Review of Carrie (1952) by Matt B — 13 Jan 2008

Wyler's finest achievement is an incredibly emotionally complex film adapted from the novel "Sister Carrie" by Theodore Dreiser. Carrie, played with an appropriate sense of timidity by Jennifer Jones, arrives in the city alone and jobless, and falls in with a smooth-talking, good-natured man, played by Eddie Albert. After much uncertainty, she becomes involved with prominent business manager George Hurstwood, played to complete perfection by Laurence Olivier, who sacrifices everything for the love of Carrie. After being accused of stealing from his former employer, Hurstwood loses both his family and his job, and unable to find work to help support Carrie, who has made a career for herself on the stage, goes off on his own, alone and broken.

Olivier's performance of a broken man who loses everything is so heartbreaking that it left me in tears. He conveys so much through his face, all the hurt, humiliation, loss, and sadness, that it literally brings tears to my eyes just to think about it. The entire film is an emotionally devastating experience, and Wyler's direction perfectly conveys every aspect of the complexities of the relationship between Carrie and Hurstwood. One of the finest examples of what can be achieved in American cinema with the perfect combination of style and narrative.