James M. Cain's novel received its first authorized screen treatment in this MGM production. Drifter Frank Chambers (John Garfield) takes a job at a roadhouse run by slovenly but likeable Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway). Nick's sexy young wife Cora (Lana Turner) takes an immediate liking to Frank, but he senses that she's trouble .. Read more
| Starring | Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn |
|---|---|
| Director | Tay Garnett |
| Genres | Drama |
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James M. Cain's novel received its first authorized screen treatment in this MGM production. Drifter Frank Chambers (John Garfield) takes a job at a roadhouse run by slovenly but likeable Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway). Nick's sexy young wife Cora (Lana Turner) takes an immediate liking to Frank, but he senses that she's trouble and he keeps his distance--for a while, anyway. Inevitably succumbing to Cora's tawdry charms, Frank enters into her scheme to murder Nick and claim the old boy's insurance money. Not long after committing the foul deed, Frank and Cora are arrested. Thanks to the conniving of slimy attorney Arthur Keats (Hume Cronyn), the illicit lovers are able to beat the murder rap--but, as the film's title symbolically indicates, they eventually pay for their misdeeds in an unexpected manner. Fans of the James M. Cain original--not to mention Cain himself--were aghast at the changes made in the novel by screenwriters Harry Ruskin and Niven Busch; many of the alterations were made to conform with censorship standards of the era, while others simply existed to massage the egos of the stars. Even so, the 1946 version of The Postman Always Rings Twice is infinitely more satisfying than the no-holds-barred 1981 remake, directed by Bob Rafelson with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
| Starring | Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn, Leon Ames, Audrey Totter, Alan Reed |
|---|---|
| Director | Tay Garnett |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 48 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 1946 To Rent: DVD: 16 Apr 2004 |
In many ways a more striking reading of Cain's novel than the Rafelson remake, even though required to pussyfoot on... read more on Time Out
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Man Wanted
A definitive early noir in which the two main protagonists are sympathetic charactors despite being murderers. Both Garfield and Turner give sizzling ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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The Postman Always Rings Twice
Considering this film is 60+ years old it is remarkably fresh and is a classic Hollywood film noir.
Great cast and good story.
Much better... read more »
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Remake may be better
This is the original which, from distant memory of watching it as a Midnight Movie on BBC2, I thought was excellent. But on second viewing many years later it ... read more »
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Customer Review
this film has a good plot but in the end it was fairly disappointing. It is about a traveller called frank chambers who applies for a job and immediately falls ... read more »
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