Film Snail

6.8

The Reckless Moment

NR·1949·82m

Drama

Thriller

Drama

Thriller

Summary

After discovering the dead body of her teenage daughter's lover, a housewife takes desperate measures to protect her family from scandal.

Cast

James Mason

Martin Donnelly

Joan Bennett

Lucia Harper

Geraldine Brooks

Bea Harper

Henry O'Neill

Tom Harper

Shepperd Strudwick

Ted Darby

David Bair

David Harper

Roy Roberts

Nagel

Jessie Arnold

Old Lady (uncredited)

Al Bain

Man (uncredited)

Jack Baker

Man (uncredited)

Pat Barton

Receptionist (uncredited)

Holger Bendixen

Man (uncredited)

Gail Bonney

Woman (uncredited)

Chet Brandenburg

Department Store Customer (uncredited)

Peter Brocco

Pete the Bartender (uncredited)

Paul E. Burns

Desk Clerk (uncredited)

John Butler

Pawnbroker (uncredited)

Kathryn Card

Mrs. Loring (uncredited)

Claire Carleton

Woman (uncredited)

Boyd Davis

Tall Man in Post Office (uncredited)

Karl 'Killer' Davis

Wrestler (uncredited)

George Dockstader

Man (uncredited)

Charles Evans

Bank Official (uncredited)

Charles Ferguson

Policeman (uncredited)

Everett Glass

Drug Clerk (uncredited)

Robert Gordon

Man (uncredited)

Buddy Gorman

Magazine Clerk (uncredited)

Harry Harvey

Post Office Clerk (uncredited)

Virginia Hunter

Girl (uncredited)

Danny Jackson

Drummer (uncredited)

Charles Jordan

Man (uncredited)

Kenneth Kendall

Man (uncredited)

Norman Leavitt

Second Postal Clerk (uncredited)

David Levitt

Man (uncredited)

Mike Mahoney

Policeman (uncredited)

Charles Marsh

Bob (Newsper Vendor) (uncredited)

Louis Mason

Mike (uncredited)

Richard Mickelson

Man (uncredited)

John Monaghan

Policeman (uncredited)

Sue Moore

Woman (uncredited)

Evelyn Moriarty

Woman (uncredited)

Pat O'Malley

Bank Guard (uncredited)

Joe Palma

Card Player (uncredited)

Dorothy Phillips

Woman (uncredited)

Joe Ploski

Clerk in Bus Depot (uncredited)

Byron Poindexter

Man (uncredited)

Joe Recht

Newsboy (uncredited)

Barry Regan

Man (uncredited)

John Roy

Man (uncredited)

Cosmo Sardo

Man (uncredited)

Celeste Savoi

Waitress (uncredited)

William Schallert

Police Lieutenant (uncredited)

Ann Shoemaker

Mrs. Catherine Feller (uncredited)

Billy Snyder

Gambler (uncredited)

Glenn Thompson

Policeman (uncredited)

Frances E. Williams

Sybil (uncredited)

Harry Wilson

Man in Bus Depot (uncredited)

Crew

Director

Max Ophüls

Adaptation

Mel Dinelli

Adaptation

Robert E. Kent

Screenplay

Henry Garson

Screenplay

Robert Soderberg

Story

Elisabeth Sanxay Holding

Reviews

Geronimo1967

July 9, 2022

What is it about folks in movies who find dead bodies? Rather than just call the police and rely on them to adequately do their jobs, they always find themselves embroiled in silly, self-inflicted plots that almost always cause far more trouble... Here is another such example. Joan Bennett is "Lucia", a rather bored housewife whose husband is always away, and whose young daughter "Bea" (Geraldine Brooks) is having a fling with the rather roguish "Ted" (Shepperd Strudwick). Her mother tries to put a stop to the relationship, be he wants paying off - she tells him to get lost. Next day, he confronts poor old "Bea" with the truth, a tussle ensues and soon "Ted" is down with the fishes, the daughter having tried to cover her tracks. Police find the corpse, and enter James Mason ("Donnelly") and his even more unscrupulous partner "Nagel" (Roy Roberts) who have some incriminating letters and want $5,000 to keep them from the investigation. Mother, determined to save her irresponsible child, tries to accommodate the blackmailer and over time their dynamic changes somewhat... It's quite a quirky story with two good performances - Mason, quite understated and Bennett measured - even when under quite a bit of pressure, and the direction from Max Opuls keeps the pace well. Sadly, he struggles to see it off the rocks of melodrama as we near the end, but even that is a bit different.