Gilda

Gilda
1946 - Columbia Pictures
Directed by Charles Vidor



SYNOPSIS

Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) is a down and out gambler in Argentina who's given a cushy job at a nightclub/casino. He quickly rises in the ranks and when his boss (George Macready) leaves on a vacation, Johnny's left in charge. When his boss returns, he is married. The boss' new wife Gilda (Rita Hayworth) has a past with Johnny. When the boss disappears and is presumed dead... Johnny takes over and realizes he's in charge of more than just a nightclub.



MY THOUGHTS

What could have been a standard film noir is bolstered due to a standout performance by Rita Hayworth.

Many elements of noir are here... crime, a dry troubled narrator, a dangerous love triangle, etc. but they all take a back seat.

Rita Hayworth's sexiness is intoxicating in the film (as all the male characters find out!) and she draws your eyes toward her every time she's on screen. This is the film that made her a star.
Her role isn't the usual 'femme fatale' role in a film noir. She's much more sensitive and fearful than one of those bad gal roles (think Lauren Bacall in To Have And Have Not.)



Hayworth and Glenn Ford have really great chemistry. Their love/hate relationship provides real sparks to what could have been a very bland romantic angle in the film. Glenn Ford also shines here, giving one of his best performances... but he's not the one wearing the attractive dresses.

The script is the weak element of the film. It's uneven in several spots. Some scenes drag on forever (especially ones without Hayworth and/or Ford.)
The ending seems tacked on, and way too positive considering the rough edges to the story.
At times, Gilda even feels like a knockoff of Casablanca. Joseph Calleia's detective character was played exactly like Claude Rains' Captain Renault, complete with a constant twinkle in the eye.

But it's the two leads who overcome those faults and deliver a great film.