1h 45min || 26 February 1947 | Color
Director: Walter Reisch
Stars: Yvonne De Carlo, Brian Donlevy, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Eve Arden.
Tilly Losch ... choreographer
Genres: Adventure | Biography | Drama | Musical
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039852/
Watched online; blurry.
One of my favorite compositions is the star of this show. Plus many of RK's other works are featured here too. Makes me want to spend time playing my classical music collection.
I'm forming the opinion that YD is not a fully trained dancer. Her movements come across as those of an amateur. Perhaps instead she didn't get sufficient rehearsal, or the choreography was not well-suited to her talents. But this is the 3rd film where I've been unimpressed by her dancing.
JA (b. 1911) felt very young and sincere; my general view of him is of a cynical French star. So his performance is an asset to this film.
Rather than a fencing duel, we get a whip duel here. Interesting, but seldom does the frame hold both participants simultaneously. I can imagine the whip is more dangerous than a sword in some ways.
I wonder if V.Putin, current Russian president, has seen this movie. Or am I seeing enduring Russian culture: shirtless man prancing about, wielding his authority over his men. BD got the pre-Putin role. I'm not sure it added much to the film.
EA (b.'08) plays the self-absorbed mother to YD (b.'22). As such, her usual wise-cracking cynicism is reshaped into narcissistic decadence. She doesn't actually request someone to peel her a grape, but she comes close. She looks great, and not at all old enough to be mother of YD.
I wonder what other film(s) might have an equally heavy dose of RK music, with better dancing? And would a better print here push me to a 7-?
Universal, dir. Reisch; 6+
