Born to Be Bad (1950)

59% of users liked it
(225 ratings)

One of the most oft-revived of the pre-Technicolor Nicholas Ray efforts, Born to Be Bad offers us the spectacle of Joan Fontaine portraying a character described as "a cross between Lucrezia Borgia and Peg O' My Heart". For the benefit of her wealthy husband Zachary Scott and his family, Fontaine… More One of the most oft-revived of the pre-Technicolor Nicholas Ray efforts, Born to Be Bad offers us the spectacle of Joan Fontaine portraying a character described as "a cross between Lucrezia Borgia and Peg O' My Heart". For the benefit of her wealthy husband Zachary Scott and his family, Fontaine adopts a facade of wide-eyed sweetness. Bored with her hubby, she inaugurates a romance with novelist Robert Ryan. All her carefully crafted calculations come acropper when both men discover that she's a bitch among bitches. She might have gotten away with all her machinations, but the censors said uh-uh. Originally slated for filming in 1946, with Henry Fonda scheduled to play the Robert Ryan part, Born to Bad was cancelled, then resurfaced as Bed as Roses in 1948, this time with Barbara Bel Geddes in the Fontaine role. RKO head Howard Hughes' decision to replace Bel Geddes with the more bankable Fontaine was one of the reasons that producer Dore Schary left RKO in favor of MGM. Based on Anne Parrish's novel All Kneeling, Born to be Bad is so overheated at times that it threatens to lapse into self-parody; though this never happens, the film was the basis for one of TV star Carol Burnett's funniest and most devastating movie takeoffs, Raised to be Rotten. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: Nicholas Ray
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Aug 27, 1950 Wide
On DVD: Jan 16, 1991
Studio: Odeon Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
This is a lively, vicious, and daring film.
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Lively romantic melodrama with a creative use of architecture.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ray's interest in the psychological state of his protagonist and its relationship to visual style makes the film mesmerizing.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Trashy but stylishly entertaining melodrama.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

No Featured Audience Ratings Found…

Cast

            Joan Fontaine as Christabel Caine

            Robert Ryan as Nick

            Zachary Scott as Curtis

            Joan Leslie as Donna

            Mel Ferrer as Gobby

            Harold Vermilyea as John Caine

            Virginia Farmer as Aunt Clara

            Kathleen Howard as Mrs. Bolton

            Dick Ryan as Arthur

            Bess Flowers as Mrs. Worthington

            Joy Hallward as Mrs. Porter

            Hazel Boyne as Committee Woman

            Irving Bacon as Jewelry Salesman

            Gordon Oliver as Lawyer

            Barry Brooks as Man

            Ann Burr as Schoolgirl

            Jack Chefe as Man

            Donald Dillaway as Photographer

            Sam Harris as Old Man at Ball

            Bobby Johnson as Kenneth

            Peggy Leon as Caine's Secretary

            Sam Lufkin as Taxi Driver

            John Mitchum as Guest

            Al Murphy as Man

            Frank Arnold as Man at Art Gallery

            Ray Johnson as Guest

            Homer Dickenson as Art Gallery Attendant
See full cast

Trailers & Clips

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

Discover movies your friends are watching
Keep track of what you want to see
Add your reviews to your Timeline

Get Started