Gilda (1946)

Directed by Charles Vidor. Starring Glenn Ford, Rita Hayworth, George Macready, Joseph Calleia, Steven Geray, Gerald Mohr, Joe Sawyer, Mark Roberts.

Shifty gambler Ford gets hired by casino manager Macready, and sparks fly immediately between Ford and Macready’s new wife (Hayworth), the kind that smolders as much with hatred as passion. Serviceable noir could have used a few extra jolts of style from Vidor’s unvarying direction, but still manages some shadowy and sexy delights. Jean Louis’ costumes and the iconic hair flip accentuated the va-va-voom allure of its leading lady; she never fully inhabits the femme fatale role (she’s too sympathetic for that), and she even gets a—gasp!—happy ending of sorts, though it’s not one that anyone really deserves, and leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth. Mechanics of the plot bathe in subtext, and as predictable as the pas de trois is among the lovers/enemies, its heat supplants narrative momentum as the engine for all the caged insecurity on hand. Hayworth performs “Put the Blame on Mame” and “Amado Mio,” though her voice was dubbed by Anita Ellis. Ford’s first film after his break from acting to join the Marines during World War II.

69/100