hospital. It just didn’t ring true and didn’t sound like Noir–it needed to be punched up somehow.

For me, the movie improved a lot when the couple were brought to trial for the murder of Kellaway, as Hume Cronin stole the show as the cynical and manipulative defense attorney. He WAS a great Film Noir attorney! And, following his appearance the film just seemed to get a lot smarter. Garfield and Turner’s dialog also improved greatly. While I could not believe they were in love (almost instantly) in the first half of the film, their hatred and contempt was a wonderful antidote to their earlier sappy personalities. And, when they began turning on each other it really took off as a film.

While not a bad film at all, you could certainly do a lot better with a film such as THE KILLERS, DOA or DOUBLE INDEMNITY. Plus, a somewhat similar but underrated film that came out a year later (THEY DON’T BELIEVE ME), is definitely a better take on the adultery and spousal murder theme.

UPDATE: I recently saw a film similar to “The Postman Always Rings Twice” but it handled a very similar story better. In “The Adultress”, you have a story that works better because the husband is far less likable and younger–and you could understand ANY woman hating this vapid existence. Making the viewers more sympathetic towards the wife really helped the story.

Other Information:

Original Language en
Runtime 1 hr 53 min (113 min)
Budget 1683000
Revenue 5086000
Status Released
Rated Passed
Genre Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Director Tay Garnett
Writer Harry Ruskin, Niven Busch, James M. Cain
Actors Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway
Country United States
Awards 1 nomination
Production Company N/A
Website N/A

Technical Information:

Sound Mix Mono (Western Electric Sound System), Mono (1939 release), Mono (1939 Release), Mono (1939), Mono (1939 Remaster), Mono (Mono) (DVD)
Aspect Ratio 1.37 : 1 (1939 Remaster), 1.37 : 1 (1939), 1.37 : 1
Camera N/A
Laboratory N/A
Film Length 3,649 m, 7,360 m (2 reels) (1946)
Negative Format 35 mm
Cinematographic Process Spherical (1939), Spherical (original format), Spherical
Printed Film Format 35 mm