Shockproof (1949)

Shockproof: Directed by Douglas Sirk. With Cornel Wilde, Patricia Knight, John Baragrey, Esther Minciotti. A Parole Officer falls in-love with his client, a ravishing blonde who served time for murder, and he’s determined to help her go straight despite her interfering criminal boyfriend.

“The title is ponderous – There are no u0026quot;shocksu0026quot; in this film or anything that would need you to be resistant to them. Just a catchy irrelevant title I guess.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGriff Marat ( Cornell Wilde) is a straight arrow of a parole officer with political ambitions. His latest charge is a woman, Jenny Marsh (Patricia Knight) who has just left prison after five years. Griff gets her a room and a job, but most importantly tells her she cannot see her old friends anymore, in particular, Harry Weeson, the man she killed for. But she is very beholden to Harry because he has waited these five years for her. Griff says that if he has waited that long he can wait awhile longer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo you have young handsome single Griff, from an ethnic background that marries young, that canu0026#39;t afford any scandal if he wants to go up in the world. You have confused but beautiful Jenny who feels obliged to somebody she did time for. Shouldnu0026#39;t it be the other way around? And Weeson is hard to figure out. Heu0026#39;s more of a professional gambler than a mobster, doesnu0026#39;t appear to be cheating on Jenny, and I never could figure out exactly what he wanted from her.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe killing Jenny did is never explained. If she was defending Weesonu0026#39;s life, why was it a crime? If it was her just killing somebody who was a nuisance to him, why is she out in only five years? Actress Patricia Knight is believable in this role, and although she is Wildeu0026#39;s wife at the time, she also looks much like Douglas Sirk favorite, Dorothy Malone, minus Maloneu0026#39;s electricity. The reason I bring that up is Sirk directed this film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe first 60% of the film really has no surprises. It took one of several paths I saw it taking from the start. But then the last third is really out in left field with Griff abandoning everything I thought that made him tick and with him showing himself to be much more wily than I thought him capable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere is one really shocking scene when one parolee is told he is going back to prison. He begs to differ in a big way. Itu0026#39;s definitely a Fuller touch – Sam Fuller wrote the script. But as for that ending, somebody must have locked Fuller in a broom closet and rewrote whatever ending he proposed. Iu0026#39;d recommend this one just because it is so very odd.”