Born to Be Bad: Bad Wrap, Great Press

CAST: 

I truly enjoyed nearly the entire cast for this film. Joan Fonatine as Christabel is brilliant. Robert Ryan gives a great performance and I even love Mel Ferrer as Gobby. Immediately this film introduces a strong relationship between all the characters. The comfort level that Fontaine, Ryan, Scott, and Leslie exhibit is fantastic. Each role was balanced enough to give the idea that the character was fully developed. I felt like there was a huge cast, even though there were only a few main actors.

COMPARISON:

            This film was one of my favorite Ray films so far. Its representation of Christabel’s eventual downfall was not only interesting, but it was fun to watch. Much like Johnny Guitar, I wasn’t sad to see the complete demise of this female character. I think that Joan Fontaine had the ability to play the opposites of her character so well. Many times, especially in dramas, I feel like characters come across as too obvious, or one-dimensional. Though Christable’s character is already a complicated one, Ray’s direction only improves the character.

            Christabel is almost always seen in close proximity to a male character. It is rare that she is seen alone or with a female. I think this was an intentional choice that really pays off. There is the constant reminder that is she is always fighting for ad against the the same thing, her sexuality. As much as she sees herself as an intelligent capable woman, Donna is always just a little bit better. She’s smarter, more accomplished, and in a healthy happy relationship. Donna is often seen on screen alone or with other female characters. It’s like she has been accepted into the club.

SHIFTY: 

            Literally there is a group of women that usher Christabel in when she marries Carey. It’s incredibly interesting to see how quickly she starts taking her role a woman in a woman’s world, more seriously than she ever takes her role as a wife, girlfriend, or model, She is very good at hiding her true nature, but when it becomes obvious that she her deception is coming to an end, Ray makes some interesting choices.

            Fontaine actually has less and less screen time towards the scenes in the end. It’s almost as if she’s totally disappearing from the picture. People are moving on and repairing relationships and she’s nowhere to be found. For a film that so devotedly followed her, I thought it was bizarrely appropriate that she becomes nothing more than a scandalous work of art.

FOR THE LOVE OF RYAN: 

            Robert Ryan did a great job playing a confident and assertive writer. I think his entrance was fun and set him up to be a likeable interesting character throughout the whole film.  He was a little bit aggressive from time to time and occasionally reminded me of Dixon Steele from In a Lonely Place. I think his aggressiveness and loyalty were only balancing the depths of deception that Christabel would go to get what she wanted.

            I also thought both Leslie and Scott were great together and in terms of the ensemble. I was really pleased with the interaction between Donna and Christabel. These women could have been portrayed in so many different ways, but I like that they were seen as equals.

GOBS of GOBBY: 

            I have to comment on Mel Ferrer as Gobby. I wish there was a version of this character in nearly every drama. His loose morals and questionable sexual orientation are not only charming and attractive, they are a great relief from the weight of the rest of the film. His character does indulge a stereotype, but it only works in favor of the character he portrays. It’s a great film with little to complain about. Even though certain moments of the film seem to spell out what may be better left unsaid. I had a great time watching it.