Just A Long time of Waiting And Forgetting

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) is a sprawling domestic melodrama but one with a good deal of heart. There’s a thin line between love and hate. And a thinner line between marriages of passion and those of convenience.

I’ve seen folks take issue with the pacing and particularly with the fact that Stanwyck doesn’t show up until about a quarter of the way through the proceedings. But, I enjoyed that the story breathes. It helps both clarify character motivations and enhances the messiness of these dynamics.

This is apparently a remake of the Alan Ladd film This Gun For Hire (1941) and uses the same script adapted from the Graham Greene novel A Gun For Sale.

I have read neither the book nor, have I seen the original adaptation. But this is solid. It looks incredible. Robert Ivers is pretty terrifying in the lead.