Private Property

Leslie Stevens's 1960 independent film was considered lost for thirty years. Pulled from circulation when its distributor went out of business, it was restored in 4K in 2016 from elements found by the UCLA archive and shown again at the TCM Classic Film Festival. The story is simple and unnerving: two drifters worm their way into the seemingly perfect life of a lonely housewife in Beverly Hills, one of them planning to seduce her in order to hand her over to his inexperienced friend. It was shot almost entirely in the house where Stevens lived with his wife and lead actress Kate Manx, which explains the claustrophobic reality of the location. This is one of Warren Oates's early roles, and the seed of the menace he carried through his later career is visible. Implying sexual violence this openly while the production code still applied is part of why the film had trouble being shown. Who it's for: viewers interested in the independent branch of noir and in rediscovered films. Who it's not for: anyone who will find the constant threat of sexual violence hard going, or who wants resolution and relief.