ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Aspen Orson There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

hrkepler '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.

SnoopyStyle Poor innocent model Leonora Eames (Barbara Bel Geddes) meets arrogant volatile tycoon Smith Ohlrig (Robert Ryan). To spite his therapist, he marries Leonora without even being sure of her name. She is unhappy in their marriage but he is unwilling to grant her a divorce. She leaves her life of luxury to work as a receptionist in a doctor's office in the poverty-stricken lower east side. Smith pleads for her to return and she gets pregnant. It turns out that he hasn't changed one bit and he runs away to join Dr. Larry Quinada (James Mason) who she has fallen in love with.Barbara is doing a small performance as Leonora is a small personality. Her sweet middle-class nature is the perfect antidote to Smith. This is well made paperback romance movie. The start is a bit slow. It may be useful to introduce Dr. Quinada sooner. Maybe the movie can start with Dr. Quinada treating the models or simply be kind to Leonora. It would allow her a safe place to run away to the first time around.

Leofwine_draca CAUGHT is a rather dated, low budget movie that straddles the romance, melodrama, and film noir genres. It fits into a genre of films that were popular back in the 1940s, invariably involving a young woman who marries a husband, little knowing that he's hiding a dark and murderous secret. CAUGHT is a very restrained addition to that genre that unfortunately plays its material in a very subtle fashion.Meanwhile, the viewer is bogged down with extended romance scenes and plenty of over the top acting as new bride Barbara Bel Geddes fights with her husband Robert Ryan. Unfortunately, nothing much happens and 90% of the film consists of characters just arguing with each other. There is a central moral dilemma that arises at the climax but by that stage it's too little, too late.The cast is the most interesting thing about this, although DALLAS actress Bel Geddes has to be playing one of the most insipid heroines from this era. Robert Ryan (INFERNO) is much better, delivering a restrained turn as the evil husband, while James Mason is cast against type as a humble doctor who becomes the love interest. Still, you'd have to be massive fan of this era of film-making to enjoy this one.

Spikeopath 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