The Accused (1949)

When one of her students (Douglas Dick) attempts to rape her, a college professor (Loretta Young) kills him in self defense. But instead of reporting it to the police, she pushes his body over a cliff in an attempt to make it look like an accident. Based on the novel BE STILL MY LOVE by June Truesdell and directed by William Dieterle (DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER). This psychological film noir is a taut thriller for most of its running time. It's hampered by a dull leading man, a romantic angle that just clouds the plot and a quick but unsatisfactory finish that seems like the film makers just wanted to end the movie in a hurry. But it's still an absorbing movie with a solid performance by Young as the teacher consumed with guilt and fighting to keep from unraveling. Curiously, the film doesn't seem particularly sympathetic to her plight the way a contemporary audience would be. The film treats her as a criminal who committed a crime and must be brought to justice rather than a rape victim attempting to defend herself. Ironically the 1988 film with the same title which also dealt with a rape victim (and won Jodie Foster an Oscar) is 100% sympathetic to the victim. The Victor Young underscore is one of his weaker ones. With Wendell Corey, Sam Jaffe, Sara Allgood and Carole Mathews.