SILVER

Demure college professor Wilma Tuttle (Loretta Young) finds herself in jeopardy after killing an overly amorous student in self-defense. As the noose tightens around her, both the victim's guardian (Robert Cummings) and a dogged homicide detective (Wendell Corey) pursue her. Apparently, even being a suspected killer brings Tuttle unwanted attention from men. June Truesdell's 1947 novel "Be Still, My Love," adapted for the screen by Ketti Frings, puts a refreshing slant on a frequently male-dominated genre. It's also the rare noir where both the source novel and the screenplay are written by women. Frings had a résumé similar to many male colleagues in Hollywood — she'd worked as a newspaper correspondent, ad writer and PR agent before scoring with her first novel, "Hold Back the Dawn," adapted to film in 1941 by Billy Wilder. (Note courtesy of Noir City.) DIR William Dieterle; SCR Ketti Frings, from the novel "Be Still, My Love" by June Truesdell; PROD Hal B. Wallis. U.S., 1949, b&w, 101 min. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.