Nicholas Ray's heroes often have problems with their family:Plato ("rebel without a cause" ) , Davey("Run for cover")and Turkey ("Johnny Guitar" are in search of parents.Judy ("rebel") has parents who do not care about her whereas Jim (same film) is ashamed of his father washing up.On the contrary ,Ed's son ("larger than life" ) has an over possessive dad ...
Christabel is an orphan .She's got a wealthy uncle and an aunt.The way she despises this old woman is astonishing :" Curtis and I ,we would like you to stay with us a little longer but you know..." or "Oh don't worry she'll be alright" .Although she never talks about her parents ,Christabel has a grudge against the whole world.She was born to be bad ,her purpose is not to be happy but to make sure that the others are not.Like a spoiled child,as soon as she gets something,she wants something else (the ending is revealing).
Joan Fontaine,cast against type,portrays a devil with the face of an angel.She never talks loud .The way she uses to break Curtis/Donna 's relationship is sheer Machiavelism: "why not put her to the test?she does not want to marry you for your money but...'.Christabel is perhaps the most perfidious woman -along Mercedes McCambridge's Emma in "Johnny Guitar" - in Ray's whole work.
Her portrait (by Mel Ferrer cast as a painter) provides the movie with its only comic relief.Its price rises as Christabel makes the headlines .Two years later,Billy Wilder would use the same gag in "Ace in the hole" aka "the big carnival" .
Christabel is an orphan .She's got a wealthy uncle and an aunt.The way she despises this old woman is astonishing :" Curtis and I ,we would like you to stay with us a little longer but you know..." or "Oh don't worry she'll be alright" .Although she never talks about her parents ,Christabel has a grudge against the whole world.She was born to be bad ,her purpose is not to be happy but to make sure that the others are not.Like a spoiled child,as soon as she gets something,she wants something else (the ending is revealing).
Joan Fontaine,cast against type,portrays a devil with the face of an angel.She never talks loud .The way she uses to break Curtis/Donna 's relationship is sheer Machiavelism: "why not put her to the test?she does not want to marry you for your money but...'.Christabel is perhaps the most perfidious woman -along Mercedes McCambridge's Emma in "Johnny Guitar" - in Ray's whole work.
Her portrait (by Mel Ferrer cast as a painter) provides the movie with its only comic relief.Its price rises as Christabel makes the headlines .Two years later,Billy Wilder would use the same gag in "Ace in the hole" aka "the big carnival" .