Cry Wolf (1947)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Must See Movie...

I wanted to but couldn't!

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

"Cry Wolf" came along when Errol Flynn's career was in slight decline. He hadn't had a successful film at the box office for the last few years but the above film is interesting and reasonably intriguing. His character in "Cry Wolf" displays almost nothing of the usual character traits. He is rather austere and emotionally detached. Flynn could quite easily have been cast as a villain. The film is a lot more low key in comparison with other Errol Flynn films. The story mainly revolves around a big house with many acres of land out in the sticks. There aren't the usual lavish production values. The plot doesn't allow for any of the usual camaraderie or any shenanigans that the fans had come to expect from Flynn. The tone of the film is a lot more serious, perhaps a bit grim but still very watchable. As the female lead, Barbara Stanwyck plays a character who attends the reading of a will after learning that her husband has died. Her husband was the nephew of Errol Flynn, who is quick to question if Stanwyck is the genuine article after the family has never heard of her. Whilst her background is being investigated, Stanwyck stays at the family estate where not all is what it seems..... There is a bit of mystery about "Cry Wolf" until about the last 15 minutes when all is explained. The two leads engage upon a series of verbal assaults upon each other and with both giving their all. Worth watching.

Before watching this film, I read the old review by Bosley Crowther. And I quite disagree with his assessment of the film. I quite like this film. But -- and there is a big but here -- you have to approach it understanding that at one time most people believed that insanity could be passed on through the family line, and that it was an established fear that if one person in your family was insane, that others were likely to become insane, as well.For me, there was "menace" in this film from beginning until the climax. It is downright eerie. From the opening scene with the young girl galloping her horse until the murder attempt at the climax, this is a truly dark film.Errol Flynn is excellent as the serious and sophisticated scientist. Barbara Stanwyck also excellent as the secret wife who suspects something is amiss. Richard Basehart -- who does not appear until late in the film -- equally great as the insane member of the family. And, Geraldine Brooks as the ill-fated young lady is quite good, although she was more successful in later years in television than on the big screen.If I have one criticism, it's about the character played by Errol Flynn. Sinister or kind? Romantic or cold? Rather than play the character more subtly, the director seemed to have Flynn jerk from one attitude to another.Nevertheless, I enjoyed this under-appreciated film. Although it hasn't earned a place on my DVD shelf, it's one I'll watch again on TCM...for the third time. :-)

This is a very entertaining film starring two of the bigger name stars with Warner Brothers at the time, Errol Flynn and Barbara Stanwyck. A lot of the reason to watch the film is because of their performances as opposed to the exciting but flawed plot. Barbara is looking for her missing husband, so she tracks down his family and demands to know where he is. They tell him he is dead, but somehow the story doesn't convince her---deep down Stanwyck knows something is amiss (a bit tough to believe, I know that "feelings" are that accurate in real life). Well, given her suspicions, she stays at the family estate for a few days--during which time, her suspicions seem to have some validity. Eventually, she becomes convinced that her lost husband is being held against his will somewhere on the estate. All this is tremendously interesting. The only problem with the film (beware--a spoiler is coming) is that the family should have just told Barbara the truth from the start--this is what any normal family would have done. Of course, though, this would have meant about a 10 or 15 minute movie instead of this full-length mystery! If you can suspend disbelief about this basic plot problem, then you'll likely love the movie. But, even if you can't, it's still worth seeing just for these stars acting in their prime.

I recently saw this one (unknowingly for the 2nd time). What were they thinking when they cranked this one out. True it has star quality with Stanwyck and Flynn, but what with the cartoonish supporting actors and very contrived ending which leaves you feeling cheated, it just never takes off. Further, the underlying "love story" is just totally unbelievable. True story: I am a big fan of Barbara Stanwyck and have made an effort to view her full catalog of movies. This one was so un-memorable, that I didn't realize I had seen it before until nearly half way through the movie. Obviously I had chosen to forget it soon after.