Dont bother to knock6/30/2023 ![]() ![]() Combine the trauma of loosing her boyfriend with the tension of a repressed family upbringing, Nell suffered a mental break. It becomes clear that Nell’s pilot boyfriend died in a plane crash at the end of the war. ![]() It turns out, Jed and Nell are both damaged by their circumstances. Thus, it takes a large chunk of Don’t Bother to Knock for the characters to get the development they desperately need. However, the film’s narrative develops on a slow simmer. Richard Widmark and Anne Bancroft in “Don’t Bother to Knock”. The aggression in his body language makes the sleazy character seem only one insult away from throwing one of the female characters down a set of stairs. It turns out, she was simply tired of him being a jerk. With his ego wounded, Jed stalks around the hotel. He initially believes she left him because he wouldn’t propose. While Jed and Lyn talk it becomes clear that he is clueless as to why their relationship failed. In this film, he seems caught somewhere between Tommy Udo and the romantic leads he transitioned to during the 1950s. Coming five years after his career making debut, Widmark found himself mired in this unlikable noir caricature. Actor Richard Widmark made him film debut in 1947’s Kiss of Death, where he received critical acclaim for his portrayal of the sadistic Tommy Udo. As the action begins, he’s over aggressive and sleazy in his dealings with both women. Throughout the movie, Jed changes as often as the volatile Nell. In fact, this is one of the most literal interpretations of the idea. The male gaze has come up in this column in the past. This over-the-shoulder shot is as close as viewers can get to literally seeing the action through his eyes. Meanwhile, the camera practically duplicates Jed’s perspective. Totally unaware Jed is watching, Nell dances around the room. Richard Widmark in “Don’t Bother to Knock”. ![]()
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