| Gilda | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Charles Vidor |
| Produced by | Virginia Van Upp |
| Written by | Screenplay: Jo Eisinger Marion Parsonnet Story: E.A. Ellington |
| Starring | Rita Hayworth Glenn Ford George Macready |
| Music by | Hugo Friedhofer |
| Cinematography | Rudolph Maté |
| Editing by | Charles Nelson |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 14, 1946 |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Gilda (1946) is a black-and-white film noir directed by Charles Vidor. It stars Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth in her signature role as the ultimate femme fatale. The film was noted for cinematographer Rudolph Mate's lush photography, costume designer Jean Louis' wardrobe for Hayworth (particularly for the dance numbers), and choreographer Jack Cole's staging of "Put the Blame on Mame" and "Amado Mio", sung by Anita Ellis.[1]
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The film's plot is continually narrated by Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford), a small-time gambler newly arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When he wins a lot of money cheating at craps, he has to be rescued from a robbery attempt by a complete stranger, Ballin Mundson (George Macready). Mundson tells him about an illegal high-class casino, but warns him not to practice his skills there. Farrell ignores his advice, cheats at blackjack, and is taken by two men to see the casino's owner, who turns out to be Mundson. Farrell talks Mundson into hiring him and quickly gains his confidence. However, the unimpressed washroom attendant, Uncle Pio (Steven Geray), keeps calling him "peasant".
One day, Mundson returns from a trip with a beautiful new wife, Gilda (Rita Hayworth). Unaware that she was once Farrell’s lover, Mundson assigns Farrell to keep an eye on her. Farrell keeps track of her, his loathing for her intensifying as she cavorts with men at all hours.
Meanwhile, Mundson is visited by two German businessmen. Their secret organization had financed a tungsten cartel, with everything put in Mundson's name to hide their connection to it. However, when they decide it is safe to take over, Mundson refuses to transfer ownership to his backers. The Argentine secret police are interested in the Germans; government agent Obregon (Joseph Calleia) introduces himself to Farrell to try to obtain information, but the American knows nothing about that aspect of Mundsen's operations. When the Germans return later, Mundson shoots and kills one of them.
That same night, at Mundson's house, Farrell and Gilda describe how much they hate each other, then end up kissing. Mundson arrives at that moment, then flees to a waiting airplane. Farrell and Obregon witness its short flight; the plane explodes shortly after takeoff and plummets into the ocean. However, Mundson has parachuted to safety, thus faking his death.
With Mundson dead, Gilda inherits his estate. Farrell marries her, but not out of love. He stays away, but has her guarded day and night out of contempt for her and loyalty to Mundson. Gilda tries to escape the tortured love-hate relationship, but fails. Finally, Obregon tells Farrell that Gilda was never truly unfaithful to Mundson or to him, prompting Farrell to try to reconcile with her.
At that moment, Mundson reappears, armed with a gun. He faked his death to deceive the Nazis. Mundson tells them he will have to kill them both, but Uncle Pio manages to fatally stab him in the back. Obregon shows up and confiscates the estate for the government. Farrell and Gilda are free to leave the country.
Gilda was filmed between September and December, 1945.
Hayworth's introductory scene was shot twice. While the action of her popping her head into the frame and the subsequent dialogue remains the same, she is dressed in different costumes—in a striped blouse and dark skirt in one film print, and the more famous off-the-shoulder dressing gown in the other.
When first released, the staff at Variety magazine liked the film and wrote, "Hayworth is photographed most beguilingly. The producers have created nothing subtle in the projection of her s.a., and that's probably been wise. Glenn Ford is the vis-a-vis, in his first picture part in several years...Gilda is obviously an expensive production - and shows it. The direction is static, but that's more the fault of the writers.[2]
More recently, Emanuel Levy wrote a positive review: "Featuring Rita Hayworth in her best-known performance, Gilda, released just after the end of WWII, draws much of its peculiar power from its mixture of genres and the way its characters interact with each other...Gilda was a cross between a hardcore noir adventure of the 1940s and the cycle of "women's pictures." Imbued with a modern perspective, the film is quite remarkable in the way it deals with sexual issues."[3]
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 93% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on fifteen reviews.[4]
Gilda (1946) is a black-and-white film noir directed by Charles Vidor.
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Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Cladus: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Cladus: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Paraneoptera
Superordo: Condylognatha
Ordo: Hemiptera
Subordo: Auchenorrhyncha
Infraorder: Fulgoromorpha
Superfamilia: Fulgoroidea
Familia: Issidae
Genus: Gilda
Species: G. vittiventris
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