Film Review
By the mid-1940s, Rosalind Russell had established herself as one of
the most bankable comedy performers in Hollywood, with a string of
successful film comedies behind her. These included
The Women (1939),
His Girl Friday (1940),
The Feminine Touch (1941) and
Take a Letter, Darling
(1942). Russell may have found her niche but she was eager to
broaden out and demonstrate her versatility as an actress.
The Velvet Touch, the first film
produced by Independent Artists, the company she set up with her
husband Frederick Brisson, allowed her to do just that: a suspense
crime-drama in which Russell plays a character who is in a similar
predicament to her own.
Unfortunately for Russell she had to contend with two film noir
heavyweights, in the form of Claire Trevor and Sydney Greenstreet, both
of whom have no difficulty eclipsing her whenever they share a scene
with her. Trevor's hard-bitten, sensual 'other woman' is a far
more enticing proposition than Russell's self-obsessed and mildly
neurotic Broadway diva, but it is Greenstreet who ultimately steals the
film, oozing avuncular charm and a hint of something much more sinister
as he subjects Russell to the old Lieutenant Columbo routine, sticking
to her like a limpet until she cracks. It's a shame that
Greenstreet doesn't show up until the second half of the film as his is
by far the most interesting character in the film (how can we not love
a big man who mocks his own girth?). For the first half of the
film Russell is pretty well on her own, and struggles to hold our
attention as she stumbles lamely over the old film noir clichés.
For his generally admirable directorial debut, Jack Gage opts for a
theatrical approach which marries well with the theatrical world in
which the drama is set. Some stylish expressionistic touches,
whilst a little self-conscious, add to the growing sense of entrapment
that overtakes the heroine when she falls prey to her uneasy
conscience. The plot may be somewhat more predictable than your
average film noir but Gage and his screenwriter Leo Rosten do a
reasonable job of sustaining the tension right up until the final
dramatic sequence. Russell's solution to her thwarted career
aspirations was less drastic than that of the character she plays here
- she returned to Broadway and pretty well gave up her film work.
Greenstreet would appear in just three more films before retiring in
1949. Claire Trevor's career was only just beginning - the
following year she would win an Oscar for her supporting role in John
Huston's
Key Largo (1948).
© James Travers 2013
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Not satisfied with her success as a popular Broadway actress, Valerie
Stanton desperately wants to broaden her repertoire by appearing in
serious plays like Ibsen's
Hedda
Gabler instead of the usual frothy nonsense she is known
for. Unfortunately, her theatrical producer and one-time lover
Gordon Dunning has other ideas and has no intention of granting Valerie
the freedom she desires. One evening, in the course of a violent
argument, Valerie accidentally kills Dunning. The murder is
pinned on Marian Webster, another, less well-known actress who was
infatuated with the producer - her fingerprints were found on the
murder weapon and she had a motive for killing Dunning. It
appears to be an open and shut case but police Captain Danbury proceeds
with his investigation, and Valerie begins to fear that he may suspect
her of being the murderer...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.