Born to Be Bad

Nicholas Ray's 1950 film is about the rise of a calculating woman. Christabel comes to San Francisco from the provinces and uses her innocent look and her fragility as instruments, steering everyone she meets to her own advantage. To take her cousin Donna's wealthy fiancé Curtis she breaks the engagement from behind and marries him, while continuing to keep the writer Nick interested. The film is in no hurry to punish her; it shows her method in detail and explains why the people around her do not see the game. Ray's direction is evident in the use of space, with the domestic scenes carrying a constant sense of being watched. Joan Fontaine inverts the image built on her innocent roles. Who it's for: viewers who like classic Hollywood melodrama and Nicholas Ray. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a sympathetic protagonist; the film leaves no room for one.