Della (1964)
*** (out of 4)
Lawyer Barney Stafford (Paul Burke) is trying to close a major land deal but the wealthy Della Chappell (Joan Crawford) refuses to sell some of her property. Della is known as a recluse who has stayed locked up inside her mansion for fifteen-years but when the lawyer goes to see her he meets her daughter Jenny (Diane Baker) and the two quickly fall in love but there's a family secret that's going to come up. DELLA is a film that has pretty much been forgotten for one reason or another. I think the main reason is that Crawford was making all sorts of campy horror films around this period so when fans watch the actress in a movie from this era they just aren't searching out this melodrama. I'm not going to sit here and say this is some sort of masterpiece or anything like that but I actually really enjoyed the film. At an incredibly short 70-minutes, there's no question that the film moves at a very good pace and we're given a terrific cast. Not only is Crawford, Burke and Baker on hand but we also get Charles Bickford, Richard Carlson and Otto Kruger. The performances are good for the most part with Crawford playing the type of eccentric character that she was normally doing during this period of her career. Since this doesn't go into the exploitation field, she's able to stay more laid back without being forced to go over-the-top. I thought both Burke and Baker were good in their parts and it was fun seeing Bickford in his next to last film. Bickford and Crawford get to share one scene together and it was great seeing the two vets working together. The screenplay certainly isn't anything great but it at least keeps you entertained up through the big secret. DELLA is mainly going to appeal to fans of Crawford who want to see what the actress was doing in this period outside the horror films.
