blanche-2 Gary Cooper made six films after "Ten North Frederick" -- and by the last one, "The Naked Edge," he was near death and filming had to be stopped frequently to give him oxygen.Here, in a film based on a novel by John O'Hara, he plays Joseph Chapin, a lawyer with a son, Joby (Ray Stricklyn), a daughter,Ann (Diane Varsi) and an absolute shrew as a wife, Edith (Geraldine Fitzgerald). He's a gentle man, who has probably kept peace in his life by giving in to his wife.The film begins with Joe's funeral, with his daughter Ann looking back on the last five years. Her own life has been affected by falling in love with a talented trumpet player (Stuart Whitman) and her ensuing unhappiness, and her brother wanted to study music at Juilliard but is pressured to attend law school. The war intervenes, and at the beginning of the film, he has returned for the funeral.Edith has political ambitions and pushes Joe into throwing his hat in the ring; he soon finds it's too dirty a game for him and withdraws.Joe, disillusioned, his beloved daughter having left home, he goes to New York to visit her and meets her gorgeous roommate (Suzy Parker). The two fall in love, despite their age difference.I have to say, I felt the film was a little on the dull side - the pace was slow, and the acting, despite some of the comments here, I found rather dull. The thing about Gary Cooper is that he underplays and is very subtle - now, there's underplaying and there's just not acting. I have to say I didn't feel Diane Varsi did much acting here. Geraldine Fitzgerald was terrific, as was Ray Stricklyn, who went on to Broadway success and a huge career in publicity with the John Springer organization, handling people like Elizabeth Taylor and Bette Davis. Suzy Parker was always a total vision, but never much of an actress.The most effective scenes were at the end of the movie, very beautiful and well worth waiting for. Cooper really shone throughout, but especially in the last section. A wonderful presence, and, like many stars of that era, we lost him too soon. It's sad to realize that they're all gone, including Varsi, who died at age 54.Worth seeing for some of the performances. A little sharper direction would have brought it up a level.

MartinHafer While you don't necessarily need to love all the characters in a film in order to like it, a film has a HUGE uphill battle when you like absolutely none of them! While you hate some much more than others in the film and understand why the characters are essentially jerks, the overall picture is severely compromised by the writing. The bottom line is that I didn't like any of the Chapin clan and while the soapy elements of the film were interesting, connecting to or caring about them was really, really difficult.Gary Cooper plays a rich and well-heeled man with political aspirations. His wife is played by Geraldine Fitzgerald--a rather cold and conniving character whose one goal seems to be her husband's advancement. Sadly, there really isn't any love or passion between them--just what seems like a good working relationship. Naturally as a result of this, their two grown children are emotional basket cases. However, while you can understand how they got that way, neither shows any strength or depth of character and as a result are easily swayed and manipulated by their parents.Eventually, when Cooper's plans are dashed, the marriage becomes much more strained and the coldness becomes evident--as if Fitzgerald's character no longer cares. And, as a result, the same ambivalence begins to grow within Cooper. At first he tries to deal with by having an affair. Later, when he realizes how fruitless this would be he decides to just drink himself to death and wait for a slow death. Again, this certainly does not make for pleasant viewing. But, because the characters are so emotionally stunted, you can't even enjoy their misery in a voyeuristic fashion--like you would with a really sleazy soap like "Peyton Place" or even "Valley of the Dolls"s (admittedly, this last one is a terrible film). Overall, the picture is only mildly interesting, at best. Well acted but flat.

JLew3500 This love story reaches out and touches the heart like no other movie has been able to do in years of movie-making. It's tear-jerking capability is what I've been searching for in movies of this kind. The cast is so wonderfully suited for this film. As you watch, you begin to wonder if Gary Cooper hadn't been born, who could possibly have played this wonderfully passionate older man. My belief - no one! I can't urge movie lovers enough to buy, rent, or whatever one must do in order to view this movie.And, a note to the so called Classic Movie Channels - Where in the hell has this movie been? Please, let's allow the public to view this touching story and be able to comment for all to read.

thedivo I watched this movie last night after having not seen it in many years. In the very first scene we are told it is the year 1945. Then a string of cars are seen pulling up to a house. The second car is a 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan which of course did not exist in 1945.