No Man of Her Own

Mitchell Leisen's 1950 film is about the lie that follows a change of identity. Helen is pregnant, penniless, and the father of her child has got rid of her with a train ticket. The young couple she meets on the journey treat her kindly; the train crashes, and when she wakes everyone takes her for the woman who died. The dead woman's wealthy family, whom she has never met, accept her as their daughter-in-law and Helen chooses to say nothing. The film does not turn the lie into a crime story; it describes living every day in fear of being found out and not wanting to lose what this family has given her. The tension begins when the real father appears. It is adapted from a novel by Cornell Woolrich. Barbara Stanwyck plays the part with restraint. Who it's for: viewers who like noir and classic melodrama. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a morally clear ending; the film leaves that blurred.