DEEP VALLEY
US, 1947, 104 minutes, Black and white.
Ida Lupino, Dane Clark, Wayne Morris, Henry Hull, Fay Bainter, Willard Robertson.
Directed by Jean Negulesco.
Deep Valley is an offbeat romance popular with Warner Bros. during the '40s. It was directed by Jean Negulesco who had made his mark at Warner Bros. with such films as The Mask of Dimitrios and Three Strangers. He then directed Johnny Belinda which has many resemblances to this film. Later he was to move to 20th. Century Fox and direct such colourful Cinemascope features as Three Coins in a Fountain, How to Marry a Millionaire, Woman's World.
The film has an attractive role for Ida Lupino as a backwoods woman, nervous, stammering, who falls in love with convict Dane Clark. This is a typical enough Clark role. There is interesting support from Fay Bainter and Henry Hull as Ida Lupino's antagonistic parents. Wayne Morris is bland as the prison guard hero.
The film has Big Sur locations, a Max Steiner score - and typical doomed romanticism of the period.
1. An entertaining romantic melodrama? Prison film? Backwoods film?
2. Black and white photography, Big Sur locations? musical score? Special effects for the storm and landslide?
3. The title, the focus on the Saul family, Barry and his involvement? The sense of doom in the title?
4. Libby and her place in her family, her nervousness and stammer, looking after her invalided mother, the clash with her demanding father? Her lack of confidence? Wandering the woods? Watching the convicts? The encounter with Barry and being attracted towards him? Barker and the jail guards coming for water? Playing cards at the house? The landslide and its effect? Paralleling the conflict within the family? Her deciding to run away and break free from home? The encounter with Barry, helping him in his escape? Falling in love, being able to talk, overcoming her stammer? Two people running away? His persuading her to return home? Helping him in the barn? The recovery of her mother, her father's warmth? The discovery of Barry? Her decision, his leaving? Her finding him, his death, her love for him and its effect on her? The final sequence with Barker? Portrait of a backwoods girl and doomed love?
5. Barry and his presence in the prison gang, hard work, clash with the warders? His attraction towards Libby? The escape, his hiding out, talking freely to Libby, his bad temper, getting him in trouble, in jail? The guards and the chase? His being discovered? The decision for Libby to go with him, his driving off without her? The chase, his being wounded, returning to the fishing hole where they talked? His
being wounded, dying - with the final words about freedom?
6. The guards, the work gangs, the difficulties, the need for water, hard work, the landslide, the search for the escaped prisoner? Barker and his war experience, attraction towards Libby, friendship with the family, possible partnership in work? The search for Barry, the confrontation his being hit? The finale with Libby?
7. The Saul family, backwoods, poverty, oppression? The father and his severity, violence with his wife, harshness towards his daughter? Wanting to get the money from the prison guards? His wife recovering and his mellowing? His wife and her invalid status, playing on it, remaining in bed,-being waited on by Libby? Her getting up, recovery, reconciliation? her hoping that Libby would marry Barker? her overhearing the conversation between Libby and Barry? Her dilemma?
8. Themes of families, tensions? Prisons, escape? Relationships, love and their effect? A film of the '40s?
