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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Hate is a very exciting emotion!", October 10, 2006
Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford star in Gilda, a noir thriller set in Buenos Aires. Ford plays Johnny, a down on his luck gambler who is picked up by a casino owner. Johnny quickly becomes the casino owner's right-hand man--with a pact that women and gambling don't mix. Then Johnny's boss comes back from a trip with a new wife, Gilda,played incandescently by Rita Hayworth. Gilda is a typical noir femme fatale. She acts fast and loose but is actually just trying to get her guy jealous. Of course, her guy isn't her husband--its Johnny.
This odd little story is highly likeable for about three quarters of the film, when it makes a strange detour. Fortunately for us, the story gets right back on track at the end.
Ford does a good job as the loyal and jealous Johnny. He is vibrant, athletic and serious. Hayworth's beauty glows and gleams. She is given quite a few song and dance numbers. Her dancing is talented but strangely loose limbed. The movie steams with chemistry between Ford and Hayworth which is fortunate because the plot is more than a little cockeyed. The filming is gorgeously contrasted black and white with the requisite shadowy interiors.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Noir Classic!, August 2, 2000
Rita Hayworth's immortal film that haunted her throughout life and career, once quoted about the men in her life as, "They went to bed with Gilda, and woke up with me...". Infamous and seductive in its most popular days, Gilda is a film that represents some of the best and memorable scenes from the film noir genre. The beauty of this film is in the silent moments. It is in the contrast of the shadows and light in every scene from the moment when Glen Ford enters the film from a darken alley to Rita Hayworth tossing her hair over her shoulder. What is impeccable about the film is the chemistry of the cast, and style of the film itself. Several particular scenes that stand out: ---Gilda's sultry performance of "Put the Blame on Mame". ---Gilda and Johnny dancing for the first time at the club. ---Gilda's curse of damning the woman who wronged Johnny. ---Gilda's declaration of hate for Johnny, " I hate you so much, I'd destroy myself just to take you down with me..."
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25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of Style and Charisma. Laughably Nonsensical Story., July 28, 2004
As World War II ends, a young hustler in Buenos Aires, Argentina, meets a wealthy casino owner with whom he has a lot in common. The hustler, Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford), becomes the casino's manager and right-hand man to aristocratic Ballin Mundson's (George Macready). The two men become perfect partners in business and close friends. One day, Mundson returns from vacation with a new wife, Gilda (Rita Hayworth), an attractive, headstrong young woman whom Johnny has met before. Gilda's presence threatens the men's relationship and their equilibrium.
Thanks to her smashing rendition of "Put the Blame on Mame", "Gilda" is Rita Hayworth's best-remembered role. Many have called it a "clothed strip tease". It's certainly a sexy, energetic, eye-catching performance. Rita Hayworth never sang in movies, though. Anita Ellis provided the voice for "Put the Blame on Mame".
"Gilda" owes most of its success to Rita Hayworth's charisma. Love triangles are always popular fodder, but this one doesn't make a bit of sense. The story is incomprehensible. The tension that exists between Gilda and Johnny is constantly alluded to, but never explained. The film features the most hateful romance I've ever seen. "Gilda" might be about people imprisoned by their own desires, but to say it is about anything would be presumptuous. "Gilda" has great style, though, and seductive noir-ish characters. So it's entertaining, even if the story is off the wall.
The DVD: Bonus features include one featurette and some odds and ends. "Rita Hayworth: The Columbia Lady" is a 9-minute documentary that follows Hayworth's career at Columbia Studios, where she made 32 films between 1936 and 1953. It doesn't say much, but there are nice film clips. "Vintage Advertising" displays 8 old movie posters for "Gilda". "Talent File" provides written bios and abridged filmographies for director Charles Vidor and the film's three stars. "Theatrical Trailers" includes 4 old trailers for: "Gilda", "The Loves of Carmen" (which also starred Hayworth and Glenn Ford), "A Man for All Seasons", and "The Last Hurrah". Subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai. Dubbing is available in French, Spanish, and Portuguese.
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