Good movie but grossly overrated

good back-story, and good acting

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Harriet Craig (1950) *** (out of 4)Forgotten Columbia film about a wife (Joan Crawford) who cares only about her possessions, her way of life and anything that involves her. Her blind husband (Wendell Corey) soon starts to realize that he's not married to the type of woman he thought he was. HARRIET CRAIG is a film that doesn't get talked about too often when it comes to Crawford but when you step back and look at the work she did starting with MILDRED PIERCE you can't help but call this another winner. As I go through these post-MGM Crawford films I must say that my respect for her continues to grow because she took on all sorts of roles and did a wonderful job at all of them. There's just something so evil and cold about her character here and it's something that perhaps lived inside of the actress. If MOMMIE DEAREST had been written like this film it would have been a masterpiece. If Faye Dunaway's performance was as great as what Crawford delivers here then I think she would have been willing to talk about it. I mention that film because the type of character that film portrays Crawford as is pretty much the type she's playing here. The coldness of this character is something that you'll certainly hate but the constantly lying and the way she puts herself before anything else just makes this one of the most memorable characters out there. What I loved about Crawford's performance is this bubbling evilness that you can feel with her character and you just get the feeling at any second she's willing to make something worse just to benefit herself. Corey also deserves a lot of credit as the husband as he makes for a very sympathetic character. The sequence when everything finally breaks and the two go at it is rather priceless in regards to the brilliance of the acting. The supporting cast includes good performances by Lucile Watson, K.T. Stevens, William Bishop, Ellen Corby and Viola Roache. HARRIET CRAIG is a film that's not often talked about, which is a real shame because Crawford's performance certainly deserves more attention.

Many successful 1940's black and white melodramas revolved around a subjectively bad central character who negatively impacts everyone's lives until punished with just desserts. Joan Crawford superbly plays this central character and does get her just desserts at the final credits. The difference by 1950 is the perceived flaw of subjectively bad character seems ludicrous in a modern light. There are more recent television sitcoms which bust up a seemingly perfect, fruitful relationship merely because one partner rushes over with a dustbuster every time the other eats a muffin. The popular STEPFORD WIVES novel was later made into two successful movies whose premise seems to be sloppy people lazy toward responsibilities are the wronged folks while neat freaks are the psychopaths deserving to be punished. Should you accept this premise HARRIET CRAIG is a terrific movie as well as an historical reference of early fifties' movie styles and Joan Crawford's professional development by that time. If you don't, this is a well made movie whose premise may not seem sufficiently logical to build grand melodrama.

In this remake of "Craig's Wife" Joan Crawford assumes the role of Harriet Craig, the woman to whom objects are more important than people.The biggest difference to me is that in this version Harriet is more concerned with running other people's lives, whereas in the 1936 version she is only concerned with keeping people from interfering with the smooth running of her own life.Joan Crawford's character is more devious, more suspicious, while Rosalind Russell played it as detached and aloof. Crawford undermines everyone around her; Russell ignores them. Crawford is obvious, like a raging river carving out a canyon; Russell is insidious, like a tiny trickle of water eating away at a foundation.Crawford's severe hairdo makes her look like a prison guard, to represent her rigid personality. Although Russell had a softer look about her, her perfectly straight posture was the giveaway to her feelings about the world around her.Of the two I prefer the Rosalind Russell version.

" Wives may be a little extra trouble now and then, but they're mighty handy gadgets to have around the house." This movie is like a time capsule of the late 1940's and 50's. There are definite stereotypes about the roles of men and women from that period - like a woman's place is in the home, etc. Some will find this very dated and annoying - but I often enjoy seeing glimpses into past periods in American history, even if I don't necessarily agree with it.There is not a lot of depth to this movie in the classic soap tradition. But there is good character development in the sense that you know everyone's personalities. Joan is the controlling, manipulative wife trying to climb the social ladder. Correy plays the wimpy husband who lets his wife control him and everything in his life... Until she finally goes to far. Its good to see Mrs. Craig get what's coming to her in the end.Joan's costumes are beautiful and extravagant. But I hated the hairdo she has in most of the picture - very much like "helmet-hair". Its all stuck very close to her head and gives her profile shots an unflattering shape. Perhaps they're trying to give her an overly masculine look to match her domineering personality. I'm not a huge fan Of Crawford. I find most of her work overly theatric and stiff. This carries over here as well. There is one exception: when she relives the day her father left the family. She shows natural and genuine human emotion and pain in that scene, without all the campiness for which she is known.If you don't like melodrama or soap opera style films, stay away from this one. If you want a glimpse into 1950's stereotypes, watch this. Also, for those familiar with Crawford personal life and "Mommie Dearest", this role perhaps best captures that side of Joan - controlling, manipulative, unforgiving, and without an ounce of warmth in her whole body.