East Side, West Side (4 stars)

East Side, West Side, from 1949, is a soap-opera kind of drama which features four big names in its cast.  Top billing goes to Barbara Stanwyck, with James Mason, Van Heflin, and Ava Gardner rounding things out.

Stanwyck and Mason are Jessie and Brandon Bourne, a married couple who have weathered the storm of the husband's infidelity.  The viewer is made aware that prior to the start of the movie, Brandon had an extra-marital affair with model Isabelle Lorrison (the gorgeous Ava Gardner).  Said affair ended, however, and Isabelle left town, and because Jessie knew that even if she divorced Brandon, she would never stop loving him, she chose to forgive his unfaithfulness. Though all is well in the Bourne's marriage at present, a friend asks Jessie what would happen if Isabelle returned to town.

Isabelle does, indeed, return to town and, in short order, begins her pursuit of Brandon once more.  At first, Brandon, determined to be faithful to his wife, resists Isabelle's advances, but she is relentless in her pursuit, and, in the end, he succumbs to her seduction, causing him to stand Jessie up at a party.

Jessie is devastated by Brandon's failure to arrive at the party, particularly when she phones his office to check on him and learns he had left hours earlier with Miss Lorrison.  To her rescue comes a new acquaintance, Mark Dwyer (Van Heflin), who has very quickly fallen in love with Jessie.  He escorts her home, where he cooks dinner for her and even manages to make her smile.  Mark tells Jessie that although he loves her, he is not in the wife-stealing business, so it's a good thing he will soon be leaving town.  When Brandon returns home that night and is confronted by Jessie about his infidelity, he is broken and repentant, and he promises to never see Isabelle again.

Can Brandon keep his promise?  Isabelle is sure that all she has to do is phone Brandon and he will come running.  Will he?  What about Jessie?  Can she forgive Brandon for, once more, being unfaithful to her?  And what about Mark?  Will he gracefully bow out of Jessie's life?  These are the questions that will play out in the film.

         
I thought the cast of this film was totally fantastic.  For starters, I am already a huge Barbara Stanwyck fan...she is my third favorite actress...and I enjoy almost anything she does.  James Mason...what can I say, except, wow, what a voice!  I have only recently discovered how much I like him...can't wait to see more of his work. Van Heflin is likeable and totally charming...very much the romantic.  And Ava Gardner is her usual stunningly beautiful self.  Each of these four was perfect in the role they played.

East Side, West Side is a very interesting, thoroughly entertaining film, and I highly recommend it.  Out on DVD, it should be readily available and quite easy to track down.  I hope y'all get a chance to see it.

Happy viewing!!