Who does 33 year old Joan Fontaine think she's fooling, playing a business college student? Other than that incredulity, and the fact that others are so easily manipulated by her seemingly inconsequential acts and words, she plays a conniving bitch to rival Anne Baxter's title character in that year's All About Eve (1950), though Fontaine's cute little smiles and feigned (yet knowing) look- asides will wear on most viewers as the movie progresses. There is lots of great dialogue, mostly one-liners by Robert Ryan's character like "I love you so much I wish I liked you", but there is absolutely no subtlety.Directed by Nicholas Ray, with an adaptation by Charles Schnee and a screenplay by Edith Sommer from an Anne Parrish novel with additional dialogue provided by George Oppenheimer and Robert Soderberg, this less than credible though highly watchable drama features Fontaine as Christabel, the niece of publisher John Caine (Harold Vermilyea), who comes to live with Caine's employee Donna Foster (Joan Leslie) while going to business college in San Francisco. She proceeds to ruin Donna's engagement to the family wealthy Curtis Carey (Zachary Scott) by planting seeds of doubt that his fiancée is a gold-digger.Meanwhile, Christabel is irresistibly drawn to writer come author Nick Bradley (Ryan!) - the two have an illicit affair while she disposes of Donna (who leaves for London) and simultaneously hooks Curtis for herself. Mel Ferrer plays Gobby, a non-judgmental third party witness to the goings-on, a painter who manages to hobnob with these wealthy persons as their friend despite his lack of financial means; he oozes just enough charm to have them pay his way into their group. Christabel had grown up living modestly with her Aunt Clara (Virginia Farmer), Caine's sister. Bess Flowers plays an untypical, credited role, Mrs. Worthington; Kathleen Howard plays a philanthropist, Mrs. Bolton. Irving Bacon plays a jewelry salesman.Of course, after Christabel has Curtis, or at least his money, she avoids him until Nick comes back in town ... but he's a stand-up guy who refuses to fool around with a married woman! Obviously she's found out in time for a contrived happy ending.

This is an important film noir in the Nicholas Ray canon. He made it just after his classic IN A LONELY PLACE (1950, see my review), in the same year. Joan Fontaine plays a narcissistic schemer who steals another woman's man, marrying him for his money, but still wants to keep her lover on the side, played by Robert Ryan. The film is based on a novel by Anne Parrish called ALL KNEELING, and has no connection whatever with the film BORN TO BE BAD of 1934, starring Cary Grant and Loretta Young. Joan Leslie plays Donna, the pleasant, smiling young woman who is in love with Zachary Scott. The unscrupulous, smiling, ingratiating Fontaine (whose sweetness is completely false) steals Scott's affections, breaking Leslie's heart. Scott is very wealthy and for a while Fontaine thinks she has pulled off something wonderful, but she soon admits to being unhappy and turns back to her former lover, Robert Ryan. Ryan is magnificent in his part. Nicholas Ray makes the film much more effective than it might have been by inserting lingering close-ups of the faces of Fontaine and of Ryan at key moments in the film (watch for them, they are classic shots), where the hidden emotions of the characters are revealed when nobody is looking at them. Fontaine's gloating expressions and smiles of triumph to herself are particularly revealing. This was Ray's clever visual substitute for the voice over interior monologue, and frankly it is a marvellously sophisticated and successful device. Young aspiring film makers should all study that particular technique, which has rarely been surpassed from what we see here. Words are not always necessary when you have actors as brilliant as Ryan and Fontaine who 'get' it and are not afraid to show it. Ryan's facial close-up in the latter part of the film when he suddenly realizes something disturbing about Fontaine during an amorous encounter with her is, frankly, a terrifying emotional moment. Mel Ferrer plays a supporting role, but he is rather annoying and does not do a particularly good job. However, it is easy to ignore him and concentrate on the main story and characters. This film is not a comfortable or pleasant one, as Fontaine's character is so disturbing. It is remarkably similar to the character of Eve played by Anne Baxter in ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) in the very same year. I do not know the relative production dates of the two films, but I wonder if one of the actresses could have influenced the other. Anne Baxter's schemer is the more powerful and subtle of the two. For people interested in film noir, this is one of the numerous 'must-sees'.

"Born To Be Bad" is basically a really bad variation on the classic Bette Davis film "All About Eve", without the theater background, and it is not a good movie. It's a really bad film in fact, but bad in a great way. It's a cheesy 1950's B-film, hilarious without intending to be - the best kind of classic camp."Born To Be Bad" has a surprisingly stellar cast, including Joan Fontaine (in the lead as the conniving Christabel Caine), Zachary Scott, Robert Ryan (at his hunky bad-guy best), Joan Leslie, and Mel Ferrer. The story centers around Christabel Caine, who seems innocent on the outside...but is pure opportunistic bitch on the inside.That's about all the plot line you need.Joan Fontaine is her usual melodramatic self, complete with her signature eyebrow antics - her left eyebrow always seemed to have a mind of its own - also apparent in her performances in films such as "Rebecca", "Suspicion" and well, every film she was ever in, come to think of it), but her role in "Born to Be Bad" suits her mannerisms well. She makes a great little sweet-faced bitch. The dialogue is completely over-the-top, and coupled with the melodramatic mannerisms of most of the cast (Robert Ryan and Joan Fontaine's scenes together are some of the best), makes for a very entertaining camp film.Nicolas Ray (who 5 years later directed the classic "Rebel Without A Cause") has created a total bomb, a classic of camp film that is worthy viewing for lovers of the genre.

Nicholas Ray was famous for strong character-driven drama, and Born To Be Bad was no exception. Joan Fontaine was well cast against type as the sweetly scheming Christabel, a ladder-climber come hither who inserts herself into the lives of rich guy Zachary Scott and his fiancé Joan Leslie. Meanwhile, author Robert Ryan enters the scenario as does painter Mel Ferrer, who together provide an interesting juxtaposition to the idleness of rich folk depicted by Scott and eventually Fontaine. Fontaine successfully depicts a manipulator out for her own benefit, although she may appear too meek for some viewers' tastes. However, part of being able to skillfully manipulate includes being a good actress and masking one's true intentions. This reviewer recently met the acquaintance of just such a manipulator.Scott takes a while to catch on, but he delivers an appropriate response when he does. Leslie has perhaps the most difficult role of the woman set aside who maintains her dignity. Her return, while eagerly met by Scott, does not entirely ring true, since Scott let her leave without wavering earlier. In fact, Scott probably does not deserve Leslie. Ryan adds the most interesting character to the film as an author who falls hard for Fontaine but realizes what he's getting into in the process. An argument could be made between the four principle actors/actresses that Ryan is the most morally honest character in the film. Ryan also has some of the best lines. Ferrer adds little as the painter of Fontaine's portrait who may have recognized her for who she was all along. Much has been made regarding Ferrer's gayness, but it really does not matter much in the context of the film and may even be portrayed in stereotypical fashion.The film was probably ahead of its time in its frank portrayal of the amoral Fontaine, but the film does not add up to much and is remembered mainly as a passable melodrama. The ending is especially not satisfying, as is often the case for these types of films. Scott gets Leslie when he does not deserve her. Fontaine crassly leaves with armfuls of furs, despite maintaining the facade of politeness to Ferrer's painter character, who takes back his portrait of her thinking the value increased significantly because of the scandal created. Interesting device used in that Ferrer's character paints likenesses/portraits/facades while Fontaine's character maintains a facade at all times. The film was famously spoofed in a sketch on "The Carol Burnett Show" many years later. **1/2 stars.