BORN TO BE BAD is a film featuring the lovely Joan Fontaine in the role of a femme fatale who works her way between various male figures, destroying each of them in turn. She's the original adulteress - the character is a thoroughly vindictive one despite the outer niceties - and it's clear from the very beginning that Fontaine just isn't right for the role. You could see somebody like Bette Davis playing this, but Fontaine doesn't really convince - you get the feeling she hasn't got a mean bone in her body.
Otherwise, BORN TO BE BAD is a fairly straightforward type of melodrama, with solid direction from Nicholas Ray but nothing much else to distinguish it from plenty of others. There are a couple of nice supporting roles for Mel Ferrer and Robert Ryan, but the plot consistently fails to ignite and the ending is more of a damp squib than a real firework.
Otherwise, BORN TO BE BAD is a fairly straightforward type of melodrama, with solid direction from Nicholas Ray but nothing much else to distinguish it from plenty of others. There are a couple of nice supporting roles for Mel Ferrer and Robert Ryan, but the plot consistently fails to ignite and the ending is more of a damp squib than a real firework.