Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

Posted on November 7, 2013 by 4 Star Films

Starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur with a cast including Thomas Mitchell, Rita Hayworth, and Noah Beery Jr., with director Howard Hawks, the film follows pilots who fly mail throughout South America. Grant is the head of the dangerous operation and it becomes apparent to Arthur that he is callous, after a great tragedy strikes. However, she still stays out of interest in him. Things get complicated when the new pilot arrives and he carries a past that puts him at odds with everyone. It doesn’t help that his wife (Hayworth) was the former girl of Grant. In order to keep the operation going, Grant is forced to send out this Macpherson as well as his best friend “The Kid” (Mitchell) into a large storm. Needless to say that are not able to make it. Arthur is about to leave after this second disaster, but beforehand she says goodbye to the saddened Grant. He soon peps up when the weather clears and then prepares to fly again. Arthur at first feels rejected but with a flip of a coin she realizes his love for her. This is certainly a tragic picture, but good nonetheless.

4/5 Stars

The Lady from Shanghai (1947) – Film-Noir

Posted on July 2, 2013 by 4 Star Films

Starring Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, the film is narrated by an Irish sailor (Welles) who meets a beautiful but unhappily married woman (Hayworth). Michael is given a job on the yacht of the wealthy lawyer Arthur Bannister and he is near the alluring Elsa once again. While he is aboard the yacht, Bannister’s partner Grisby asks Michael to fake a murder so Grisby can disappear and claim the insurance money. Michael is suppose to confess to the crime but Grisby will be long gone and there will be no evidence. However, things go awry when Grisby kills another man and then he himself ends up dead. This leaves an innocent Michael facing the gas chamber. Only after he makes a desperate escape from court does he learn who was behind the murder of Grisby and also actually in league with him. In a surreal climax ending in the hall of mirrors, Elsa, Michael, and Bannister all face each other. However, only one survives. Despite a slow beginning the exciting second half of this film is a credit to the directing of Welles.

4/5 Stars

Gilda (1946) – Film-Noir

Posted on July 2, 2013 by 4 Star Films

*This May Contain Spoilers

This film-noir and twisted love story stars Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth. Johnny Farrell is a shady gambler who has just arrived in Buenos Aires. Through certain circumstances, he quickly meets a mysterious man. Soon he learns this man is a casino owner and Farrell gains a job as his right-hand man. However, things get complicated when Farrell’s boss marries Gilda, a beautiful woman who Farrell had been involved with a long time ago. Quickly their mutual dislike becomes evident but Mr. Mundy has Johhny constantly watching over Gilda. Seeing her flirting with many other men increases Johhny’s hatred for her. Soon he learns his boss is in something much bigger and after a murder, Mr. Mundy attempts to escape on a plane. Johnny sees it crash but little does he know his boss is alive. To get at Gilda, he marries her and keeps her confined. Despite their hatred, they still hold complicated feelings for each other. But then Mr. Mundy comes back seeking revenge on both Johnny and Gilda. However, his plans fail and the romance is complete. If there was ever an essential femme fatale, Hayworth’s character certainly would fit that category. Her performance of “Put the Blame on Mame” is definitely memorable.

4.5/5 Stars

Separate Tables (1958)

Posted on June 25, 2013 by 4 Star Films

Starring Burt Lancaster, Rita Hayworth, Deborah Kerr, David Niven, and Wendy Hiller, the films follows the evens at an Inn in England. This relatively simply film is less about plot and more about the interactions between people. Lancaster is a troubled man who is trying to forget his past marriage. Hayworth is the attractive wife he left who has her own insecurities, Kerr is the timid daughter who always obeys her mum, and she takes a fancy for the Major. Niven is the Major, a seemingly kind older gentleman with a less desirable side. Add a few more guests and Wendy Hiller as the sensible owner of the inn and you have this movie. What first begins as separated tables eventually evolves into something else entirely.