Momentum

In 1957, Joanne Woodward had a breakout role in "The Three Faces of Eve"...and she won the Oscar for best actress for her excellent acting. Before then, Woodward had been very popular as a TV actress...but no especially famous. Well, "Momentum" came out a year before Woodward shot to fame.

The star of this episode is Skip Homeier, who plays Richard Paine. The Paine's are in a serious financial condition. While Richard is owed a lot of money, getting him to pay up has been difficult. So Richard plans something foolish...to sneak into the boss' house and take the money. When he does this, the boss shows up and pulls a gun. In the struggle, the boss is killed...and Richard is desperate. He contacts his wife (Woodward) and tells her to meet him at the bus station and to buy tickets for them to go to San Diego, since it's so close to Mexico. But things get worse...and Richard digs his hole even deeper. Now everyone is looking for the guy and he ends up getting shot as well! Is there any hope for the guy?

The ending of this was brilliant and made the episode. The point of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" is the twist ending, though quite a few episodes fall flat instead of delivering on this...but not with "Momentum"...it's really an exceptional episode...one you really should see.

Season 1 of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' was not a bad first season at all. In fact it was pretty solid and interesting, if not consistent. There are brilliant episodes, such as "Breakdown", "And So Died Riabouchinska", "The Case of Mr Pelham" and "The Creeper". But also some mediocre at best ones, such as "Triggers in Leash", "Shopping for Death" and especially "The Hidden Thing". There were also a few successful changes of pace, such as "Santa Claus and the Tenth Avenue Kid".

What a wonderful way to end Season 1. Although "Momentum" is one of those episodes that is not going to be for all, it certainly did it for me and it is up there among the best. Whether it does the original story justice is up for debate, but as somebody who has always judged adaptations on their own terms rather than dismiss adaptations when they deviate in any way from the source material. While it may not quite have the same atmosphere as the original story, "Momentum" is bleak and unsettling in its own way.

It looks fine, with some suitably eerie and bleak imagery that matches the story's very well indeed. "Funeral March of a Marionette" has a devillish yet ironic quality that is in perfect keeping with the tone of the series. Have always gotten a kick out of Hitchcock's bookending, did say in my first couple of reviews for the series that the quality of his bookends varied but in the case of Season 1 that opinion has changed.

Robert Stevens does one of his better directing jobs of Season 1, and his best since "Never Again", another unsettling episode. Especially towards the end, where some suspenseful touches can be seen. The script intrigues and doesn't ramble and the story is disturbingly bleak and very creepy, really did get the chills towards the end (which is one of the best ones of Season 1).

Furthermore, Skip Homeier and especially Joanne Woodward do great jobs in their psychologically fascinating roles. The psychology of their characters adds a lot to the unsettlement.

My one complaint is moments of lagging pacing in the middle.

Otherwise, to me this was wonderful. 9/10.

Hitchcock introduces what's coming next in ironic mood as always, using a great eye on the wall, looking all us momentum like a rat's race, Joanne Woodward and Skip Homeier as top billing casting in this depressing episode about a young couple in financial trouble due since Richard Paine (Skip Homeier) left his last job didn't got any work to supply his house, however his last Boss owe him 450 dollars, his wife Beth Paine (Woodward) demands him looking for him settled the score due he sold his company lately, thus his Boss has the enough money to afford the debts.

Who knows why Richard tries borrow some money of a gabling bartender, which lost the bet in the wrong horse, the he head to his Boss's house decided to asking the money for all means, when he reach there, his Boss is talking to someone and gave a sum of money withdrawn from a iron box at his home-office, Richard hidden around the house waiting for the guest leaves the house, the he enters stealthily through the window in order to takes his money from there.

Sadly his Boss caught him in the act with a gun and tries call the police, Richard then holds him, in this struggles the Boss is deadly shot by his own gun, Richard in panic disappears and go back at his apartment having mind an escape to Mexico, even Beth trying tells him something the freak out Richard is out of control and is suspicious of everyone, sending his wife waiting him at bus station, when someone knock at his door another misunderstanding gonna happen, letting Richard deadly wounded, when he finally reach at bus station a whole thing is clarified, however too late.

Hitch in this tragic story allude the rush by survival that ravages the mankind in its lifestyle like a Rat's race.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 2022 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25.

Though the ending proves nicely ironical, the episode itself remains curiously flat. Young husband Skip Homeier wants to join the urban rat-race since he and long-suffering wife Joanne Woodward are perilously in debt. But he has no luck finding employment. Desperate, he goes to collect money still owed him from an old employer. Unfortunately, events plunge into a downslide from that point on-- hence, the title "Momentum".

Homeier made his mark playing ruthless young punks, and is well-cast since he can generate the appearance of a bomb about to go off . And looking like the little Dutch boy, Woodward plays her part of the drab housewife with an appropriate lack of color. So why does the entry lack excitement or suspense once the plot thickens. I expect it's because director Robert Stevens never gets the material to gel in an involving way. We remain spectators to the drama rather than participants. I can't help noticing the segment was made in 1955, but wasn't aired until mid-'56 and as the last episode of that season. To me, that suggests the producers too were disappointed with the results. All in all-- of interest to fans of early Woodward

This is one of those episodes where you would like to crawl into the screen and start straightening things out. First of all, the husband is, in many ways, about as wimpy as you can get. They have no food, but he doesn't have the guts to talk to a man who owes him dearly. He would rather get himself involved in a convoluted plot to get the money, breaking and entering and destroying his life in the process. It's a bit much. I noticed that when this episode is written about, the Joanne Woodward character is described as a nagging wife. Other than quietly urging him to be a man and take care of his family, she is much kinder that she needs to be. With the death of Paul Neuman, it was nice to see his wife in some of her earlier work. Anyway, about all the young man has left is to run away, no plan, no end in mind. She tries to stay with him. Unfortunately, there is an even bigger fly in the ointment.