A film
review by Dr. Svet Atanasov for blu-ray.com, December 21, 2015
Glenn Ford is Johnny Farrell, a petty gambler
who makes ends meet by separating fools from their money on the dark and dirty
streets of Buenos Aires. It is there that someone tries to kill Johnny, but the
wealthy loner Ballin Mundsen (George
Macready) saves his life and then hires him to manage his casino.
Soon after
Johnny gets comfortable working in the casino, Ballin shows him his latest
acquisition – the stunningly beautiful Gilda (Rita Hayworth), who knows how to seduce men with deep pockets. What
Ballin does not know is that Johnny and Gilda have a long history together.
Eventually
Ballin realizes that Gilda might have had a plan when she agreed to marry him,
but he has little time to question her because two German businessmen arrive in
the casino and create some tension after they demand that he sign some
important documents. A local government agent (Joseph Calleia) further complicates things when he approaches
Johnny and reveals to him that his boss' interests extend far beyond his
gambling business. All hell breaks loose when Ballin kills one of the Germans
and then his private plane crashes into the ocean while he is making his escape
from Montevideo.
Charles
Vidor's classic noir film, Gilda,
works because of three simple reasons. The first is the presence of the
stunningly beautiful Hayworth. The camera loves her so much that it frequently
feels like it has difficulty spending time with the rest of the actors.
Hayworth is fully aware of her sex appeal and loves the attention. The
confidence she exudes makes even casual close-ups look breathtakingly
beautiful.
The second
reason is the terrific script. It is one of the best done for a Hollywood film
after WWII. The exchanges between the main protagonists are frequently
exceptionally bold yet vague enough not to upset the watchdogs. (Years later, a
similar style of writing was mastered by various screenwriters living behind
the Iron Curtain, where powerful red apparatchiks would carefully scrutinize
their work to make sure that it does not undermine the Party's legitimacy).
The third
reason is Jack Cole's music numbers.
There is no groundbreaking material here, but everything works to perfection.
Looking indescribably sexy, Hayworth sings, dances, and flirts with her
audience, and then suddenly takes off the beautiful mask she wears for everyone
to see that she is a real woman who wants to be loved, cared for and protected.
Indeed, the numbers and the transitions after them are wonderfully
choreographed.
Glenn Ford
also leaves a lasting impression as the petty gambler who gets a second chance
in life. His final character transformation, however, feels a bit premature.
Macready looks appropriately cold and unpredictable. Though his time in front
of the camera is limited, Steven Geray
is simply outstanding as the casino's washroom attendant, Uncle Pio.
Gilda was lensed by legendary Polish-born
cinematographer Rudolph Mate. The
many music pieces heard throughout the film were orchestrated by Hugo Friedhofer.
In 2013, Gilda was selected for preservation in
the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant.
Blogger’s
comments:
The fourth
reason for the film’s success is the chemistry between Hayworth and Ford.
Although both of them were married to other people at the time, Director Vidor
was so concerned that they would have an affair that it gave him some sleepless
nights. Apparently his concern was not unwarranted. Years later, Ford’s son
Peter remarked that his father and Rita Hayworth actually did have an on-again,
off-again love affair that lasted forty years.
The fifth
reason for the film’s success was Rita Hayworth’s popularity among GIs
returning from WW II, which rivaled Betty Grable’s popularity. So, when the
film was released in 1946, former servicemen took their wives and girlfriends
to see it.
Labels:
drama, film-noir, romance, thriller
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