Never Fear

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matthew d Ida Lupino directs a personal journey through rehabilitation. Ida Lupino's indie drama Never Fear (1949) is a stunningly beautiful and shockingly modern piece on the inner bravery it requires to learn to walk again. Lupino was stricken with polio as a young girl, so Never Fear's story about a young lady suffering from paralysis due to polio feels personal from her. Lupino's script is heartfelt with a feminist focus on a how a woman feels while struggling through physical therapy or dealing with men's expectations for her. It doesn't baby the protagonist or feel empty pity for her, but rather finds a mature perspective on how it takes courage to choose to live and improve yourself. Lupino's direction is years ahead of other serious dramas of her era. She uses real rehab hospital patients and locations. There's a cute wheelchair dance number that's amazing. I love Lupino's use of music as well. Leith Stevens' score is sweeping and moving with majestic symphonic passages that envelop Never Fear with powerful music. Ida Lupino is fascinating with her passionate love of filmmaking that's evident to see with all her creative visuals throughout Never Fear. The fading out frame for a fainting woman is quite innovative. Ida Lupino was genuinely ahead of her time. Ida Lupino is a true auteuress with her own visionary direction, groundbreaking realism, and feminist appeal. Archie Stout's cinematography uses close-ups to hold your attention to the leading lady to captivate you into understanding her pain. All the wide shots in the rehab facility were cool to see with an authenticity to each shot. Joseph Kish's set decoration looks like a real hospital, it's that good. William H. Ziegler and Harvey Manger's editing is cleanly cut with a concise final cut that keeps Never Fear whittled down to a brisk 82 minutes. Never Fear got me to really relate to the lead actress Sally Forrest as her character Carol Williams. She's breathtaking in her genuinely emotional performance. Forrest feels modern with her nuanced approach to displaying feminine sorrow, rejection, regret, and notably despair. You root for her in complete earnest empathy. Keefe Brasselle is excellent as Carol's fiance Guy Richards. He's believable as a nice guy with a sincere optimism for Carol's condition and outlook. His good nature makes Guy's harder scenes hit with a deeper impact as they argue and fall out over Carol's health. They have nice natural chemistry, which you can see in their killer sword dance together and their romantic dates. Hugh O'Brien is fabulous as the kind, wheelchair bound man who takes interest in Carol. You can even see Ida Lupino's sister, Rita Lupino, during the swimming sequence. Never Fear is simply perfect drama, sweet romance, and challenging subject matter. Ida Lupino could direct with the best of them. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I soapy melodrama that succeeds based on the sensitivity with which it treats its subject matter. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member this 'quickie' directed by the only woman director in hollywood at the time, ida lupino not idrada! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Ida Lupino's Never Fear is about a young dancer, Carol Williams, whose life is on the upswing. She has just gotten engaged to her boyfriend and choreographer, Guy Richards, and they think the sky is the limit if they stay together. Her ambitions come crashing down when she learns that she has contracted polio. The film chronicles Carol's struggles with Polio and where it's strength lies is in it's dissection of the female psyche when dealing with something devastating like Polio. Carol's self loathing about herself leads to her irrationally breaking up with Guy because she doesn't feel like she is good enough for him anymore, pushing him away. As she struggles with her polio the film seems to make a statement that the mental anguish far exceeds that actually physical effects of the disease. Her own fear is what really holds her back from making the next step and excepting her love for Guy, not her physical struggles. Sally Forest gives a great performance as our main protagonist really capturing the frail, almost unpredictable mental state which Carol falls into. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Never Fear

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