Max Ophuls - The Reckless Moment

(aka 'The Blank Wall')

Directed by Max Ophuls
USA 1949

Having concealed her daughter's accidental killing of her seedy older lover, upper middle class housewife Bennett finds herself being blackmailed by a loan shark; fortunately for her, the man he sends - small-time crook and loner Mason - becomes infatuated with Bennett, and ends up killing his partner. Ophüls' noir melodrama, like his previous film, Caught, can be seen as a subtle, subversive critique of American ambitions and class-structures: in committing the moral and legal transgression of concealing a corpse, Bennett is merely protecting the comfort and respectability of her family life, and the irony is that Mason's self-sacrifice, made on her behalf, simply serves to preserve the status quo that has relegated him to the role of social outcast. This sense of waste, however, is implied rather than emphasized by Ophüls' elegant, low key direction, which counterpoints the stylization of Burnett Guffey's shadowy photography with long, mobile takes that stress the everyday reality of the milieu. A marvelous, tantalizing thriller, it also features never-better performances from Mason and Bennett.

Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

Poster

Theatrical Release: October 17th, 1949

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DVD Review: Second Sight Films - Region 2 - PAL

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All 4 Second Sight Ophuls Films/DVD

Distribution

Second Sight Films - Region 2 - PAL

Runtime

1:18:36

Video

1.33:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.56 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Audio

English (Dolby Digital 2.0)

Subtitles

None

Features

Release Information:
Studio: Second Sight Films

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

• Introduction by Todd Haynes (22:01)
• Commentary by Lutz Bacher
• Production Stills Gallery

DVD Release Date: September 18th, 2006
Keep Case
Chapters: 16

Comments:

Strong progressive image with only a few minute scratches and blemishes. Contrast and detail are very acceptable and there is some light grain in spots. I would have appreciated optional subtitles, but the audio track is clean and clear enough that dialogue is consistent and easy to decipher.

Todd Haynes gives a great introduction impressing with his in-depth knowledge of the Ophuls and The Reckless Moment and how he paid homage with characters names in his own films. The Lutz Bacher commentary was very interesting as well, although I'd have loved to hear Haynes as backup.

I'm very appreciative that this and the other Ophuls DVDs came out - quality is better than I anticipated and the films are must-owns for serious films fans. We recommend!

Gary W. Tooze

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