Diractors is an ongoing series in which Hassle writer Jack Draper examines films, new and old, whose directors are better known for their work in front of the camera.
Today, we look at one of the more vintage examples of a Diractor, who was underrated at the time and continues to be so. Ida Lupino just fits right in with this era of film noir, helping to communicate the paranoia in the state of the movie that she’s unable to help. She was unafraid as an actor even before directing, turning down roles that were beneath her or making unasked-for edits to a script. Her career feels like one of the first seamless transitions from in front of to behind the camera, as there’s a purpose. Something to say about her films were sensitive to ideas that other filmmakers of her era weren’t able to get at. Lupino had her career cut short, but it’s no mistake why she made as many movies as she did; rewarding a tight vision with trust is what gains you social capital. I’m not sure what trap Ida could’ve fallen into first, “get back in front of the camera” or “women don’t direct movies,” but she got Outrage in at the right time.
As much as it’s a great thriller and roller coaster of emotions, Lupino delivers a successful Hays Code-era film. Consider Lupino’s delicate care of Ann (Mala Powers) at a time when anxiety, PTSD, and sexual assault were rarely addressed. It is interesting to reach a point in film history where there’s no conversation to be had about a topic, since Outrage is the first time a conversation was had cinematically. It’s amazing to see this now and know how far ahead of its time it was. The crane shot of the neighbor closing his window is unnerving, sending shivers down modern viewers’ spine. It feels light years ahead of its time in dealing with issues such as untrustworthy men and how to see the start of victim blaming. Yet it weirdly ends with the protagonist still unable to make her own decisions.
On a rewatch, it hit me that Outrage is classified as noir, and accepted as a great one at that. There are the hallmarks: an investigation, striking black and white photography, and paranoia. Yet Lupino sneakily uses the noir outline to make a movie that is just as effective at finding a killer from what we expect from a crime noir. As perspective is everything, Lupino’s centering of the movie on the assault breathes importance and education into how something like this can strip away someone’s autonomy so easily, yet she also makes it the second story as in a more traditional noir. Especially compared to Lupino’s other crowning achievement, The Hitch-Hiker, it feels so effortlessly modern to pull the rug out from under us, seeing Anne getting engaged and working a job she’s happy with from the start, only to see a mental spiral with no easy answer. On top of that, its very easy to view the movie then– 75 years ago— and now, with no safety nets since the men are not to be trusted. Not as extreme as Anne is the threat of another assault, but people to see her like a wounded bird when she flees town. Characters like Bruce (Tod Andrews) are well-meaning, but it feels like boundaries can be crossed at any moment. It’s in moments like this, or the moment when Anne pieces together the scar on her assailant, that makes the neat and tidy ending excusable.
Lupino’s pivot to directing wasn’t so simple as doing it to prove she can be accepted in a male-dominated field, or doing something new in the industry outside of acting. Yet, while on suspension by Warner Bros. following her rejection of a role in the Ronald Reagan-starring Kings Row, she starred in (the excellent) On Dangerous Ground and began ghost-directing when Nicholas Ray was ill. Similarly, when Not Wanted was unfinished and Elmer Clifton suffered a heart attack, Lupino stepped into the director’s chair. In fact, while on suspension, Lupino had ample time to observe filming and editing processes, and she became interested in directing. She described how bored she was on set while “someone else seemed to be doing all the interesting work,” and said, “It’s so much more fun. Creating it yourself, not just parading in front of a camera.” She continued to act, even after finding her studio with her then-husband Collier Young, which is a unique position to be committed to the love of acting after having another role in the industry. To see a Diractor as sophisticated and measured as Lupino in this era is ahead of her time, even with her filmography being dismissed as simply “issue films.”
Outrage
1950
dir. Ida Lupino
100 min.
Screens Friday, 2/7, and Saturday, 2/8, 7:45pm @ Brattle Theatre
Double feature w/ Repulsion
Series: Dread of Winter
