Crime of Passion

"Her husband was lying so close... the gun was even closer... now she was only one sin away from the Crime of Passion."

1956 1h 26m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🍅

80%

FRESH

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 57🍅80%Rotten Tomatoes★6.4IMDB · 3,707

DramaCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Kathy leaves the newspaper business to marry homicide detective Bill, but is frustrated by his lack of ambition and the banality of life in the suburbs. Her drive to advance Bill's career soon takes her down a dangerous path.

“Her husband was lying so close... the gun was even closer... now she was only one sin away from the Crime of Passion.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

ScreenPix Apple TV channelSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

ScreenPix Amazon Channel Subscription

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck
Kathy Ferguson
Sterling Hayden
Lt. William Doyle
Raymond Burr
Inspector Tony Pope
Fay Wray
Alice Pope
Virginia Grey
Sara Alidas
Royal Dano
Capt. Charlie Alidas
Robert Griffin
Police Sgt. James
Dennis Cross
Police Sgt. Jules

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gerd Oswald
Writers: Jo Eisinger, Jo Eisinger
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gerd Oswald, shot by Joseph LaShelle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paul Dunlap. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marjorie Fowler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Barbara Stanwyck and Sterling Hayden and Raymond Burr carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Her husband was lying so close... the gun was even closer... now she was only one sin away from the Crime of Passion.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0050271 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gerd Oswald directs. Joseph LaShelle behind the camera. Paul Dunlap scores. Marjorie Fowler cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
270 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Gerd Oswald, shot by Joseph LaShelle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Paul Dunlap. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Marjorie Fowler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Barbara Stanwyck and Sterling Hayden and Raymond Burr carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Her husband was lying so close... the gun was even closer... now she was only one sin away from the Crime of Passion.".
8IMDB entry: tt0050271 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 57 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "infidelity", "police", "ambition", "police operation".
11Released under 22 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph LaShelle
Original score: Paul Dunlap
Editing: Marjorie Fowler
Costume design: Grace Houston
Makeup / hair: Robert J. Schiffer
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Crime of Passion (1956)
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 3,707 votes
MPAA: Approved

Also by

Gerd Oswald

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-01
★ 6/10
"Kathy" (Barbara Stanwyck) is a feisty journalist who is sent to get the "woman's angle" on a crime and encounters a rather sexist captain and his more reasonable lieutenant "Doyle" (Sterling Hayden). After a bit of an whirlwind romance, the couple marry and move in together. It doesn't take her too long to discover that her husband, though loving, is actually a bit of a plodder who is content to work in the same job, with the same dull people, until he collects his clock. Their relationship starts to founder a little and that's when she becomes friendly with his unhappy colleague "Tony" (Raymond Burr) and his unassuming wife "Alice" (Far Wray). Pretty swiftly there is some cheating going on, but that only frustrates "Kathy" further, forcing a tragedy that has her husband and his entire team focused on an investigation that can only wreak havoc with all of their lives. This starts off quite strongly, with Stanwyck having a few pithy lines to deliver. As it meanders along, though, it loses that sharpness and becomes a bit more of a standard romantic thriller gone wrong! Raymond Burr could never be described as versatile, and he and Hayden battle one and other to see who can be the most wooden. It is watchable but could lose twenty minutes, I thought, leaving us with a far tighter, less verbose, story of betrayal that might just have worked better.

Production companies