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6.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Ann Vickers remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that feel like a dusty, half-remembered book you found in an attic, then Ann Vickers is right up your alley. It’s for the folks who enjoy that specific 1930s pre-code grit where people make terrible life choices and look stylish doing it. If you want a tight, logical plot that respects your time, you are going to hate this. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s surprisingly uncomfortable.
Irene Dunne is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She plays Ann like she’s trying to reform the entire world just to keep from crying. There’s a scene early on in a prison where she’s walking through these grim corridors, and the way she holds her head... it’s like she’s already tired of the whole movie.
The judge—played by Walter Huston—is just a walking hurricane. Every time he enters a room, the air feels thinner. They have this romance that feels less like a love story and more like two people bumping into each other in a dark room. It’s not smooth. It’s jagged.
Some random thoughts:
There’s a moment where Ann is looking at her child, and the camera lingers just a second too long. It feels awkward. It feels like the director forgot to yell cut, and she just had to sit there with her own thoughts for a minute. It’s the most real moment in the whole film, even if it wasn't supposed to be.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely a coherent story, really. But it has this weird pulse to it. Like someone took a bunch of heavy social issues, threw them in a blender, and hit the 'high' setting. Sometimes that’s enough. 🎞️