The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers


Starring:Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, Judith Anderson, Roman Bohnen, Darryl Hickman, Janis Wilson, Ann Doran, Frank Orth, James Flavin, Mickey Kuhn, Charles D. Brown, Blake Edwards, William Duray, Walter Baldwin, Bert Roach, Bob Perry, Bill Burt, Betty Hill
Director: Lewis Milestone
Studio: Peter Pan
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
Barbara Stanwyck mesmerizes as a woman with a past, bound by a crime to a husband she despises. Kirk Douglas quickens our collective pulses in his film debut as her disappointing, dipsomaniac spouse, while Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott bring texture to supporting roles. Everything about this 1946 film noir is intriguing, from Lewis Milestone's direction to Edith Head's costumes to the edgy and troubled characters. It takes a long, hard look at guilt and the consequences of poorly planned actions. Well worth checking out, despite a wretched title. --Rochelle O'Gorman
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • The return of the repressed
  • Under the Radar
  • KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS
  • Kirk Douglas - Best EVER
  • A childhood' s sin !
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck , Van Heflin , Lizabeth Scott , Kirk Douglas , and Judith Anderson
Director: Lewis Milestone
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
MelodramaMelodrama | By Theme | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Psychological DramaPsychological Drama | By Theme | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Haunted by the PastHaunted by the Past | By Theme | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Crime & CriminalsCrime & Criminals | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Mystery & ThrillerMystery & Thriller | By Genre | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
ClassicsClassics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Love TriangleLove Triangle | Love & Romance | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Crime | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
Anderson, JudithAnderson, Judith | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Bohnen, RomanBohnen, Roman | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Brown, Charles DBrown, Charles D | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Doran, AnnDoran, Ann | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Douglas, KirkDouglas, Kirk | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Flavin, JamesFlavin, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Heflin, VanHeflin, Van | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Hickman, DarrylHickman, Darryl | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Orth, FrankOrth, Frank | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Roach, BertRoach, Bert | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Scott, LizabethScott, Lizabeth | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Stanwyck, BarbaraStanwyck, Barbara | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Wilson, JanisWilson, Janis | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Milestone, LewisMilestone, Lewis | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
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Similar Items:
  1. Sorry Wrong Number (1948) (Sub)
  2. Whirlpool (Fox Film Noir)
  3. Double Indemnity (Universal Legacy Series)
  4. Where the Sidewalk Ends (Fox Film Noir)
  5. Crime of Passion

ASIN: B000ANVPVU
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Amazon.com essential video

Barbara Stanwyck mesmerizes as a woman with a past, bound by a crime to a husband she despises. Kirk Douglas quickens our collective pulses in his film debut as her disappointing, dipsomaniac spouse, while Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott bring texture to supporting roles. Everything about this 1946 film noir is intriguing, from Lewis Milestone's direction to Edith Head's costumes to the edgy and troubled characters. It takes a long, hard look at guilt and the consequences of poorly planned actions. Well worth checking out, despite a wretched title. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Product Description

Although this was director Lewis Milestone's only venture into the realm of noir, it remains a classic of the genre. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers stars Barbara Stanwyck as the title character, a tough, spoiled, willful heiress married to the local D.A., Walter O'Neil (Kirk Douglas), a weak-willed alcoholic. When old friend Sam Masterson (Van Heflin) suddenly returns to town after many years away, he approaches Walter to ask his help with the case of Toni Marashek (Lisabeth Scott), a friend who has been falsely accused of a crime. Sam is surprised, at first, to learn of Walter's marriage, knowing both of the parties, but quickly begins to put the pieces together. It turns out that Martha's tyrannical aunt (Judith Anderson), met an untimely end on the night that Sam left town, and Martha fears that Sam will reveal what he knows about that night, thereby destroying the lives of both she and her husband. Consequently, she begins to plot against Sam, who she also loves in her own twisted fashion. Every element seems perfectly in place in this typically guilt-saturated noir, with superb direction from Milestone, a memorable score by Miklos Rosza, and an outstanding performance by Kirk Douglas in his film debut.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars The return of the repressed.......2007-06-12

The sets and production values of this Paramount story of intrigue from 1946, the annus mirabilis of film noir, are superb, and there's no film starring Barbra Stanwyck that's not worth watching if just for her. Watchable though she inevitably is here, this is one of the few times in her long and magnificent career where she was truly miscast: Stanwyck was equally versatile playing comedy or drama, poverty or wealth, but the one thing she cannot play is neurosis--she was far too confident and driven a performer to be very believable as the highly ambivalent and conflicted Martha O'Neil. None of the three leads in this odd film seems ideally cast: as Martha's weakling alcoholic husband, Kirk Douglas, stunningly handsome in his first film role, is supposed to be wildly jealous of Van Heflin, of all people, who has come back to Iverstown (the Pennsylvania industrial town Stanwyck and Douglas jointly rule) with the memory of a childhood killing. Equally oddly cast is Janis Wilson, the memorably unhappy child Tina from NOW, VOYAGER here playing Martha as a young girl; it is inconceivable this anguished girl could ever grow up to be the tough and omnicompetent Stanwyck. Only Lizbeth Scott, as Heflin's weak new lady love, seems truly comfortable in her part. Even so, this DVD is still very much worth seeing if only for its early variations on common film noir themes.

