Year: 1949
Director: Douglas Sirk
Country: US
Language: English
Those who have seen Douglas Sirks' Magnificent Obsession and All That Heaven Allows will find themselves amused to see one of Sirks' earlier, less melodramatic, works. Unfortunately Shockproof is nowhere near as good, esepcially considering how Sirk was disenchanted with the material. He loved the original script written by Samuel Fuller, but it was re-worked by Helen Deutsch and ultimately met a tragic fate.
A Parole Officer (Cornel Wilde) falls in-love with his client, a ravishing blonde (Patricia Knight) who served time for murder, and he's determined to help her go straight despite her interfering criminal boyfriend.
Much of the film is promising; Cornel Wilde plays a Tony Curtis type who's unhealthy obsession with blondes would make Hitchcock blush. Patricia Knight is a hot Veronika Lake type who is built to be a femme fatale tour de force. Sirks' camera captures Knight's terror and Wilde's puppy love mania. Shockproof (1949) is a blend of the "women's picture" & film noir. Ultimately Knight must choose; should she accept the riches of her criminal boyfriend or fall into a more domesticated, but ethical, life?
It's a shame that the films' climax falls flat on its face, deliverig an outcome that will have you scratching your head in disbelief. The psychology and poetic nuances are built up so well, you expect an ending that isn't so cliched and insulting to the audiences' intelligence. Charater motivations become non-existent and we get a Leave it to Beaver...twist? If one can call it a "twist".
Shockproof, up until the last 20 minutes, is not a terrible film; far from it. Sirk uses his camera well; creating an atmosphere of eerie uncertainty. One can easily see Hitchcocks' inspiration for James Stewarts' Vertigo character in this film. If only the entire film stayed this way.
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