There's something about Montgomery's interpretation that really works for me. His anger and pain and defensiveness, I think. You can see a moral code at work in his internal struggles. He doesn't try to make his character appealing or win the audience's love. That's rare, especially back in the day when actors were so protective of their persona. Some actors would never play an unsympathetic character, for example, to 'honor their public'. IMHO Montgomery played the part like no one else could, and thus elevated it beyond the standard interpretations of the day.
@@NoirFan77 Agreed. Muller's extensive (these intro/outro segments have to be concise, and every word has to fight for its survival against all other words) criticism of Montgomery is mainly due to a disagreement with his personal politics.
I liked Robert Montgomery but I agree movie would have been better cast by someone else. I can see Robert Mitchum in the role myself.
There's something about Montgomery's interpretation that really works for me. His anger and pain and defensiveness, I think. You can see a moral code at work in his internal struggles. He doesn't try to make his character appealing or win the audience's love. That's rare, especially back in the day when actors were so protective of their persona. Some actors would never play an unsympathetic character, for example, to 'honor their public'.
IMHO Montgomery played the part like no one else could, and thus elevated it beyond the standard interpretations of the day.
@@NoirFan77 Agreed. Muller's extensive (these intro/outro segments have to be concise, and every word has to fight for its survival against all other words) criticism of Montgomery is mainly due to a disagreement with his personal politics.
@@koomo801 I've just re-watched the intro & outro, looking for evidence to back up your claim. Couldn't find any.