3 out of 5 stars Under the Radar.......2007-03-29

Excellent cast of Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas, Van Heflin, and Lizabeth Scott cannot pull this film out of mediocrity. The elements of noir are present: murder, jealousy, innocence, and betrayal but the film lacks the desperation and moral conflict that surrounds the protagonist in so many films of the genre. Van Heflin's performance is flat and Lizabeth Scott's performance is as wooden as a pine plank. Stanwyck's role and performance is more credible, but not as absorbing in later films such as Sorry Wrong Number and Double Indemnity. Kirk Douglas is very good in his first major Hollywood role as an alcoholic district attorney who fears that the appearance of a childhood friend (Heflin) will destroy the upper class lifestyle he enjoys with his wife (Stanwyck). The reunion between the Heflin character and Stanwyck's character is awkardly filmed and dramatized. Meanwhile we are left to believe that the nomadic Lizabeth Scott character still can't find the nerve to leave town. For some reason, for me anyway, the town looked liked it was situated somewhere near Pittsburg, Pa. I thought the ending of the film was a bit histrionic, but still an interesting ending. Why we needed anything after this, I don't know. The film should have concluded with a slow fade to darkness. Instead we see a sugar coded resolve that would have been more suited to a Disney Studio production.

5 out of 5 stars KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS.......2007-03-20

First and only film noir directed by Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front), first movie of Kirk Douglas, a screenplay written by Robert Rossen (The Hustler), THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS is the kind of film any movie buff should have the desire to see. The Paramount Home Entertainment release I bought here at Amazon presents a near perfect copy of this movie but, beware, no extras at all.

Two scenes of the movie, Judith Anderson's death and the tragic finale deserve to stay in a film noir anthology, as well as the performances of Kirk Douglas and Barbara Stanwyck. Note also than the numerous close-ups of Lizabeth Scott and the silly epilogue of THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS must not be accredited to Lewis Milestones nor to Robert Rossen. They were shot, after the completion of the film, by Byron Haskin on the producer Hal B. Wallis demand.

A DVD zone your library.


5 out of 5 stars Kirk Douglas - Best EVER.......2007-01-12

The title may steer you in the wrong direction - this is not a romance. This is one of the best early pscho-dramas. Barbara Stanwyck is cold as ice, softening up all girlie when her childhood love returns. Kirk Douglas was magnificent as the whiney, wimpy, drunken husband.

And this movie has the best ending of all movies EVER.

They just don't write them like this anymore.

5 out of 5 stars A childhood' s sin !.......2006-12-26


Lewis Milestone sealed his rubric in this troubled Noir, where the shadows of a somber past lurks the private intimacy of Martha, when a childhood friend rekindles old passions and so er husband the District Attorney O' Neil will ignite the imminent tragedy of a secret strongly kept in silence and hovered by a perverse blackmail.

Once more the Noir genre, mirrors one of its most relevant elements, which is the impossibility to break the bounds with an infamous and lurking past that obligates to turn a whole life in search of a supposed redemption based on a mutual complicity.

A fabulous cast that includes Kirk Douglas in his debut, Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott. The screenplay of Robert Rosen is based on an unpublished story "lovelies bleeding" by Jack Patrick. Released in July, 24 1946 with a running time of 115 minutes.
One of my personal favorite Noir films of the middle forties.
Strange Love of Martha Ivers (B&W)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • The return of the repressed
  • Under the Radar
  • KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS
  • Kirk Douglas - Best EVER
  • A childhood' s sin !
Strange Love of Martha Ivers (B&W)
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck , Van Heflin , Lizabeth Scott , Kirk Douglas , and Judith Anderson
Director: Lewis Milestone
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
ClassicsClassics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Anderson, JudithAnderson, Judith | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Bohnen, RomanBohnen, Roman | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Brown, Charles DBrown, Charles D | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Doran, AnnDoran, Ann | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Douglas, KirkDouglas, Kirk | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Flavin, JamesFlavin, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Heflin, VanHeflin, Van | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Hickman, DarrylHickman, Darryl | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Orth, FrankOrth, Frank | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Roach, BertRoach, Bert | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Scott, LizabethScott, Lizabeth | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Stanwyck, BarbaraStanwyck, Barbara | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Wilson, JanisWilson, Janis | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Milestone, LewisMilestone, Lewis | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
4-for-3 Drama4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
4-for-3 All DVDs4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
DVDs Under $9.99DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
All DealsAll Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Drama | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
( S )( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:
  1. Sorry Wrong Number (1948) (Sub)
  2. Whirlpool (Fox Film Noir)
  3. Double Indemnity (Universal Legacy Series)
  4. Where the Sidewalk Ends (Fox Film Noir)
  5. Crime of Passion

