Harriet Craig

• Joan Crawford: Harriet Craig
• Wendell Corey: Walter Craig
• Lucile Watson: Celia Fenwick

The liar ( Original: Harriet Craig ) is an American melodrama of 1950 with Joan Crawford in the role of a neurotic housewife. Directed by Vincent Sherman. The film is based on the play Craig's Wife by George Kelly.

Action

Harriet Craig is a woman with a strong compulsion to control and an exaggerated cleanliness mania. The cause of their neuroses lie in childhood, when her father left the family for another woman. The pronounced fear of loss compensated Harriet in the only goal in life is to create a perfectly -run home for her husband. Walter feels the relationship with the frigid Harriet increasingly as a burden. His wife has been trying for some time to systematically alienating his friends, to exert absolute control over him. Things take a dramatic turn when Harriet even the employer of Walter lied to prevent a transfer abroad. It comes to an emotional debate, during which Walter finally behind the perfect facade surveys his wife. That same evening he leaves the house. Harriet is left alone.

Background

George Kelly, uncle of the actress Grace Kelly, won in 1925 for his play " Craig's Wife", an early attempt to address the findings of psychoanalysis about childhood trauma, the Pulitzer Prize. There have been two film adaptations of the substance: 1928 Irene Rich and Warner Baxter played the lead roles. Rosalind Russell and John Boles were for adaptation from 1936 is available at the Dorothy Arzner directs.

Columbia Pictures undertook in 1950 a further attempt to bring the now somewhat antiquated material time under the title Lady of the House to the canvas. Harry Cohn, the studio boss, saw it as an ideal material for Joan Crawford and offered her the lead role. The actress was initially uncertain, probably because of the partially striking parallels to her own character - Crawford's Obsession for housecleaning was just like her compulsive washing an open secret. In the absence of real alternatives, the actress decided in the end to accept the offer. Vincent Sherman, who directed last year already in the pay of In Satan took over the implementation of the script. In his biography Studio Affairs he spoke in 1996 about his doubts about the correctness of the decision:

" I was aware that Joan Crawford is the embodiment of Harriet Craig was [ ..] in their obsessive attitude to housework, her ability to manipulate people and in their attitude about how ideally men should behave towards women. "

Reviews

The reviews ranged between consent and utter rejection.

Bosley Crowther remained faithful in the New York Times of his line, never to write a positive review about Joan Crawford:

"Miss Crawford's presentation is so hard that her character has neither motivation nor any form of relation to reality. It is almost as if a mannequin in an exaggerated wardrobe, play the role without character or gender. [ ..] Probably is the target audience of the film sloppy housewives who should feel somehow superior to this monstrosity. If so, then that is exactly her film. "

The critic in Variety was benevolent:

" Joan Crawford succeeds honored to represent the selfish character. They lined succeeded all too obvious motivations that drive the story. "

"The film gives the movie star Joan Crawford the opportunity to capture the attention of the camera with a real star role. It is, as always, an elegant actress and is a sharp and powerful interpretation. In their whole attitude Miss Crawford makes it clear that she is a queen of the cinema. "

Sources and literature used

• Roy Newquist (ed.): Conversations with Joan Crawford. Citadel Press, Secaucus, N. J. 1980, ISBN 0-8065-0720-9
• Lawrence J. Quirk: The Complete Films of Joan Crawford. Citadel Press, Secaucus, N. J. 1988, ISBN 0-8065-1078-1
• Alexander Walker: Joan Crawford. The Ultimate Star. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1983, ISBN 0-297-78216-9