I first saw THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS over 10 years ago at a film society showing in Hendersonville, NC. I had heard of the movie and had seen stills of it showcasing Barbara Stanwyck. I was first interested in it because it had been made by one of my favorite early film directors, Lewis Milestone (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, THE FRONT PAGE, RAIN, OF MICE AND MEN). Milestone had begun his career in the silent era and like another of my favorite directors, Michael Curtiz, was a visual stylist who used a moving camera to help draw his audience into the story. The lighting in most of his movies was interesting and they were always well edited.
Milestone’s trademarks are all evident in MARTHA IVERS and are used to maximum effect. But what really makes MARTHA IVERS a compelling viewing experience is the story which was based on an original screenplay rather than a book and the performances by a top notch cast including Barbara Stanwyck who plays Martha, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, and, in his first screen role, Kirk Douglas playing against type as Martha’s weakwilled, alcoholic husband Walter who, despite everything she does, still loves her deeply. It’s a bleak view of post WW II America concerning, greed, corruption, intense and tangled emotions, and a dark secret involving Martha and her husband.
The film opens in 1928 in a steel town in Pennsylvania where Martha as a young girl tries to escape from her domineering aunt with the aid of Sam, a tough boy from the streets. She is caught and returned home where her aunt and the aunt’s solicator, plan her future which involves the solicitor’s young son Walter. Attempting to protect her pet cat, Martha accidentally kills the old woman and now the solicitor takes over. Flash forward to the present (1946). Martha is now a succesful businesswoman married to Walter who is a prominent attorney but also an alcoholic. Enter Sam, now a gambler, and Toni, a new arrival in town, and the stage is set for romantic complications and final tragedy.
On the surface MARTHA IVERS is a showcase for Barbara Stanwyck. She is cold and ruthless as only Stanwyck can be yet she smolders and sparks fly when she and Van Heflin get together. Her wardrobe, as provided by Edith Head, only adds to her charisma. The “young lovers” are played by Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott and they are very good while Judith Anderson as the dominating aunt gives a brief but powerful performance. However it is Douglas who is the heart aand soul of the picture. His final scene with Stanwyck gains more resonance with each viewing and MARTHA IVERS needs to be seen at least twice so that once you know the story, you can go back and enjoy the movie’s depth and subtleties.
Although considered a prestige production at the time (1946), somehow Paramount allowed the initial copyright to expire after just a few years. This allowed MARTHA IVERS to fall into the public domain which is why, for so many years, it had only been available in cheap, substandard copies that undermine the look of Victor Miller’s shadowy black & white photography, and distort Miklos Rozsa’s full blooded score. Fortunarely, Paramount issued a top quality DVD a few years back which not only restores the picture and sound but comes with subtitles as well. Be advised that there are still several substandard copies out there especially on streaming services so look for the DVD with the Paramount logo.
The Capsule Critic 