I've loved this movie for many years and I'm always surprised that people don't know it or haven't seen it. 1946, Rita Hayworth at her peak, Glenn Ford, George Macready: hate, jealousy, lust and betrayal. This was probably my once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it on the big screen. (thank you Pacific Cinemateque!) I went to the movie by myself but felt among friends in the packed theatre. Ah yes, I'm not the only fan!
Glenn Ford is a Johnny Farrell, a handsome but semi-sleazy opportunist, befriending shady casino-owner Ballin Mundson (Macready) on his first day in Buenos Aires. All is swell until Ballin returns from a business trip with a young sexy vamp of a new wife, Gilda, and she happens to have a secret torrid past with Johnny. They pretend to be new acquaintances but can't disguise the hatred and jealousy. Nobody is fooled - the lusty hate steams up the screen. There's plenty of story to round out the motivations, and a very entertaining supporting cast.
This movie belongs to Rita Hayworth. She gets to be everything - from icy cold and aloof to violently enraged, from giddy and loose to fearful and heartbroken. And there's not a single shot of her that isn't definitively gorgeous. This film branded her as a sex goddess in Hollywood - an image she didn't enjoy but never escaped.
I'd remembered many of the great lines - Gilda and Johnny spit beautiful poison at eachother! But I'd forgotten the humour. Zingers like these are nowadays usually reserved for over-the-top comedies, or a single counterpoint moment.
Do Gilda and Johnny end up together? Or do they kill eachother? It doesn't even matter. They don't make 'em like Rita anymore, and they don't make movies like this either.
Glenn Ford is a Johnny Farrell, a handsome but semi-sleazy opportunist, befriending shady casino-owner Ballin Mundson (Macready) on his first day in Buenos Aires. All is swell until Ballin returns from a business trip with a young sexy vamp of a new wife, Gilda, and she happens to have a secret torrid past with Johnny. They pretend to be new acquaintances but can't disguise the hatred and jealousy. Nobody is fooled - the lusty hate steams up the screen. There's plenty of story to round out the motivations, and a very entertaining supporting cast.
This movie belongs to Rita Hayworth. She gets to be everything - from icy cold and aloof to violently enraged, from giddy and loose to fearful and heartbroken. And there's not a single shot of her that isn't definitively gorgeous. This film branded her as a sex goddess in Hollywood - an image she didn't enjoy but never escaped.
I'd remembered many of the great lines - Gilda and Johnny spit beautiful poison at eachother! But I'd forgotten the humour. Zingers like these are nowadays usually reserved for over-the-top comedies, or a single counterpoint moment.
Do Gilda and Johnny end up together? Or do they kill eachother? It doesn't even matter. They don't make 'em like Rita anymore, and they don't make movies like this either.
1 comment:
Wow - that is a phenomenal review! Well done! Guess I better get my butt to the theatre...
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