ASIN: B00007G1TM
Release Date: 2002-11-19

Amazon.com essential video

Barbara Stanwyck mesmerizes as a woman with a past, bound by a crime to a husband she despises. Kirk Douglas quickens our collective pulses in his film debut as her disappointing, dipsomaniac spouse, while Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott bring texture to supporting roles. Everything about this 1946 film noir is intriguing, from Lewis Milestone's direction to Edith Head's costumes to the edgy and troubled characters. It takes a long, hard look at guilt and the consequences of poorly planned actions. Well worth checking out, despite a wretched title. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars The return of the repressed.......2007-06-12

The sets and production values of this Paramount story of intrigue from 1946, the annus mirabilis of film noir, are superb, and there's no film starring Barbra Stanwyck that's not worth watching if just for her. Watchable though she inevitably is here, this is one of the few times in her long and magnificent career where she was truly miscast: Stanwyck was equally versatile playing comedy or drama, poverty or wealth, but the one thing she cannot play is neurosis--she was far too confident and driven a performer to be very believable as the highly ambivalent and conflicted Martha O'Neil. None of the three leads in this odd film seems ideally cast: as Martha's weakling alcoholic husband, Kirk Douglas, stunningly handsome in his first film role, is supposed to be wildly jealous of Van Heflin, of all people, who has come back to Iverstown (the Pennsylvania industrial town Stanwyck and Douglas jointly rule) with the memory of a childhood killing. Equally oddly cast is Janis Wilson, the memorably unhappy child Tina from NOW, VOYAGER here playing Martha as a young girl; it is inconceivable this anguished girl could ever grow up to be the tough and omnicompetent Stanwyck. Only Lizbeth Scott, as Heflin's weak new lady love, seems truly comfortable in her part. Even so, this DVD is still very much worth seeing if only for its early variations on common film noir themes.

3 out of 5 stars Under the Radar.......2007-03-29

Excellent cast of Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas, Van Heflin, and Lizabeth Scott cannot pull this film out of mediocrity. The elements of noir are present: murder, jealousy, innocence, and betrayal but the film lacks the desperation and moral conflict that surrounds the protagonist in so many films of the genre. Van Heflin's performance is flat and Lizabeth Scott's performance is as wooden as a pine plank. Stanwyck's role and performance is more credible, but not as absorbing in later films such as Sorry Wrong Number and Double Indemnity. Kirk Douglas is very good in his first major Hollywood role as an alcoholic district attorney who fears that the appearance of a childhood friend (Heflin) will destroy the upper class lifestyle he enjoys with his wife (Stanwyck). The reunion between the Heflin character and Stanwyck's character is awkardly filmed and dramatized. Meanwhile we are left to believe that the nomadic Lizabeth Scott character still can't find the nerve to leave town. For some reason, for me anyway, the town looked liked it was situated somewhere near Pittsburg, Pa. I thought the ending of the film was a bit histrionic, but still an interesting ending. Why we needed anything after this, I don't know. The film should have concluded with a slow fade to darkness. Instead we see a sugar coded resolve that would have been more suited to a Disney Studio production.

5 out of 5 stars KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS.......2007-03-20

First and only film noir directed by Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front), first movie of Kirk Douglas, a screenplay written by Robert Rossen (The Hustler), THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS is the kind of film any movie buff should have the desire to see. The Paramount Home Entertainment release I bought here at Amazon presents a near perfect copy of this movie but, beware, no extras at all.

Two scenes of the movie, Judith Anderson's death and the tragic finale deserve to stay in a film noir anthology, as well as the performances of Kirk Douglas and Barbara Stanwyck. Note also than the numerous close-ups of Lizabeth Scott and the silly epilogue of THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS must not be accredited to Lewis Milestones nor to Robert Rossen. They were shot, after the completion of the film, by Byron Haskin on the producer Hal B. Wallis demand.

A DVD zone your library.


5 out of 5 stars Kirk Douglas - Best EVER.......2007-01-12

The title may steer you in the wrong direction - this is not a romance. This is one of the best early pscho-dramas. Barbara Stanwyck is cold as ice, softening up all girlie when her childhood love returns. Kirk Douglas was magnificent as the whiney, wimpy, drunken husband.

And this movie has the best ending of all movies EVER.

They just don't write them like this anymore.

5 out of 5 stars A childhood' s sin !.......2006-12-26


Lewis Milestone sealed his rubric in this troubled Noir, where the shadows of a somber past lurks the private intimacy of Martha, when a childhood friend rekindles old passions and so er husband the District Attorney O' Neil will ignite the imminent tragedy of a secret strongly kept in silence and hovered by a perverse blackmail.

Once more the Noir genre, mirrors one of its most relevant elements, which is the impossibility to break the bounds with an infamous and lurking past that obligates to turn a whole life in search of a supposed redemption based on a mutual complicity.

