HotToastyRag I've always berated the Academy for the 1955 Oscars. Ernest Borgnine won Best Actor over James Dean in East of Eden, Frank Sinatra in The Man with the Golden Arm, and James Cagney in Love Me or Leave Me—and Robert Mitchum wasn't even nominated for The Night of the Hunter! And that's just the Best Actor category; I have more complaints. Now there's another complaint to add to the list of omissions: Not as a Stranger was the best performance of Robert Mitchum's career, and it's a crime he wasn't nominated.Robert Mitchum is a dedicated, but poor, medical student. More than anything else in the world, he wants to be a good doctor; this drives his entire character. He challenges his professors, tells his fellow students they make him sick when they don't take their studies seriously, and proves he'll do anything to achieve his goal. He's very poor and is faced with a dropped enrollment unless he can pay his tuition, and after applying for loans, taking on extra work, and borrowing from his friends, he still doesn't have enough. Olivia de Havilland is a kind, Swedish nurse in love with Bob, and when she learns his plight, she tells him about her nest egg. In order to stay in school, Bob considers marrying Olivia for her money. His best friend and fellow medical student, Frank Sinatra, is disgusted with Bob's choice to take advantage of an old maid's money and love.While the plot is reason enough to watch this fascinating movie, there's so much more to it than Edward and Edna Anhalt's extremely well-written script. Not as a Stranger was a groundbreaking medical film. It discussed medical illnesses and procedures, as well as doctors' responsibilities in unprecedented frankness. "Doctors are the only group in modern society privileged to commit murder with immunity from the law." Statements like that weren't made in 1955, and I'd argue that the public's revere of the medical establishment hasn't wavered through the decades, so you'll be hard pressed to find a modern movie that would utter such a line. Also, this film shows a real open heart surgery—groundbreaking in the 1950s! Bob Mitchum gives an incredible, and rarely vulnerable, performance. Virtually his entire career was comprised of macho, touch roles. There's a scene in Not as a Stranger where a broken-hearted Bob puts his head in his hands and sobs. In another scene, a tight close-up shows his reaction as his world crashes around him; the camera doesn't cut away as we see tears slowly appear and fall. It's incredible that he was capable of such acting, and that he'd allow the camera to capture such vulnerability.Olivia and Frank also give great performances, balancing the different nuances of their characters and showing the audience real, three-dimensional people instead of stock sidekicks. Although Frank is depicted as a rich playboy, he feels compassion and humiliation when mistakes are made. Olivia is more than just an old maid; she's frightened, careful, and aware.Charles Bickford, Gloria Grahame, Harry Morgan, Lee Marvin, and Broderick Crawford add to the supporting cast in this tense, extremely well-written drama. This film was Stanley Kubrick's directorial debut, but it doesn't feel like a newcomer's film. The shots are framed well and with purpose, and he obviously handled his actors beautifully, since they all give great performances. I can't recommend this movie enough; it's one of the greatest classic dramas.

itsmebetty One of the best movies I have ever see! The everyday events in our lives and the downfalls are prominent throughout this movie. A dedicated medical student trying to play God once he has hung his shingle out for the World to see, finds that when he has made the ultimate mistake, that he is merely a mortal man only. He then attempts to make amends to his "wife" and deals with fixing the damages, he has caused since their marriage. The dedication to the medical and nursing professions is presented in a marvelous way. When Marsh sees the dedication in his wife's nursing abilities and the death of his dearest friend, then he comes to grips with his superior attitude. Its a magnificent movie, and if anyone throws rocks at it, then they have no concept of life and the snares thereof. YO! Its just plain good! bee jay.... PS...does anyone have a copy of this movie for sale? Thanks.

caa821 I have always liked Robert Mitchum and his performances. In some of his movies, it is in spite of his phlegmatic style and persona - in this movie, this characteristic makes his lead character more compelling. I recently saw the picture for the first time in a number of years, on our local PBS station, which has a weekly program airing two vintage films. The host, a local area personality and true expert on classic cinema, mentioned how the director was concerned with this cast. Mitchum, Sinatra, Lon Chaney, Broderick Crawford and Myron McCormick were all individuals known to "bend the elbow,." However, despite their late-night activity after a day's shooting, there were no disruptions which affected the film's completion or the quality of work. The same for Gloria Grahame's history of being a difficult actress with whom to work, and Olivia de Havilland's being the opposite in real life from her placid screen character.This film, viewed now, still has a story and central character (Mitchum's Dr. Marsh), as compelling as they were 50 years ago; at the same time, it presents an outstanding, classic viewing of the noir style of the 1950's. The other characters, and story line, are also indicative of this period, cleanly-defined, and as "black-and-white" as the genre.It is also interesting (and amusing, without detracting from the story) to note Mitchum was only a year younger than de Havilland - a bit long-in-tooth to portray even a medical student, and someone whom the story depicted as, say, about 10 years her junior. Given Sinatra's "second banana" work here, as in "From Here to Eternity," it is also interesting to see him at the beginning his re-ascent from the demise of his earlier status during the late 40's/earlier 50's. Following the period of this picture, he rose to become perhaps the greatest icon is entertainment history during the next three decades.This is one of those films - fully-enjoyable in its own right - but with these many other interesting, fascinating aspects as well.

niborskaya Well, I just saw this on TCM last night, and it was an engrossing hoot. An interesting story oddly cast, with some heavy-handed directing.Silliness: Broderick Crawford as a Jewish doctor/med. school professor; Lee Marvin, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra - yes, I'd date, any one of them, but none would be my first choice for a PCP. There's a great scene where the young interns sit around and discuss which specialties and locations are the most profitable. To hear Lee Marvin and Sinatra discussing this in their best tough-guy, city-cynic gamblers' accents is just hysterical. and unreal. "dees, dems and dos" Olivia de Havilland: She does a great good job, as usual, despite her borka-borka-borka sing-song pseudo-Swedish accent. She's really nails the character of the career OR nurse, past the first bloom of youth.Gloria Graham is a little over-blown and sultry as a wealthy, lonely member of the "horse-set" on the prowl. But she plays the role well, not as an evil predatory witch, but somewhat sympathetically. Not easy to do. Mitchum becomes a totally different kind of man when he's around her. Finally, he's in his elemental "I'm gonna throw you around, you're gonna like it, baby." There is one totally ridiculous scene between them, horses, neigh-ing, wind blowing, hormones throbbing. That was almost unwatchable in it's heavy-handedness.Charles Bickford is on the top of my list of favorite character actors. He's as great in this role, a "old country doctor", as he is in everything he's done that I've seen. There's one scene, when Mitchum, while testing a new stethoscope on Bickford, discovers what Bickford already knows...that he has an aortic aneurysms and is not long for the world. There are a few seconds there, when Bickford makes a split second decision to let Mitchum discover his secret ailment. Watch that scene and you'll see why I just love Charles Bickford.It's always nice to see Mitchum try to play outside of his comfort zone (Two for the Seesaw). Doesn't always mean you're comfortable watching it, he doesn't always pull it off, but it's always interesting. He's just not the neurotic type.Still, it was a pleasant diversion, fun to see Broderick Crawford bellowing out his doctor lines a la Willie Stark.No reason not to watch it, unless Magnificent Obsession is playing opposite.