Battle of the Old Ladies!

TonyDood

I was really crazy about this film when I was a kid, and it would show up on t.v. late at night sometimes, I still don't know why. I even sought out the book by Ursula Curtiss that it's based on. For some reason a movie about a hateful old woman who badgers and then kills her housekeepers, takes all their money and buries them in the backyard, and laughs about it, really spoke to me as a kid.

I saw this again recently and was reminded that overall it is, basically, a low-budget 70's t.v. movie. It's slow and sometimes tedious. There's no gore or swearing and the action is minimal. It's depressing and even kind of sad, and the Arizona location shots, while beautiful, leave you feeling dry and dusty inside. The acting is acceptable enough, the subplots are peculiar (what's up with the one lady with all the make-up wanting to start dramas everywhere?), the whole logic behind the plot is debatable, could this have "really happened?" But there are really only two reasons to keep returning to this movie: Geraldine Page and Ruth Gordon! Geraldine as "Claire Marrable" is beyond over the top as a woman who has lost everything she held dear (her money, basically) and devises a grisly way to continue living "the good life." It's a tricky situation for a movie--Claire is the one we're going to follow through the whole movie, yet she's a thoroughly despicable character, at least on paper. And yet, the way Ms. Page plays her, there's a hint of vulnerability underneath the captivating madness, and her bullying ways. This is a woman who never had anything to begin with, and so she has nothing to lose by being evil, cruel and even homicidal. It's hard not to feel for her when she's being read her husband's will or in the final scenes, where she still refuses to give in. On the other hand, if you have a somewhat black heart, it's hard not to appreciate the obvious joy that "Claire" feels every time she succeeds in committing another murder. Who hasn't occasionally wanted to "silence" an annoying neighborhood animal? Claire is a living ego, selfish, childish, irrational and pitiless, and she's the film's "hero." It's dark territory to explore and this movie dives right in without timidity.

Then there's Ruth Gordon as "Alice Dimmock," the only one who could possibly be a foil to Claire. Ruth is...well, just Ruth! If you've seen her in any of her other films you know what to expect--a feisty, dominant little old lady who doesn't take crap from anyone. She's always fun, of course, and she has some great moments here. It's unfortunate that her role is so brief and never takes off, but the few moments when Ruth gets to be "Ruth," are amazing and satisfying.

Overall, this is a dark, nasty little movie very typical of a lot of late 60's/early 70's films--cynical, morally ambiguous, ugly to look at and think about and without an easy conclusion of affairs. Not something to race out and see but a decent ride to go on if you happen to be in a dark and quiet mood, and have the time for a movie about old ladies fighting each other...

score 5/10

TonyDood 24 June 2005

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1110590/