I may be an outlier, but, while Smith Ohlrig (Robert Ryan) is obviously a rapacious viper, to my eyes Dr. Larry Quinada (James Mason) is a vile little snake-in-the-grass. He is perhaps the worst sort of homme fatale – a predator-savior, one who preys upon a woman in the guise of saving her. The first clue that his relationship with Leonora (Barbara Bel Geddes) is a faux-romance (other than that the movie is directed by Max Ophuls) is his disgust with her suggestion of elocution lessons to a patient. He disparages everything about her to her face and, then, says to Dr. Hoffman (Frank Ferguson), “Stupid…stupid…she’s a stupid girl.” I never completely buy his supposed remorse that follows. But it is the conclusion that seals the deal for me. His gleeful smile at her baby’s death, in combination with Dr. Hoffman's similar expression and Leonora's vacuous smile, is even more sinister on the big screen than on a small or medium screen. She is caught again.