Wow, I don't know where to start. Okay, simply said: Loretta Young did not deserve her Oscar. But, she was not as horrible as many people say. However, she wasn't good either. Although there are some scenes when she nails the character, the rest of her performance is so artificial and not funny at all. She tries, but she's not given much to do and I think it's the screenplay's and the director's fault mostly when she's bad. Her accent is guite ridiculous, and I feel that if Greta Garbo had been around she should have been casted, and I'm sure the result would have been much more interesting and Katrin's character would not be so naive. But Young does her best to add a little life to an awfully-written character and sometimes she manages to do so.
The supporting cast: Joseph Cotten and Ethel Barrymore are quite neutral they add nothing to do film, but they are not bad either. Charles Bickford has a few jokes, but his nomination seems to be a joke too.
Directing: there's hardly one and same for the screenplay. The story is really slim, which should not be the problem, because good actors and a great director can turn it into a masterpiece (see: Gaslight). In this case there are four great actors, who are either sleepwalking or trying a little bit.
There are a few good moments, though. I don't want to say it's a terrible movie, in fact it's only mediocore, you just should not waste your time with this one. I only recommend if you're curious how undeserving Loretta Young's infamous win was in that great field. She even admitted she voted for Susan Hayward and she was quite embarassed to win over her fellow catholic and good friend Rosalind Russel.
My grade: 5.5/10
Nominations: Best Actress (Loretta Young, WON); Best Supporting Actor (Charles Bickford)
My wins: None
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