A fabulous cast that includes Kirk Douglas in his debut, Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott. The screenplay of Robert Rosen is based on an unpublished story "lovelies bleeding" by Jack Patrick. Released in July, 24 1946 with a running time of 115 minutes.
One of my personal favorite Noir films of the middle forties.
Kirk Douglas: The Strange Love of Martha Ivers/Kirk Douglas, On Film/My Dear Secretary/The Bi
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Kirk Douglas: The Strange Love of Martha Ivers/Kirk Douglas, On Film/My Dear Secretary/The Bi
    Starring: Kirk Douglas
    Manufacturer: LaserLight DVD
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    ( K )( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
    DramaDrama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
    Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
    ASIN: B00004YKS4
    Release Date: 2003-02-06

    Description

    Includes:
    The Stranger Love of Martha Ivers
    On Film
    My Dear Secretary
    The Big Trees

    B&W/Color
    318 min.
    The Strange Love of Martha Ivers - Lady of Burlesque
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • NEWLY REMASTERED
    The Strange Love of Martha Ivers - Lady of Burlesque
    Starring: Judith Anderson , Walter S. Baldwin , Roman Bohnen , Charles D. Brown , and Catherine Craig
    Director: Lewis Milestone
    Manufacturer: Marengo Films
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    GeneralGeneral | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    MelodramaMelodrama | By Theme | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    Psychological DramaPsychological Drama | By Theme | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    Haunted by the PastHaunted by the Past | By Theme | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    Crime & CriminalsCrime & Criminals | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    Mystery & ThrillerMystery & Thriller | By Genre | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    ClassicsClassics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    Love TriangleLove Triangle | Love & Romance | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Crime | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
    Anderson, JudithAnderson, Judith | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Bohnen, RomanBohnen, Roman | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Brown, Charles DBrown, Charles D | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Doran, AnnDoran, Ann | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Flavin, JamesFlavin, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Heflin, VanHeflin, Van | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Hickman, DarrylHickman, Darryl | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Kellogg, JohnKellogg, John | ( K ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Milestone, LewisMilestone, Lewis | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
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    ASIN: B000IJ7AG0
    Release Date: 2006-11-21

    Description

    The strange love of martha Ivers: Barbara Stanwyck plays the part of a young cold-hearted heiress who murders her strangely sadistic grandmother. In doing so she sweeps a young companion in as a co-conspirator to help her cover up her crime. Flash forward a number of years and we find she has become the icy matriarch of the city aptly named after her family, Iverstown. She literally runs the community with an iron fist. Lady of Burlesque: Based on Gypsy Rose Lees G String Murders Lady of Burlesque takes us back stage into the seedy world of burlesque. Rising star Dixie Daisy is the headliner in the troupe and actually steals the show with her terrific song and dance routines.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars NEWLY REMASTERED.......2006-12-13

    Marengo Films is proud to announce the release of these two fine movies. We did a complete sound design and color correction for The Strange Love of Martha Ivers and believe it is now the finest print of this movie on the market. The Lady of Burlesque - an older film - was a little worn but the print was put through an extensive remastering process including color correction and sound design. We feel that this too is now the finest print of this movie on the market.
    Lady Of Burlesque / The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Lady Of Burlesque / The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers
      Starring: Lady of Burlesque , and Strange Love of Martha Ivers
      Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures
      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

      GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
      ClassicsClassics | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
      GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
      ( L )( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
      Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
      4-for-3 Action & Adventure4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
      4-for-3 Drama4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
      4-for-3 All DVDs4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
      Similar Items:
      1. Laura (Fox Film Noir)
      2. The Letter

      ASIN: B000AMPKBM
      Release Date: 2005-10-25
      The Strange Love of Martha Ivers / Kirk Douglas on Film - A Biography
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • The return of the repressed
      • Under the Radar
      • KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS
      • Kirk Douglas - Best EVER
      • A childhood' s sin !
      The Strange Love of Martha Ivers / Kirk Douglas on Film - A Biography
      Starring: Barbara Stanwyck , Van Heflin , Lizabeth Scott , Kirk Douglas , and Judith Anderson
      Director: Lewis Milestone
      Manufacturer: Delta
      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

      GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
      ClassicsClassics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
      Anderson, JudithAnderson, Judith | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Bohnen, RomanBohnen, Roman | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Brown, Charles DBrown, Charles D | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Doran, AnnDoran, Ann | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Douglas, KirkDouglas, Kirk | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Flavin, JamesFlavin, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Heflin, VanHeflin, Van | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Hickman, DarrylHickman, Darryl | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Orth, FrankOrth, Frank | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Roach, BertRoach, Bert | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Scott, LizabethScott, Lizabeth | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Stanwyck, BarbaraStanwyck, Barbara | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Wilson, JanisWilson, Janis | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Milestone, LewisMilestone, Lewis | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
      Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
      4-for-3 All DVDs4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
      DVDs Under $7.49DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
      All DealsAll Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
      GeneralGeneral | Drama | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
      ( S )( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
      Similar Items:
      1. Sorry Wrong Number (1948) (Sub)
      2. Whirlpool (Fox Film Noir)
      3. Double Indemnity (Universal Legacy Series)
      4. Where the Sidewalk Ends (Fox Film Noir)
      5. Crime of Passion

