'Caught' is nearly great and very ambitious film-noir exercise by great master Max Ophüls. This movie is undeservedly and too often overlooked that it is almost forgotten. Even by the fans of film-noir genre. The story revolves around novice model Leonora Eames (Barbara Bel Geddes in one of her best roles), who is gorgeous, but naive gal who has the dreams about romantic marriage with wealthy guy. At first, everything seems to be going great, but then director Max Ophüls twists and turns this fairytale about American Dream all upside down and with that he manipulates and playes with the viewer. In that era, movies about poor girl finding her wealthy prince were very popular, and they usually started and ended like fairytales. 'Caught' is using the same formula, but only in a quite sadistic way. The story winds up into the place where there can't be any good outcome, thus leaveing the veiwer in the same desparate mood as the main heroine of the story. The ending is total hack job, but one can probably understand the times the film was made and the studio system that ruled the film industry. 'Caught' is too good movie to be so unfairly overlooked.

Caught is directed by Max Ophüls and adapted to screenplay by Arthur Laurents from the novel Wild Calendar written by Libbie Block. It stars Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Ryan, James Mason, Frank Ferguson and Curt Bois. Music is by Frederick Hollander and cinematography by Lee Garmes. Seeking to make a comfy nest by marrying a rich man, Leonora Eames (Geddes) snags more than she bargained for when Smith Ohlrig (Ryan) becomes the man of her life. And then circumstance brings Doctor Larry Quinada (Mason) in to her life and things will never be the same again... Psychological swirls a go go in this fine piece of work. Story was changed somewhat by Ophüls after he was brought in as a last directing throw of the dice. Softening the harsh edges of Leonora's original persona on the page, he brings about a sort of piggy in the middle scenario. On one side she has a tyrant control freak of a husband, on the other she has a good honest gentleman doctor keen to impart his love to her life. It sounds an easy choice to make, but circumstance, the vagaries of noirish fate - of life affirming decisions, doesn't make this a straight forward narrative piece. Smith Ohlrig is based on Howard Hughes, who surprisingly didn't kick up too much of a fuss once the word got out. This is one troubled character, mean and controlling, superbly portrayed by a chilling Robert Ryan, it's just a pity there isn't time in the piece for more of Ryan's forceful nastiness. The best scenes feature Ryan, the shamble of the marriage is adroitly filmed by Ophüls around the gloomy Ohlrig mansion, with reverse shots, perception tinkerings and isolated shadow play emphasising the relationship from hell - the impact of Lee Garmes' (Nightmare Alley) photography and the art direction of Frank Paul Sylos (The Great Flamarion) also not to be under estimated. Leonora is a well written character, it would have been easy to have her as weak willed and spineless, but there's a strong feminist bent afforded her by the makers, giving her some guts and intelligence to off set the desperate situation she will find herself in later in the play. Geddes ticks all the right boxes for the emotional requirements of the role, never over doing the histrionics. Mason saunters into the pic with a grace and elegance that made the American market sit up and take notice, a class act and he fits the role perfectly. Ophüls steers this one admirably throughout, arriving at a culminating finale that's guaranteed to make you have conflicting feelings. 8/10

This movie grabs one immediately because of its cinematography. As it progresses it becomes an effective, and affecting, critique of the exchange of sexual favors for wealth and the treatment of humans as possessions. Ryan's portrayal of Ohlrig, the psychopathic business wizard, is exceptional: he excelled in the portrayal of hysterical males, and this performance highlights the contrast between his stunning good looks and ruthless personality (albeit in a less subtle way than in his seductive role in Clash by Night.) James Mason is more than adequate as the idealistic doctor who "rescues" Bel Geddes from her oppressive marriage. He gives an honest performance which avoids his tendency to indulge in ironic removal from his characters. Bel Geddes is the somewhat clueless product of cultural oppression: her character vacillates between frustration and despair, unable to reconcile her desire for freedom and self-worth with her position as the neglected toy of a rich man. Although many have wished for a tougher actress, Bel Geddes' rebellious doormat is believable because of her softness combined with intelligence. The cast, look, and attitude of Caught transcend its simplistic plot and bizarre denouement, making it a movie worth watching more than once.

Possibly the strangest film to come out of Hollywood in the 1940s. Barbara Bel Geddes marries wealthy madman Robert Ryan and realizes pretty quickly that she needs to get out. She pretends to be poor and goes to work as a receptionist for kindly doctor James Mason. Directed with a lot of style by the great Max Ophuls, this film is astounding. It's also very audacious with an excellent cast. Bel Geddes, who never really had a substantial film career, is quite striking and Mason, in an early lead, is terrific. The movie, however, is stolen by Robert Ryan. As a thinly disguised Howard Hughes, he creates one of the screen's great villains. The screenplay is by Arthur Laurents and despite the outré situations, it's never campy or ludicrous.