Brute Force (1946), a powerful prison drama starring Burt Lancaster as the inmate planning a daring escape to reach his love, Ann Blyth, in time airs today on Turner Classic Movies, 3 p.m. ET. From my book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:
Ann
is at first asleep, then he wakes her, and in their tender scene shows us that
Lancaster is tired of running, that this will be his last job, and then he will
come back to her for good. He tells her that when he met her, he was a
guy who “found the first important thing in his life.” She doesn’t know
what racket he’s in, but she senses he is troubled. She wants to help
him, wishes she weren’t sick so that she could help him.
“There
are all kinds of sick people, Ruth. Maybe we could help each
other.” The scene is gentle, affectionate, somewhat sad. Ann’s
character is not a gun moll; she’s a sweet, decent girl who trusts him.
This is important because it bolsters the visual image we already have of Burt
Lancaster in the film as more a wounded animal than a psychopath.
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