The Clock
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Year Released: 1945
Rating: 3.5
Charming - although more than a little contrived - story about the chance meeting of two people (soldier Robert Walker and office worker Judy Garland) in congested New York City and their time spent together. Pauline Kael was correct in observing that there's a real love-hate relationship with the city: the romance of the night and sense of being alone contrasts with the hectic insanity of mass transit during the day and fear of being lost - I might also add that there's a subdued quality to the third act, with the two getting married but with the initial allure of the elopement slowly turning into sadness as Walker has to get out of town and possibly not come back. It works no matter how you view it - Garland looks fragile and lonely, while Walker comes across as anxious but outgoing. They were made for each other.