      ASIN: 6305914710
      Release Date: 2000-06-26

      Amazon.com essential video

      Barbara Stanwyck mesmerizes as a woman with a past, bound by a crime to a husband she despises. Kirk Douglas quickens our collective pulses in his film debut as her disappointing, dipsomaniac spouse, while Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott bring texture to supporting roles. Everything about this 1946 film noir is intriguing, from Lewis Milestone's direction to Edith Head's costumes to the edgy and troubled characters. It takes a long, hard look at guilt and the consequences of poorly planned actions. Well worth checking out, despite a wretched title. --Rochelle O'Gorman

      Description

      Barbara Stanwyck is the wonderfully wicked Martha Ivers, a wealthy and dominating woman who controls a small town after inheriting a large family fortune. She lives with her weakling husband, a district attorney running for mayor, played by Kirk Douglas in his feature film debut. Also features Kirk Douglas: On Film documentary.

      Customer Reviews:

      3 out of 5 stars The return of the repressed.......2007-06-12

      The sets and production values of this Paramount story of intrigue from 1946, the annus mirabilis of film noir, are superb, and there's no film starring Barbra Stanwyck that's not worth watching if just for her. Watchable though she inevitably is here, this is one of the few times in her long and magnificent career where she was truly miscast: Stanwyck was equally versatile playing comedy or drama, poverty or wealth, but the one thing she cannot play is neurosis--she was far too confident and driven a performer to be very believable as the highly ambivalent and conflicted Martha O'Neil. None of the three leads in this odd film seems ideally cast: as Martha's weakling alcoholic husband, Kirk Douglas, stunningly handsome in his first film role, is supposed to be wildly jealous of Van Heflin, of all people, who has come back to Iverstown (the Pennsylvania industrial town Stanwyck and Douglas jointly rule) with the memory of a childhood killing. Equally oddly cast is Janis Wilson, the memorably unhappy child Tina from NOW, VOYAGER here playing Martha as a young girl; it is inconceivable this anguished girl could ever grow up to be the tough and omnicompetent Stanwyck. Only Lizbeth Scott, as Heflin's weak new lady love, seems truly comfortable in her part. Even so, this DVD is still very much worth seeing if only for its early variations on common film noir themes.

      3 out of 5 stars Under the Radar.......2007-03-29

      Excellent cast of Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas, Van Heflin, and Lizabeth Scott cannot pull this film out of mediocrity. The elements of noir are present: murder, jealousy, innocence, and betrayal but the film lacks the desperation and moral conflict that surrounds the protagonist in so many films of the genre. Van Heflin's performance is flat and Lizabeth Scott's performance is as wooden as a pine plank. Stanwyck's role and performance is more credible, but not as absorbing in later films such as Sorry Wrong Number and Double Indemnity. Kirk Douglas is very good in his first major Hollywood role as an alcoholic district attorney who fears that the appearance of a childhood friend (Heflin) will destroy the upper class lifestyle he enjoys with his wife (Stanwyck). The reunion between the Heflin character and Stanwyck's character is awkardly filmed and dramatized. Meanwhile we are left to believe that the nomadic Lizabeth Scott character still can't find the nerve to leave town. For some reason, for me anyway, the town looked liked it was situated somewhere near Pittsburg, Pa. I thought the ending of the film was a bit histrionic, but still an interesting ending. Why we needed anything after this, I don't know. The film should have concluded with a slow fade to darkness. Instead we see a sugar coded resolve that would have been more suited to a Disney Studio production.

      5 out of 5 stars KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS.......2007-03-20

      First and only film noir directed by Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front), first movie of Kirk Douglas, a screenplay written by Robert Rossen (The Hustler), THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS is the kind of film any movie buff should have the desire to see. The Paramount Home Entertainment release I bought here at Amazon presents a near perfect copy of this movie but, beware, no extras at all.

      Two scenes of the movie, Judith Anderson's death and the tragic finale deserve to stay in a film noir anthology, as well as the performances of Kirk Douglas and Barbara Stanwyck. Note also than the numerous close-ups of Lizabeth Scott and the silly epilogue of THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS must not be accredited to Lewis Milestones nor to Robert Rossen. They were shot, after the completion of the film, by Byron Haskin on the producer Hal B. Wallis demand.

      A DVD zone your library.


      5 out of 5 stars Kirk Douglas - Best EVER.......2007-01-12

      The title may steer you in the wrong direction - this is not a romance. This is one of the best early pscho-dramas. Barbara Stanwyck is cold as ice, softening up all girlie when her childhood love returns. Kirk Douglas was magnificent as the whiney, wimpy, drunken husband.

      And this movie has the best ending of all movies EVER.

      They just don't write them like this anymore.

      5 out of 5 stars A childhood' s sin !.......2006-12-26


      Lewis Milestone sealed his rubric in this troubled Noir, where the shadows of a somber past lurks the private intimacy of Martha, when a childhood friend rekindles old passions and so er husband the District Attorney O' Neil will ignite the imminent tragedy of a secret strongly kept in silence and hovered by a perverse blackmail.

