Ransom! (1956)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Absolutely Fantastic

A Masterpiece!

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Glenn Ford and Donna Reed star in this story of a prominent rich family, because the father's in the vacuum cleaner business, making them, not selling. Because he's in the public eye and rich, his son is ripe for the taking, anyone might think. And, they can get quite a big ransom for the boy. Think again. Glenn Ford's just a little smarter than your average dad, or maybe crazier. He decides not only to not pay the ransom, half a million dollars, but instead is putting it on the head of the abductor and in effect turns the tables on him. The film starts out well and is at best a very emotional roller-coaster ride, as both Donna and Glenn break down. Donna Reed is especially good, and gives a memorable performance in one scene in particular, as she is remembering the day her baby was born. But the climax of the film is seeing Glenn Ford, live on a television broadcast, vowing to get his enemy no matter the cost. From there, the film, quite frankly, drags. The film's main attribute is the acting, as some of the dialogue throughout is awkward and unrealistic. The fact that he doesn't pay the ransom and his speech are the most distinctive things about the picture. In fact, I'm surprised they made a full film about it, because essentially there was no story to really tell. Leslie Nielsen makes his screen debut as a nosy and pushy reporter who wants a scoop. The Mel Gibson remake had a stronger ending, but at the same time makes the viewer feel as if, is this really appropriate? All in all, if you are curious about the original "Ransom," I would recommend it to see the stars in some strong acting performances, but this film is really a one-time deal.

There are no saving graces in this dreadful, stagey, boring snooze-fest, which brings to mind "The Ransom Of Red Chief"! Even though there are some big stars in this film, the acting is almost uniformly terrible. Glenn Ford, normally a laid-back kind of guy, hams it up with forced emotion. Donna Reed is so over-the-top as to prove laughable. Leslie Nielson is woefully miscast and is terrible. The son is such a repulsive little brat, I found myself rooting for the kidnappers. The only decent performance in this mish-mash is the relatively minor role of the butler. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on the actors, after all, all they did were to read the lines given them in the script. Ah, the script, that turgid piece of contrived dreck that would like to tug on your heart strings but merely turns your stomach.

I would say this is a particularly fine film that I stumbled upon and now watch whenever its on. That is very rare for a drama. Comedies, even bad ones, and sometimes musicals or sci-fi easily catch me and make me watch, A drama has a harder row to hoe.Glenn Ford is rock steady and complex. Donna Reed has equal depth and has a mother's passion that is missing from many portrayals of mothers in the 50's. Her reaction the school principal worried about bad press for her school is deeply satisfying on a gut level. You feel that you wanted to do the same thing. Other movies have shown uncharacteristic restraint by its cast. People, even mothers, get angry and lash out at morons. Ford shows the same anger bubbling much deeper in his televised "discussion" with the kidnappers/terrorists.A special mention must be paid to Juano Hernandez who is excellent as the butler who loves the family in his own way with quiet loyalty and respect which they share for him. Be sure to catch him in "Intruder in the Dust". Weird title that makes it sound like western but is far more interesting and unusual than an oater.One strange thing that I don't hear mentioned is the bother's (Ainslie Pryor) reaction to the whole thing. To me, he seems to have far more vested in paying the ransom than a loving uncle. I get the feeling he helped plan the kidnapping and wants his brother to pay off. When that doesn't happen, he is not supportive but still tries to get him to change his mind. Strange. Maybe he gave the mother the newspaper so she would turn against Ford, then takes her in when she leaves him. His whole role in this movie seems to be in getting money paid. Maybe I'm too suspicious.

When I saw trailers for the Mel Gibson film "Ransom" in 1996, I had no idea that it was a remake of a 1956 movie of the same name. Thank God for TCM or else I never would have caught this elusive gem. I have no desire to see the remake, because the original is just tops with me. Yes, it was produced in the 1950s, so there are some very dated elements, but that does not deter from the suspense or involving premise.Glenn Ford, as Dave Stannard, gives one of his finest performances, compellingly realistic, while Donna Reed matches him with her warmth as his wife, Edith. They are a wealthy couple whose only child, Andy (Bobby Clark) is abducted from school one day and they later receive a ransom demand. The desperate parents want to do anything for the safe return of their son, but there is little they can do until the kidnappers make contact. While he can very well give into the demand, Stannard instead appears on television (the new and big medium of the 50s) to show that he does have money, but it will not be given to the abductors, rather it is the price on their heads if any harm befalls Andy.Donna Reed always likable, is outstanding, even if she does fall into the typical sexist "hysterical mother" so predominate of this era, crumbling to the floor, but she still gets you. So does Ford, for behind his steely determination is a distraught father who fears the worst for his son, wondering if there was any other way - the "what ifs" always plague parents when the suffering is not knowing. The ending, which is not something we would expect in this jaded world of today (nor in the case it was based on, Bobby Greenlease). This film is also a curiosity piece as an early appearance of Leslie Neilson, and there is the Hispanic butler, again playing in the confines of "understanding servant".But "Ransom!" is every bit a nail-biting thriller, one that will have the viewer on the edge of their seat, and no doubt resonate with any parent because of the issue that it addresses.And now I will ask the burning question - where is the DVD?