At a U.S. Coast Guard Mounted Patrol Station, Lt. Scott Burnett (Ryan) has been having recurring nightmares involving a strange woman and a shipwreck.
While patrolling the beach on horseback one evening,
Scott comes upon a woman (Joan Bennett) collecting wood near the remains of an old wreck.
Though he's unnerved because both the woman and the wreck remind him of his dream, Scott is, nonetheless, drawn to the woman---whose name is Peggy Butler---and accepts an invitation to her home.
With conversation easy between them, in due time, Peggy and Scott embark on an affair.
Peggy is not an available woman, though;
she is married to Tod Butler (Charles Bickford), a painter who has recently been blinded. Though the man is cruel and controlling, Peggy, who was responsible for his blindness, stays with him out of guilt.
Paranoid, Scott is certain that Tod can really see and that he knows about the affair Scott and Peggy are having. After Peggy promises to leave Tod if Scott can prove to her that the blindness is a fake, Scott sets out to substantiate his claim.
Is Tod really blind? Or can he see? Will Peggy leave him and find a future with Scott? These are the questions which play out in the remainder of this film.
Much as I adore Robert Ryan, I have to admit, this film is not one of my favorites. While Mr. Ryan looks incredible in his Coast Guard uniform, that is about all the film has going for it.
The plot is loaded with holes, and some of the storylines never came together. I have no idea how Peggy---a non-surgeon---could accidentally cut Tod's optic nerve, and I never understood the connection between Scott's nightmare and the chance meeting with Peggy Butler. The acting was good---though nothing spectacular; but the characters weren't developed very well. I'm giving this film 3 stars, but it's more like 2.5. Since I recorded this from TCM, I own this film and will probably watch it again---but that is only because my beloved Robert Ryan is the male lead. Apart from Mr. Ryan (and how gorgeous he looks in his uniform!!), I really don't care for The Woman on the Beach at all.
The film is out on DVD, so I would imagine you ought to be able to track it down.
Happy viewing!!