THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS
(not rated)
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Humphrey Bogart stars as Geoffrey Carroll, an artist who isn’t quite right in the head. After meeting a woman on vacation and falling in love with her, he returns home to his wife, who no longer serves as inspiration for his art. After he poisons his wife, he marries a new one. However, when she starts to be less of an inspiration for Geoffrey, she becomes a new victim.
WHAT I LIKED
Like many of the movies of the film noir genre, this movie gets points for having some pretty dark subject matter. Murder and infidelity have always been great plot elements, and “The Two Mrs. Carrolls” presents them both in an oddly relateable manner.
The stars are really what makes the movie work, with it being short on action and thrills and heavy on the talking. Spotlighting Bogart as the lead and Barbara Stanwyck as the next victim, this film has a cast list that was dreamed of in the studio system from the 40s.
“The Two Mrs. Carrolls” isn’t greatly remembered, but it’s one of those movies that might catch my attention were I flipping through the dial on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The biggest problems this movie has is its pacing and its flow. It seems to run quite long for as simple of a story it is. Most of the plot is revealed in dialogue, and the suspense isn’t as strong as it could be. Maybe if it were edited down a bit and tightened up, it’d have a better focus. The charisma of Bogart and Stanwyck can only go so far to make things work.
DVD FEATURES
None.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of lesser-known film noir.