Ted Darby David Bair as David Harper Roy Roberts as Nagel Frances E. Williams as Sybil (uncredited) William Schallert as a police lieutenant (uncredited) Kathryn Card as a loan processor (uncredited) Background This was Mason's third U.S. film, after having appeared in director Ophüls' Caught (released February 1949) then in Vincente Minnelli's Madame Bovary (released August 1949). The Reckless Moment was filmed in both Balboa, Newport Beach and Los Angeles, California. It was first released in Detroit, Michigan, on October 29, 1949. While the movie was Ophüls' last to be shot in the United States, it was also the last movie adaptation of any of Elisabeth Sanxay Holding’s books while she was alive. Other films based on her stories include Vocalizing (1936), The Bride Comes Home (1935), and The Price of Pleasure (1925). A characteristic of Ophüls' films is his use of the baroque film style. Throughout the movie, major plot points often occur while the characters are simply doing day to day things. The characters are often put under duress while talking on the telephone or driving a car. This creates a contrast between the tension of the dialogue and the ease of the character’s movements. Reception Box-office The film made a loss of $565,775. Critical response When the film was first released in 1949, the film critic for The New York Times, Bosley Crowther, praised the actors but wrote, "But it isn't all right with this picture. Although it is rather well staged, with credible location settings in Balboa and Los Angeles, it is a feeble and listless drama with a shamelessly callous attitude. The heroine gets away with folly, but we don't think this picture will." In the recent years, however, the film has received very positive appraisal and is now generally considered one of the best films by Max Ophüls. It has been highly regarded by film critics, historians and audience, and entered in the list of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Preservation The Reckless Moment was preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in conjunction with Sony Pictures, in 1999. References External links 1949 films 1949 crime drama films American crime drama films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Film noir Films set in California Columbia Pictures films Films directed by Max Ophüls Films produced by Walter Wanger Films scored by Hans J. Salter Melodrama films Films set in Orange County, California Films