      Once more the Noir genre, mirrors one of its most relevant elements, which is the impossibility to break the bounds with an infamous and lurking past that obligates to turn a whole life in search of a supposed redemption based on a mutual complicity.

      A fabulous cast that includes Kirk Douglas in his debut, Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott. The screenplay of Robert Rosen is based on an unpublished story "lovelies bleeding" by Jack Patrick. Released in July, 24 1946 with a running time of 115 minutes.
      One of my personal favorite Noir films of the middle forties.
      The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • The return of the repressed
      • Under the Radar
      • KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS
      • Kirk Douglas - Best EVER
      • A childhood' s sin !
      The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
      Starring: Barbara Stanwyck , Van Heflin , Lizabeth Scott , Kirk Douglas , and Judith Anderson
      Director: Lewis Milestone
      Manufacturer: Diamond Ent. Corp.
      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

      GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
      MelodramaMelodrama | By Theme | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
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      GeneralGeneral | Crime | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
      Anderson, JudithAnderson, Judith | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Bohnen, RomanBohnen, Roman | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Brown, Charles DBrown, Charles D | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Doran, AnnDoran, Ann | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Douglas, KirkDouglas, Kirk | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Flavin, JamesFlavin, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Heflin, VanHeflin, Van | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Hickman, DarrylHickman, Darryl | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Orth, FrankOrth, Frank | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Roach, BertRoach, Bert | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Scott, LizabethScott, Lizabeth | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Stanwyck, BarbaraStanwyck, Barbara | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Wilson, JanisWilson, Janis | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
      Milestone, LewisMilestone, Lewis | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
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      MelodramaMelodrama | Drama | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
      Psychological DramaPsychological Drama | Drama | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
      ( S )( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
      Similar Items:
      1. Sorry Wrong Number (1948) (Sub)
      2. Whirlpool (Fox Film Noir)
      3. Double Indemnity (Universal Legacy Series)
      4. Where the Sidewalk Ends (Fox Film Noir)
      5. Crime of Passion

      ASIN: B0000AZKO7
      Release Date: 2003-01-01

      Amazon.com essential video

      Barbara Stanwyck mesmerizes as a woman with a past, bound by a crime to a husband she despises. Kirk Douglas quickens our collective pulses in his film debut as her disappointing, dipsomaniac spouse, while Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott bring texture to supporting roles. Everything about this 1946 film noir is intriguing, from Lewis Milestone's direction to Edith Head's costumes to the edgy and troubled characters. It takes a long, hard look at guilt and the consequences of poorly planned actions. Well worth checking out, despite a wretched title. --Rochelle O'Gorman

      Customer Reviews:

      3 out of 5 stars The return of the repressed.......2007-06-12

      The sets and production values of this Paramount story of intrigue from 1946, the annus mirabilis of film noir, are superb, and there's no film starring Barbra Stanwyck that's not worth watching if just for her. Watchable though she inevitably is here, this is one of the few times in her long and magnificent career where she was truly miscast: Stanwyck was equally versatile playing comedy or drama, poverty or wealth, but the one thing she cannot play is neurosis--she was far too confident and driven a performer to be very believable as the highly ambivalent and conflicted Martha O'Neil. None of the three leads in this odd film seems ideally cast: as Martha's weakling alcoholic husband, Kirk Douglas, stunningly handsome in his first film role, is supposed to be wildly jealous of Van Heflin, of all people, who has come back to Iverstown (the Pennsylvania industrial town Stanwyck and Douglas jointly rule) with the memory of a childhood killing. Equally oddly cast is Janis Wilson, the memorably unhappy child Tina from NOW, VOYAGER here playing Martha as a young girl; it is inconceivable this anguished girl could ever grow up to be the tough and omnicompetent Stanwyck. Only Lizbeth Scott, as Heflin's weak new lady love, seems truly comfortable in her part. Even so, this DVD is still very much worth seeing if only for its early variations on common film noir themes.

      3 out of 5 stars Under the Radar.......2007-03-29

      Excellent cast of Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas, Van Heflin, and Lizabeth Scott cannot pull this film out of mediocrity. The elements of noir are present: murder, jealousy, innocence, and betrayal but the film lacks the desperation and moral conflict that surrounds the protagonist in so many films of the genre. Van Heflin's performance is flat and Lizabeth Scott's performance is as wooden as a pine plank. Stanwyck's role and performance is more credible, but not as absorbing in later films such as Sorry Wrong Number and Double Indemnity. Kirk Douglas is very good in his first major Hollywood role as an alcoholic district attorney who fears that the appearance of a childhood friend (Heflin) will destroy the upper class lifestyle he enjoys with his wife (Stanwyck). The reunion between the Heflin character and Stanwyck's character is awkardly filmed and dramatized. Meanwhile we are left to believe that the nomadic Lizabeth Scott character still can't find the nerve to leave town. For some reason, for me anyway, the town looked liked it was situated somewhere near Pittsburg, Pa. I thought the ending of the film was a bit histrionic, but still an interesting ending. Why we needed anything after this, I don't know. The film should have concluded with a slow fade to darkness. Instead we see a sugar coded resolve that would have been more suited to a Disney Studio production.

