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No Man of Her Own

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6.9/10 • 45

1950-02-211h 38m

DramaCrimeThriller

A penniless pregnant woman adopts the identity of a rich woman killed in a train crash.

Directors
Mitchell Leisen
Writters
Mitchell Leisen
Editors
Mitchell Leisen, Alma Macrorie

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Barbara Stanwyck

    Barbara Stanwyck

    Helen Ferguson

  2. John Lund

    John Lund

    Bill Harkness

  3. Jane Cowl

    Jane Cowl

    Mrs. Harkness

  4. Phyllis Thaxter

    Phyllis Thaxter

    Patrice Harkness

  5. Lyle Bettger

    Lyle Bettger

    Stephen Morley

  6. Henry O'Neill

    Henry O'Neill

    Mr. Harkness

  7. Richard Denning

    Richard Denning

    Hugh Harkness

  8. Carole Mathews

    Carole Mathews

    Blonde

  9. Esther Dale

    Esther Dale

    Josie

Reviews1

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Feb 9, 2020

8/10

Identity it's a crisis can't you see! No Man of Her Own is directed by Mitchell Leisen and adapted to screenplay by Sally Benson and Catherine Turney from the novel "I Married a Dead Man" written by William Irish (Cornell Woolrich. It stars Barbara Stanwyck, John Lund, Jane Cowl, Henry O'Neill, Phyllis Thaxter, Richard Denning and Lyle Bettger. Callously jilted by the man who has made her pregnant, Helen Ferguson (Stanwyck) survives a train crash and is mistaken for another woman, Patrice Harkness (Thaxter), who was killed in the crash. The woman, who she had befriended on the train, was also pregnant and recently married to a man who also died in the crash (Denning as Hugh Harkness). The rich Harkness in-laws, having never met Patrice, take who they think is Patrice into their home and even though Helen is tormented by her deceit, she spies an opportunity to give her child a grand life. But will she be found out? Will her past come to light with dire consequences?. Film noir styles meets melodramatic verve in what is still a riveting picture, even if the implausibility of it all is hard to swallow. Stanwyck gives it the whole shebang, carrying the film on her shoulders as she hits all the right emotive beats of a double characterisation that brings guilt, shame and conflict of interests. Lund is sadly bland as the Harkness sibling love interest, but the rest of the cast do sterling work, notably Cowl as the Harkness patriarch. Cowl would pass away the year of the film's release. From a film noir perspective it's disappointing that the filmic finale is different to that of Woolrich's novel. However, the story of a destitute unmarried woman thrown a bone by the vagaries of fate is in true noir fashions - as is the turn of events when things go dark in the last third as the past comes knocking at the door of settled bliss in the form of Bettger's oily Stephen Morley. A love story, a survivalist story, one of blackmail, deceit and murder, lots going on in a hugely enjoyable entertainment. 8/10

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
blackmailtrain crashfilm noirstolen identityunmarried motherchristmasjilted womandomesticmelodrama