★ 7 / 10
Jennifer Jones is quite good as the attractive
CinemaSerf
Jennifer Jones is quite good as the attractive but actually pretty toxic "Ruby". She comes from the "swamp" end of town but has aspirations to join the…
Jennifer Jones is quite good as the attractive but actually pretty toxic "Ruby". She comes from the "swamp" end of town but has aspirations to join the middle-class of this North Carolina community. A nasty mishap followed by a chance meeting with the gentle and caring but ailing "Letty" (Josephine Hutchinson) sees her set her first foot on that ladder. She is to stay with the wealthy "Gentry" family and help look after her new benefactress alongside her husband "Jim" (Karl Malden). As she blossoms, she attracts the attention of most, but especially of "Boake" (Charlton Heston). He has dreams, but cannot compete with the now widowed "Jim" who decides to marry her. This is where the snobbery of their two-faced friends rears it's ugly head - feelings that only worsen when a maritime tragedy ensues pitching her against just about everyone in town, even her own hell hath no fury brother "Jewel" (James Anderson). Vengeance may be the lord's, but the now wealthy and powerful "Ruby" has a good go at exacting plenty of it for herself, even on "Boake" - but he may just be one man too many for her revenge? The three atop the bill work well together building quite a solid story that packs quite a lot into eighty minutes of largely sentiment-free drama. I didn't love the ending, but I suppose it's not predictable and was probably the only way this story of rags to rather hollow riches could realistically conclude. Worth a watch, this.
★ 7 / 10
ruby
jhkp
Jennifer Jones is so big in this film she makes Charlton Heston appear to be underacting - no mean feat! Nonetheless she's a fascinating actress to watch, and…
Jennifer Jones is so big in this film she makes Charlton Heston appear to be underacting - no mean feat! Nonetheless she's a fascinating actress to watch, and the whole film is fresh. Does it seem like "real life" North Carolina? No, but I don't really think it matters. It's an effective, entertaining melodrama that was a big hit in its day.Ruby Gentry was filmed on location (mostly in rural California), and what a nice, uncomplicated, outdoor feeling the film has. It's not studio-bound at all, even when the occasional use of process photography is obvious. Who could ever forget that amazing love scene played in the convertible careening down the beach, for example? You can almost feel the fresh sea air and smell the salt water. Heston and Jones, in this and other steamy scenes (at least for the time) make a surprisingly effective team.Photographed in real light, Jennifer Jones looks just about five years too old for the part; she seems to compensate by overdoing the tomboy aspects, strutting about and speaking too loudly to people standing three feet away from her. Playing a tramp-ish character, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, she's hardly as naturally sultry or sexy as, say, Ava Gardner. She works at it, and works a bit too hard, at times. A scene in which she pours coffee for a group of horny guys, where all she has to do is stand there looking good, is played with so many varied facial tics and expressions. She can't throw away a scene, or a moment.Yet her performance is appropriate to the character and the film. She commands the screen and is never boring for a second. What's great about Jennifer Jones is her incredible sensitivity, so that when Ruby is slighted by the people of her town for her low social status, despite (and because of) her marriage to Karl Malden's wealthy character, her hurt and rage are palpable. She really lives the part. And this drives the film. She has a great deal of life on the screen.Charlton Heston is great. Looser than usual, calling his girl, "baby." He doesn't seem to rely as much on his mellifluous voice this time. He plays a regular American guy. It's a shame he didn't get to demonstrate the casual quality of his Boake Teckman, here, in other roles. But I guess when you play Moses and Michelangelo you don't get that much of an opportunity.Karl Malden was still pretty new to moviegoers at this time but he became very popular, very fast, after his Oscar winning role in Streetcar. In many ways he's always reminded me of Spencer Tracy with his sharp yet warm, human portrayals. Unfortunately he didn't have Tracy's good looks and wasn't in line for leading man parts. But that didn't stop him from becoming a top star. He blends into his part expertly and makes us forget he's acting. He just seems to be Jim Gentry.The brilliant director King Vidor went through a long melodramatic period and it was most enjoyable. Ruby Gentry was a highlight.The score (for harmonica and orchestra) is one of the most memorable things about the film, the theme music became a big hit called "Ruby."
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TOMATOMETER
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AUDIENCE
· 500 ratings
6.6/10
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please more western! my dad loves it! :)