Film Review
Jules Dassin concluded his generally lacklustre apprenticeship with MGM
by directing this convoluted and somewhat uneven melange of crime
drama, road movie and romantic comedy. Significantly, this was
Dassin's first taste of a crime film, the genre that would earn him his
enduring reputation, but it shows little of the inspiration that
audiences would see in his subsequent film noir policiers.
Karl Freund's expressionistic photography - which is most effective in
the latter half of the film - contains an essence of film noir, but the
overly complicated plot and tedious dialogue get in the way and crush
such stylistic flourishes. The part of the film that most
bears Freund and Dassin's signature is the Mardi Gras sequence, in
which dark and deadly machinations are played out against the gaiety of
the New Orleans carnival.
Lucille Ball plays the part of what may loosely be called the film's
femme fatale, and fatalistic pretty well described her mood when she
made the film. Her bosses at MGM had lost confidence in her and
this was to be her final picture for the studio, although it was by no
means the end for her. Ball's departure from MGM was just about
the best thing for her career - as happened to be the case for Jules
Dassin...
© James Travers 2008
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Next Jules Dassin film:
Brute Force (1947)
Film Synopsis
Ace Connors is a confidence trickster who has managed to get his hands
on bonds that will, on maturity, be worth half a million dollars.
Before he can enjoy his ill-gotten gains, the law - in the shape of New
York detective Bob Simms - catches up with him. Connors agrees to
come quietly if Simms will accompany him on a five-day long
holiday. Simms agrees, knowing that this will avoid a
time-consuming extradition if Connors makes up his mind to leave the
country. During their gourmet-themed train journey across
America, this odd couple are joined by Ricki Woodner, an attractive
young woman who is in the same line of work as Connors...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.