(1949)
2.5
Craig Butler
A very uneven little mystery flick, A Woman's Secret has so much going for it that it's a shame it can't keep from stumbling as often as it does. Let's start with Herman Mankiewicz's tasty dialogue, which comes in several flavors. Some of it is tart and tangy, especially when Gloria Graham is feeling feisty. Some is an intriguing mixture of world weary flippancy and gung ho enthusiasm, often courtesy of Melvyn Douglas. There's some silliness, some cynicism, some hardboiled -- a nice little smorgasbord. Mankiewicz's structure is a smorgasbord, too; that eventually becomes a problem, as the complexity of the plot sets up an expectation for a smash-band ending. Instead, we get a "that's IT?" resolution, and never do understand why Maureen O'Hara tells the lie that she does. Graham's character also doesn't come across clearly; she's two different people, and it feels as if a scene is missing that ties the two pieces together. And Nicholas Ray's direction is uneven, excellent in places, but disinterested in others. O'Hara also struggles a bit; she looks gorgeous, but she seems uncomfortable at times. Grahame does very well, even if she can't reconcile the two halves of her character, and Douglas is aces all the way. Throw in some nice work by Jay C. Flippen and Mary Philips, and there's plenty here to make Secret worth watching -- and to make you wish it was as good overall as it is at its best.
cast-crew for A Woman's Secret on AllMovie
A Woman's Secret (1949)