      5 out of 5 stars KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS.......2007-03-20

      First and only film noir directed by Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front), first movie of Kirk Douglas, a screenplay written by Robert Rossen (The Hustler), THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS is the kind of film any movie buff should have the desire to see. The Paramount Home Entertainment release I bought here at Amazon presents a near perfect copy of this movie but, beware, no extras at all.

      Two scenes of the movie, Judith Anderson's death and the tragic finale deserve to stay in a film noir anthology, as well as the performances of Kirk Douglas and Barbara Stanwyck. Note also than the numerous close-ups of Lizabeth Scott and the silly epilogue of THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS must not be accredited to Lewis Milestones nor to Robert Rossen. They were shot, after the completion of the film, by Byron Haskin on the producer Hal B. Wallis demand.

      A DVD zone your library.


      5 out of 5 stars Kirk Douglas - Best EVER.......2007-01-12

      The title may steer you in the wrong direction - this is not a romance. This is one of the best early pscho-dramas. Barbara Stanwyck is cold as ice, softening up all girlie when her childhood love returns. Kirk Douglas was magnificent as the whiney, wimpy, drunken husband.

      And this movie has the best ending of all movies EVER.

      They just don't write them like this anymore.

      5 out of 5 stars A childhood' s sin !.......2006-12-26


      Lewis Milestone sealed his rubric in this troubled Noir, where the shadows of a somber past lurks the private intimacy of Martha, when a childhood friend rekindles old passions and so er husband the District Attorney O' Neil will ignite the imminent tragedy of a secret strongly kept in silence and hovered by a perverse blackmail.

      Once more the Noir genre, mirrors one of its most relevant elements, which is the impossibility to break the bounds with an infamous and lurking past that obligates to turn a whole life in search of a supposed redemption based on a mutual complicity.

      A fabulous cast that includes Kirk Douglas in his debut, Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott. The screenplay of Robert Rosen is based on an unpublished story "lovelies bleeding" by Jack Patrick. Released in July, 24 1946 with a running time of 115 minutes.
      One of my personal favorite Noir films of the middle forties.
      Kirk Douglas Set [DVD] Big Trees/My Dear Secretary/Strange Love of Martha Ivers/Kirk Douglas: On Film
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Kirk Douglas Set [DVD] Big Trees/My Dear Secretary/Strange Love of Martha Ivers/Kirk Douglas: On Film

        ProductGroup: DVD
        Binding: DVD

        GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
        Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
        ASIN: B000C026GY
        The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

          Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures
          ProductGroup: DVD
          Binding: DVD

          GenresGenres | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
          ( S )( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
          Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
          ASIN: B0007IGU5Y

          Product Description

          Fate drew the together...and only murder could part them!
          The Strange Love of Martha Ivers [Region 2]
          Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
          • The return of the repressed
          • Under the Radar
          • KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS
          • Kirk Douglas - Best EVER
          • A childhood' s sin !
          The Strange Love of Martha Ivers [Region 2]
          Starring: Barbara Stanwyck , Van Heflin , Lizabeth Scott , Kirk Douglas , and Judith Anderson
          Director: Lewis Milestone
          ProductGroup: DVD
          Binding: DVD

          Film NoirFilm Noir | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
          Anderson, JudithAnderson, Judith | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Bohnen, RomanBohnen, Roman | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Brown, Charles DBrown, Charles D | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Doran, AnnDoran, Ann | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Douglas, KirkDouglas, Kirk | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Flavin, JamesFlavin, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Heflin, VanHeflin, Van | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Hickman, DarrylHickman, Darryl | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Orth, FrankOrth, Frank | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Roach, BertRoach, Bert | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Scott, LizabethScott, Lizabeth | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Stanwyck, BarbaraStanwyck, Barbara | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Wilson, JanisWilson, Janis | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Milestone, LewisMilestone, Lewis | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
          Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
          ( S )( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
          Similar Items:
          1. Sorry Wrong Number (1948) (Sub)
          2. Whirlpool (Fox Film Noir)
          3. Double Indemnity (Universal Legacy Series)
          4. Where the Sidewalk Ends (Fox Film Noir)
          5. Crime of Passion

          ASIN: B0000C8XZG

          Amazon.com essential video

          Barbara Stanwyck mesmerizes as a woman with a past, bound by a crime to a husband she despises. Kirk Douglas quickens our collective pulses in his film debut as her disappointing, dipsomaniac spouse, while Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott bring texture to supporting roles. Everything about this 1946 film noir is intriguing, from Lewis Milestone's direction to Edith Head's costumes to the edgy and troubled characters. It takes a long, hard look at guilt and the consequences of poorly planned actions. Well worth checking out, despite a wretched title. --Rochelle O'Gorman

          Customer Reviews:

