The Woman On The Beach (1947)

A sailor (Robert Ryan) suffering from WWII post traumatic stress disorder is recovering when he falls under the spell of the wife (Joan Bennett) of a blind painter (Charles Bickford). His obsession with her threatens to undo his tenuous recovery. Based on the novel NONE SO BLIND by Mitchell Wilson and directed by Jean Renoir (his last Hollywood film). After a ruinous sneak preview, the film was taken away from Renoir and re-edited and portions re-shot. Renoir disowned it saying it wasn't the film he intended to make. Still, despite an ending that feels totally false, one can still get a sense of what Renoir was attempting to accomplish. The complex love/hate relationship between Bennet and Bickford fuels the film. One can see what Bennett sees in Bickford's fierce artist but one questions what she sees (unless she's just using him) in Ryan's dullard. Normally, Ryan is a compelling actor but he's neutered here. We'll never know what might have been but there's enough of Renoir's vision to hold our attention. With Irene Ryan (THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES), Nan Leslie and Walter Sande.