Editing Lewis Milestone (section)

===''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946)===

The movies Milestone directed in the late 1940s represent "the last distinctive period" in his creative output. His first post-war project was the [[Hal B. Wallis]] production ''[[The Strange Love of Martha Ivers]]'' (1946), which is based on the story "Love Lies Bleeding" by [[John Patrick (dramatist)|John Patrick]].<ref>Arnold, 2003 TCM<br />Millichap, 1981 pp. 142&ndash;143: "Between them the writer and director created a taut, harsh tale of American moral corruption which became a classic example of the post-war Hollywood style known as film noir"</ref> The film, which was made In collaboration with screenwriter [[Robert Rossen]], is, according to Higham and Greenberg (1968), a "striking addition" to the post-war Hollywood film genre ''[[film noir]]'', combining a grim, 19th-century [[Realism (art movement)|romanticism]] with the cinematic methods of [[German Expressionism (cinema)|German Expressionism]].<ref>Higham and Greenberg, 1968 pp. 20&ndash;21: See here for definitions of ''film noir'', re: "Romanticism" and German/Austrian directors, "reaching its fullest realization in the Forties" and p. 27: "Lewis Milestone, in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946), also created a striking addition to film noir{{nbsp}}.... Replete with impressive images of cruelty and destructiveness, this chef d'oeuvre could not have been more persuasively directed"<br />Millichap, 1981 p. 154: "Milestone's ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' proves a perfect example of ''film noir'', a dark revelation of a corrupt and corrupting urban America{{nbsp}}... not only one of the best of its type [it] remains one Milestone's best films, a dramatic confirmation of the director's diverse and generous gifts" and p. 154: "Robert Rossen's literate and intelligent screenplay, a work which recalls literary sources a diverse as [[Eugene O'Neill]] and [[John O'Hara]]" and p. 144: "Milestone assisted{{nbsp}}... by an excellent cast"<br />Arnold, 2003 TCM: "a classic ''film noir'' which introduced Kirk Douglas to the movie-going world{{nbsp}}.... Dark, twisted and gripping, the picture was an all-around triumph."</ref>

Rossen's and Milestone's script provided the cast, which features [[Barbara Stanwyck]], [[Van Heflin]] and [[Kirk Douglas]] in his first screen appearance with a "taut, harsh" narrative that critiques post-war, urban America as corrupt and irredeemable.<ref>Millichap, 1981 pp. 142&ndash;143: "Between them the writer and director created a taut, harsh tale of American moral corruption which became a classic example of film noir."<br />Barson, 2020: "''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) was a departure for Milestone, an effective film noir starring Barbara Stanwyck, Lizabeth Scott, and (in his film debut) Kirk Douglas."<br />Canham, 1974 p. 97: "the viciousness of dialogue and character reflected a cynical approach to modern society" and pp. 97&ndash;98: "a powerful demonstration of the destructive distortion of identify{{nbsp}}... which stemmed from an obsessive devotion to money and power."<br />Millichap, 1981 p. "Kirk Douglas, in his screen debut"</ref> Cinematographer [[Victor Milner]] supplied the ''film noir'' effects and musical director [[Miklós Rózsa]] integrated sound motifs with Milestone's visual elements.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 144: "[[Victor Milner]]'s cinematography renders the requisite stylistic effects of film noir" and "the sound track is enhanced by Miklos Rozsa's brilliant original score [which] presents themes for each of the characters and then skillfully intertwines and contrasts them in an almost perfect counterpoint to the visual images."</ref><ref>Higham and Greenberg, 1968 pp. 20&ndash;21: "the minatory score of{{nbsp}}... Miklos Rozs." The final cut was marred by Wallis's post-production insertion of close-ups to promote his rising Paramount property [[Lizabeth Scott]].<br />Millichap, 1981 p. 144: "Only one member of the production staff really hindered Milestone: producer [[Hal B. Wallis]] [who insisted] on inserting a number of pointless close-ups of his latest starlet, [[Lizabeth Scott]], in Milestone's finished director's print. The inserts [of Scott] stand out like sore thumbs{{nbsp}}... the rest of the film is as faultless in its visual rhythms as everything Milestone ever did."</ref>