          3 out of 5 stars The return of the repressed.......2007-06-12

          The sets and production values of this Paramount story of intrigue from 1946, the annus mirabilis of film noir, are superb, and there's no film starring Barbra Stanwyck that's not worth watching if just for her. Watchable though she inevitably is here, this is one of the few times in her long and magnificent career where she was truly miscast: Stanwyck was equally versatile playing comedy or drama, poverty or wealth, but the one thing she cannot play is neurosis--she was far too confident and driven a performer to be very believable as the highly ambivalent and conflicted Martha O'Neil. None of the three leads in this odd film seems ideally cast: as Martha's weakling alcoholic husband, Kirk Douglas, stunningly handsome in his first film role, is supposed to be wildly jealous of Van Heflin, of all people, who has come back to Iverstown (the Pennsylvania industrial town Stanwyck and Douglas jointly rule) with the memory of a childhood killing. Equally oddly cast is Janis Wilson, the memorably unhappy child Tina from NOW, VOYAGER here playing Martha as a young girl; it is inconceivable this anguished girl could ever grow up to be the tough and omnicompetent Stanwyck. Only Lizbeth Scott, as Heflin's weak new lady love, seems truly comfortable in her part. Even so, this DVD is still very much worth seeing if only for its early variations on common film noir themes.

          3 out of 5 stars Under the Radar.......2007-03-29

          Excellent cast of Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas, Van Heflin, and Lizabeth Scott cannot pull this film out of mediocrity. The elements of noir are present: murder, jealousy, innocence, and betrayal but the film lacks the desperation and moral conflict that surrounds the protagonist in so many films of the genre. Van Heflin's performance is flat and Lizabeth Scott's performance is as wooden as a pine plank. Stanwyck's role and performance is more credible, but not as absorbing in later films such as Sorry Wrong Number and Double Indemnity. Kirk Douglas is very good in his first major Hollywood role as an alcoholic district attorney who fears that the appearance of a childhood friend (Heflin) will destroy the upper class lifestyle he enjoys with his wife (Stanwyck). The reunion between the Heflin character and Stanwyck's character is awkardly filmed and dramatized. Meanwhile we are left to believe that the nomadic Lizabeth Scott character still can't find the nerve to leave town. For some reason, for me anyway, the town looked liked it was situated somewhere near Pittsburg, Pa. I thought the ending of the film was a bit histrionic, but still an interesting ending. Why we needed anything after this, I don't know. The film should have concluded with a slow fade to darkness. Instead we see a sugar coded resolve that would have been more suited to a Disney Studio production.

          5 out of 5 stars KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS.......2007-03-20

          First and only film noir directed by Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front), first movie of Kirk Douglas, a screenplay written by Robert Rossen (The Hustler), THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS is the kind of film any movie buff should have the desire to see. The Paramount Home Entertainment release I bought here at Amazon presents a near perfect copy of this movie but, beware, no extras at all.

          Two scenes of the movie, Judith Anderson's death and the tragic finale deserve to stay in a film noir anthology, as well as the performances of Kirk Douglas and Barbara Stanwyck. Note also than the numerous close-ups of Lizabeth Scott and the silly epilogue of THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS must not be accredited to Lewis Milestones nor to Robert Rossen. They were shot, after the completion of the film, by Byron Haskin on the producer Hal B. Wallis demand.

          A DVD zone your library.


          5 out of 5 stars Kirk Douglas - Best EVER.......2007-01-12

          The title may steer you in the wrong direction - this is not a romance. This is one of the best early pscho-dramas. Barbara Stanwyck is cold as ice, softening up all girlie when her childhood love returns. Kirk Douglas was magnificent as the whiney, wimpy, drunken husband.

          And this movie has the best ending of all movies EVER.

          They just don't write them like this anymore.

          5 out of 5 stars A childhood' s sin !.......2006-12-26


          Lewis Milestone sealed his rubric in this troubled Noir, where the shadows of a somber past lurks the private intimacy of Martha, when a childhood friend rekindles old passions and so er husband the District Attorney O' Neil will ignite the imminent tragedy of a secret strongly kept in silence and hovered by a perverse blackmail.

          Once more the Noir genre, mirrors one of its most relevant elements, which is the impossibility to break the bounds with an infamous and lurking past that obligates to turn a whole life in search of a supposed redemption based on a mutual complicity.

          A fabulous cast that includes Kirk Douglas in his debut, Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott. The screenplay of Robert Rosen is based on an unpublished story "lovelies bleeding" by Jack Patrick. Released in July, 24 1946 with a running time of 115 minutes.
          One of my personal favorite Noir films of the middle forties.

          DVD:

          1. Dr Christian Meets the Women
          2. The Assault
          3. 15 to Life
          4. The Elite/Solo
          5. Facing Fear/Killer Image
          6. Clubland/No Strings Attached
          7. No Strings Attached
          8. Spine-Tingling Thrillers: The Barber/Inhabited
          9. Howling IV: The Original Nightmare/Leeches
          10. Trick or Treat/The Wraith

          DVD

          DVD

          DVD

          Killer Barbys

          Hell Is For Heroes

          Sleepaway Camp [1983]

          DVD: Down with Love (Full Screen Edition)

          Department S - Vol.1