Queen Bee

Ranald MacDougall's 1955 American film follows Eva, living in a large house in Georgia, keeping everyone around her under control. Her husband is an alcoholic, her sister-in-law helpless, everyone in the house dependent on her; she presents this as a form of love. Joan Crawford plays one of the harshest roles of her career here and does not try to defend the character; Eva is plainly destructive and the film does not hide it. The story is built as Southern gothic: the house, the heat, family secrets. Its limit is never asking why Eva is as she is, presenting cruelty as an innate quality. The photography is strong. Who it's for: viewers who like classic Hollywood melodrama and Joan Crawford's late work. Who it's not for: anyone wanting depth of character, or avoiding themes of suicide and manipulation.