Who does 33 year old Joan Fontaine think she's fooling, playing a business college student? Other than that incredulity, and the fact that others are so easily manipulated by her seemingly inconsequential acts and words, she plays a conniving bitch to rival Anne Baxter's title character in that year's All About Eve (1950), though Fontaine's cute little smiles and feigned (yet knowing) look- asides will wear on most viewers as the movie progresses. There is lots of great dialogue, mostly one-liners by Robert Ryan's character like "I love you so much I wish I liked you", but there is absolutely no subtlety.Directed by Nicholas Ray, with an adaptation by Charles Schnee and a screenplay by Edith Sommer from an Anne Parrish novel with additional dialogue provided by George Oppenheimer and Robert Soderberg, this less than credible though highly watchable drama features Fontaine as Christabel, the niece of publisher John Caine (Harold Vermilyea), who comes to live with Caine's employee Donna Foster (Joan Leslie) while going to business college in San Francisco. She proceeds to ruin Donna's engagement to the family wealthy Curtis Carey (Zachary Scott) by planting seeds of doubt that his fiancée is a gold-digger.Meanwhile, Christabel is irresistibly drawn to writer come author Nick Bradley (Ryan!) - the two have an illicit affair while she disposes of Donna (who leaves for London) and simultaneously hooks Curtis for herself. Mel Ferrer plays Gobby, a non-judgmental third party witness to the goings-on, a painter who manages to hobnob with these wealthy persons as their friend despite his lack of financial means; he oozes just enough charm to have them pay his way into their group. Christabel had grown up living modestly with her Aunt Clara (Virginia Farmer), Caine's sister. Bess Flowers plays an untypical, credited role, Mrs. Worthington; Kathleen Howard plays a philanthropist, Mrs. Bolton. Irving Bacon plays a jewelry salesman.Of course, after Christabel has Curtis, or at least his money, she avoids him until Nick comes back in town ... but he's a stand-up guy who refuses to fool around with a married woman! Obviously she's found out in time for a contrived happy ending.

This is an important film noir in the Nicholas Ray canon. He made it just after his classic IN A LONELY PLACE (1950, see my review), in the same year. Joan Fontaine plays a narcissistic schemer who steals another woman's man, marrying him for his money, but still wants to keep her lover on the side, played by Robert Ryan. The film is based on a novel by Anne Parrish called ALL KNEELING, and has no connection whatever with the film BORN TO BE BAD of 1934, starring Cary Grant and Loretta Young. Joan Leslie plays Donna, the pleasant, smiling young woman who is in love with Zachary Scott. The unscrupulous, smiling, ingratiating Fontaine (whose sweetness is completely false) steals Scott's affections, breaking Leslie's heart. Scott is very wealthy and for a while Fontaine thinks she has pulled off something wonderful, but she soon admits to being unhappy and turns back to her former lover, Robert Ryan. Ryan is magnificent in his part. Nicholas Ray makes the film much more effective than it might have been by inserting lingering close-ups of the faces of Fontaine and of Ryan at key moments in the film (watch for them, they are classic shots), where the hidden emotions of the characters are revealed when nobody is looking at them. Fontaine's gloating expressions and smiles of triumph to herself are particularly revealing. This was Ray's clever visual substitute for the voice over interior monologue, and frankly it is a marvellously sophisticated and successful device. Young aspiring film makers should all study that particular technique, which has rarely been surpassed from what we see here. Words are not always necessary when you have actors as brilliant as Ryan and Fontaine who 'get' it and are not afraid to show it. Ryan's facial close-up in the latter part of the film when he suddenly realizes something disturbing about Fontaine during an amorous encounter with her is, frankly, a terrifying emotional moment. Mel Ferrer plays a supporting role, but he is rather annoying and does not do a particularly good job. However, it is easy to ignore him and concentrate on the main story and characters. This film is not a comfortable or pleasant one, as Fontaine's character is so disturbing. It is remarkably similar to the character of Eve played by Anne Baxter in ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) in the very same year. I do not know the relative production dates of the two films, but I wonder if one of the actresses could have influenced the other. Anne Baxter's schemer is the more powerful and subtle of the two. For people interested in film noir, this is one of the numerous 'must-sees'.

Joan Fontaine, as Christabel, comes into the scene as a meek, timid woman. Instead, she winds up marrying the fiancé of Joan Leslie. At the beginning, this reminded me of Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) in "All About Eve," also 1950. Of course, Harrington knew what she wanted and would do anything to get it; on the other hand, Fontaine just doesn't know what she wants. That's where the picture goes awry. The part with the sick aunt, you knew that Christabel would use this as an excuse to stay away from husband Zachary Scott. Of course, the aunt's departure was obviously coming.For two slick, nasty guys on the screen, both Scott and Robert Ryan are comparatively mellow here as the men around Fontaine's orbit.A perfect vehicle for Fontaine as a selfish woman. Joan Leslie is rather bland here as the secretary who loses Scott to her.

Joan Fontaine as proper and delicate country girl Cristobal tramples all before her in Nick Ray's noir that takes place in a a better part of town Born to Bad. It's like the title says and Miss Fontaine does not disappoint. Cristobal has come to the big city to visit but wouldn't you know it shows up a day early, just in time for the party that evening. She captivates and quickly finds herself in the arms of a promising writer but soon sets her sights on roomie Donna's wealthy boyfriend.Ray's opening scene in a hallway of a chic Manhattan walk-up is frenetic and energizing. Longer than wider with people entering offstage via rooms he quickly establishes players, touching it up with telling incidentals like the first indication Cristobal is in the building.. His pace complements Cristobals rise as she rushes to the top and races around trying to control everyone and everything. Fontaine's feigned sincerity accented by her conciliatory beauty is enraging, frustrating and fascinating to watch. She's one classy noir fatale that get's results and doesn't even pack a rod; so much it takes the likes of Robert Ryan to set things straight with her. A supporting set of doormats: Zachary Scott as the weakling husband, Joan Leslie the betrayed ex and Virginia Farmer as befuddled Aunt Clara fall prey while Mel Ferrer as a moocher artist who knows his place and thus on to Cristobal round out this well acted benign noir among the smart set with an off beat fatale as deceptively hard boiled as the best of them.