| The
RECKLESS MOMENT
A blend of melodrama and film noir, The
Reckless Moment stars Joan Bennett
as Lucia Harper, a suburban housewife
whose husband is away on business. Her
daughter, Bea, an aspiring artist has
fallen for Ted Darby, a shady older man
from Los Angeles who claims to be an ex-art
dealer. One night, after a secret rendezvous
in the Harpers’ boathouse that turns
into an argument, Bea accidentally kills
Darby. When Lucia discovers his body in
the morning, she panics and dumps it in
the lagoon instead of contacting the police
who would surely charge her daughter with
murder. Her problems only increase when
a suave Irish gangster named Donnelly,
played by James Mason, shows up with a
package of love letters from Bea to Darby
and blackmail on his mind. With her husband
out of town, Lucia has no choice but to
give in to his demands and brings him
along on a desperate quest to raise the
money that takes them from bank to loan
office to pawn shop. When his boss shows
up to pressure him into finishing the
job, Donnelly’s surprising decision
sets up the film’s startling climax.
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