Stanwyck/Foster underrated mother/daughter conflict
Posted: March 27th, 2008, 11:28 am
Spioler Alert
IMO The Violent Men is a great action western and though it wasn't the main theme of the film i thought the mother daughter conflict between Barbara Stanwyck and Diane Foster is one of the movies highlights.
for most of the film Stanwyck's Martha Wilkerson pulls the wool over the eyes of most of the other characters in the movie. her husband Edward G Robinson seems to think of her as the dutiful wife, while she is having an affair with his brother Brian Keith. she's also greatly respected among her neighbours, but apart from the ovious Keith the one person who knows her for what she was really like, was her daughter Judith as played by Foster.
though she's having her affair with Keith, it's clear Stanwyck is using him in her ruthless ambition to drive everyone else of their land inorder to have complete control of the valley. she also gives the impression the one person she truly loves is her daughter, who for a long time in the film was the only one who knew Stanwyck as the nasty piece of work she was. and though she loved her mother, Foster played a key part in destoying her mother's dream of owning the whole valley.
it was interesting to note, it was, as far as i can tell, the only Stanwyck western of the 50s where she didn't wear pants, spending the whole film in skirts and dresses, yet it was her most evil western role.
Diane Foster to me was a two hit wonder with great performances in TVM and Night Passage, where she starts of in love with Audie Murphy, hoever, after his death it looks like she's going to settle for his older brother James Stewart. so one wonders why she didn't get more starring roles.
IMO The Violent Men is a great action western and though it wasn't the main theme of the film i thought the mother daughter conflict between Barbara Stanwyck and Diane Foster is one of the movies highlights.
for most of the film Stanwyck's Martha Wilkerson pulls the wool over the eyes of most of the other characters in the movie. her husband Edward G Robinson seems to think of her as the dutiful wife, while she is having an affair with his brother Brian Keith. she's also greatly respected among her neighbours, but apart from the ovious Keith the one person who knows her for what she was really like, was her daughter Judith as played by Foster.
though she's having her affair with Keith, it's clear Stanwyck is using him in her ruthless ambition to drive everyone else of their land inorder to have complete control of the valley. she also gives the impression the one person she truly loves is her daughter, who for a long time in the film was the only one who knew Stanwyck as the nasty piece of work she was. and though she loved her mother, Foster played a key part in destoying her mother's dream of owning the whole valley.
it was interesting to note, it was, as far as i can tell, the only Stanwyck western of the 50s where she didn't wear pants, spending the whole film in skirts and dresses, yet it was her most evil western role.
Diane Foster to me was a two hit wonder with great performances in TVM and Night Passage, where she starts of in love with Audie Murphy, hoever, after his death it looks like she's going to settle for his older brother James Stewart. so one wonders why she didn't get more starring roles.