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Rape is a devastating crime; not only for the physical horrors perpetrated on the victim, but for the psychological and emotional toll it puts on them. But for many victims, the suffering doesn't stop there, since you have to also deal with the societal aspect in the aftermath, especially if you're a woman in the middle of the 20th Century. That is the situation that Ida Lupino presents in this 1950 thriller.
Outrage follows Ann Walton (Mala Powers), a young bookkeeper who's about to marry his boyfriend. But it all gets blown to hell when she is attacked and raped on her way home after working overtime. Not only does she have to deal with the physical and emotional toll, but with what seems to be the shame of her family, and the collective gossip of everyone around her.
Lupino is no stranger to taboo subjects. She dealt with it in The Hitch-Hiker and The Bigamist, but it is no wonder that this film seems to be buried and unavailable in most platforms. For the most part, her approach to the subject is direct but sober and thoughtful. She is helped by a solid performance from Powers, who conveys the rollercoaster of emotions that the character has to be going through.
Unfortunately, the story gets a bit muddied up in the last act, once Ann meets a caring reverend (Tod Andrews) with whom she develops a close friendship. Not only does that deviate the themes to an unnecessary romantic subplot, but it also trivializes her situation by reducing it to something that can be alleviated by a relationship.
Despite that, the film is most definitely worth a watch, if anything for the incredibly tense first act, a worthy performance from Powers, and a nice, subtle direction from Lupino. For better or worse, she makes us look at the world and its inhabitants all over again.
Grade:
OUTRAGE
(1950, Lupino)
A film from Ida Lupino
(1950, Lupino)
A film from Ida Lupino
"Ann, we all have to stop running sometime. We have to face ourselves, and look at the world all over again."
Rape is a devastating crime; not only for the physical horrors perpetrated on the victim, but for the psychological and emotional toll it puts on them. But for many victims, the suffering doesn't stop there, since you have to also deal with the societal aspect in the aftermath, especially if you're a woman in the middle of the 20th Century. That is the situation that Ida Lupino presents in this 1950 thriller.
Outrage follows Ann Walton (Mala Powers), a young bookkeeper who's about to marry his boyfriend. But it all gets blown to hell when she is attacked and raped on her way home after working overtime. Not only does she have to deal with the physical and emotional toll, but with what seems to be the shame of her family, and the collective gossip of everyone around her.
Lupino is no stranger to taboo subjects. She dealt with it in The Hitch-Hiker and The Bigamist, but it is no wonder that this film seems to be buried and unavailable in most platforms. For the most part, her approach to the subject is direct but sober and thoughtful. She is helped by a solid performance from Powers, who conveys the rollercoaster of emotions that the character has to be going through.
Unfortunately, the story gets a bit muddied up in the last act, once Ann meets a caring reverend (Tod Andrews) with whom she develops a close friendship. Not only does that deviate the themes to an unnecessary romantic subplot, but it also trivializes her situation by reducing it to something that can be alleviated by a relationship.
Despite that, the film is most definitely worth a watch, if anything for the incredibly tense first act, a worthy performance from Powers, and a nice, subtle direction from Lupino. For better or worse, she makes us look at the world and its inhabitants all over again.
Grade: