Paula (1952) (DVD)

Former cinematographer (Gilda, Address Unknown) turned director (D.O.A., The Dark Past) Rudolph Mate brings his noir toolbox to this study of guilt and redemption that's part melodrama, part suspense. Academy Award winner Loretta Young (1947, Best Actress, The Farmer's Daughter) is Paula Rogers, the middle-class wife of a young and up-and-coming college professor (Kent Smith) whose depression over her inability to have a child is channeled into caring for a young hit-and-run victim (Tommy Rettig, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T and TV's "Lassie"). But the twist is that Paula is secretly responsible for the child's condition! With the support of her close friend Dr. Frazer (Alexander Knox, Over 21), who begins to suspect her secret motivation, Paula starts on a path that may mean the end of her husband's prestigious career and her marriage, or even lead to her arrest. Newly remastered.