Last Thursday, Jan 22, Dom came to San Francisco and joined me & two of my local friends to see our beloved Joan Bennett in 1949s ``The Reckless Moment`` at the beautiful Castro Theatre, our City`s landmark 80 year old movie palace. Still single screen, the Castro shows classic Hollywood revivals, film festivals, and gay/lesbian cinema.
39 year old Joan was quite lovely, and quite good, in this film noir about a mother who`ll do ANYTHING to protect her reckless daughter. Her role in the film forshadowed her DS role. Early movie scenes between mother & daughter were quite similar to pre~Barnabas scenes between Carolyn & Elizabeth.
Many of Joan`s scenes with James Mason in the film were IDENTICAL to many of Liz`s scenes with Jason McGuire.
The theatre manager introduced the film, citing Joan as a major star of the 30s and 40s who made the film noir genre her own, and that she was a producer as well. He did not mention DS.
We all had dinner before and coffee afterward. It was great to meet Dom, who`s a neat guy, and a terrific night at the movies.
Reckless Moment is now on VHS/DVD thru mail order only. Go to filmnoir.com, where you`ll find a few other rare Joan Bennett movies.
And check out Deep End, made, I think, in 2001.
British actress Tilda Swinton essays Joan`s role in this remake. The daughter from the original becomes the gay son in the remake.