Daisy Kenyon

Daisy Kenyon works as a commercial illustrator in Manhattan. For years she has been involved with Dan O'Mara, a successful lawyer, arrogant and married. He says he will leave his wife and does not. One day Daisy meets Peter Lapham, back from the war. Peter is calm, plain-spoken and promises nothing. After a short courtship they marry. Daisy still loves Dan, and Dan knows it. Otto Preminger builds the triangle not as melodrama but as a problem of decision. The narrative makes neither man a villain and does not place Daisy as a victim; all three act knowing their own interest. Joan Crawford plays Daisy, Dana Andrews plays Dan, and Henry Fonda plays Peter. The film is unusually cold and distant among the studio melodramas of the 1940s. Who it's for: Viewers who like classic Hollywood drama, Preminger, and Joan Crawford. Who it's not for: The narrative is slow and the conflict runs largely through talk. The resolution at the end is also too orderly.