Although rape had been a topic in early movies such as D. W. Griffith's 1909 silent, A Change of Heart, and Germany's Diary of a Lost Girl (1929), by the mid-20th Century the subject was considered taboo. Then in 1950 two movies reintroduced the subject: Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, Rashomon, and an American small budget film, Outrage, conceived, written in part, and directed by an early woman director and advocate of women's rights.
Cast of the Movie Outrage
Mala Powers (Ann Walton), Tod Andrews (Rev. Bruce Ferguson ), Robert Clarke (Jim Owens), Raymond Bond (Eric Walton), Lillian Hamilton (Mrs. Walton), Rita Lupino (Stella Carter), Hal March (Detective Sergeant Hendrix), Kenneth Patterson Tom Harrison), Jerry Paris (Frank Marini), Roy Engel (Sheriff Charlie Hanlon).
Plot of the Movie Outrage
Ann Walton, a young, small town woman, living with her parents and about to be married, leaves her secretarial job one evening and soon realizes that she is being followed. Hoping to elude the unseen stalker, she enters a back alley only to be trapped by him and raped.
In the weeks afterwards, Ann finds her life falling apart. Her parents and closest friends become smothering. Her well-meaning fiancé wants to pretend that “the incident” never happened. The gossips of the town wonder if she was “asking for it.” She begins to believe that, indeed, the fault may have been at least partly hers.
Distraught, the young woman flees town, hoping to put her life back together elsewhere. She eventually settles in another area of the state and meets a young minister with problems of his own. Later, after attacking a man at a dance whose attentions were misinterpreted, Ann tells the minister about her past. He then helps her to try to overcome her guilt and despair.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Outrage
The movie does have a few weaknesses. It is a “B” movie and the acting overall is “B” level, sometimes believable, other times wooden. Even Mala Powers, whose performance as Ann is generally good, occasionally lapses into over-the-top acting. In general, the first half of the movie is better than the second.
Overall, though, Outrage is a good movie. Ms Lupino skillfully uses her directorial skills to enhance the fear and desperation felt by the victim. Using techniques reminiscent of German expressionism, the flight through the alley becomes increasingly harrowing and seems to be much longer than the five or six minutes of actual screen time. The dance scene where her innocent victim morphs into Ann’s mind as the rapist is also well done.
The main strength of the movie though is in the handling of the young victim. Lupino cares for the character of Ann Walton and shows both her strengths and weaknesses. She does not try to exploit or use her, but instead makes her a real person. Even the ending is not necessarily a happy one, and leaves both Ann and the viewer wondering if she can ever truly recover.
Ida Lupino is to be commended for this groundbreaking film that is a plea for people to have more understanding toward the trauma suffered by rape victims.
Other Details of Outrage
Length: 75 minutes.
Color: Black and White.
Availability: Occasionally seen on Turner Classic Movies. Unfortunately, Outrage is not on DVD at the present time.
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John K. Davis - John is a retired teacher/librarian and has also been doing freelance writing since the late 1970s. Over this period of time, he has had ...
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