Directed by: Nicholas Ray
Starring: Joan Fontaine, Robert Ryan, Zachary Scott
Distributed by: Warner Archive
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 90 minutes
Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Joan Fontaine is such a Hollywood legend and definitely holds a presence on the screen. Thanks to Warner Archive, this film is released on DVD for the first time and is also newly remastered.The film is presented in 4 X 3 full frame and its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1. The audio included is a mono track like most released from Warner Archive.
Fans looking for a glimpse of Nicholas Ray’s earlier works, then you will enjoy this film. I personally didn’t enjoy the film very much, even though Ms. Fontaine is amazing. The film is categorized under Warner’s Film Noir Archive Collection, but I really don’t feel that this film really lands in that category. The real catch this release is an alternate ending with never-before-seen footage. The DVD also comes with a trailer of the film as well.
Synopsis: One of Nicholas Ray’s earliest works is a shockingly stark and unforgiving look at a woman blessed with no restraint whatsoever when it comes to her own ambition. Joan Fontaine plays Christabel Caine, the anti-heroine who has the face of an angel and the heart of a savage. King of Noir Robert Ryan plays the rough-hewn writer who is good enough to share her bed, but not her hand, while Zachary Scott plays the aviator millionaire too much the naïf to escape his fate. Joan Leslie and Mel Ferrer deliver standout performances as the bystanders, one victim, one ambivalent witness, to the wreckage Christabel leaves behind. And now, Born to be Bad is more shocking than ever, thanks to the recently discovered — and never before seen — alternate, extended ending. An ending that transforms the film from biting critique to a dark, sardonic work of joy.
