I’ve long been a fan of Humphrey Bogart. Growing up in the
sixties provided me with ample opportunity to see his films since back then VHS
stations had classic films as their staple. Even with that being the case I didn’t
have the chance to see them all or even most of them. Thank goodness for the
invention of video and later disc. Because of that I now have the chance to see
things I missed like this feature.
Opening with the funeral of a movie star the movie features
Bogart as Harry Dawes, a down on his luck director who’s been teamed up with a
producer new to the business, Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens). Kirk is a man with
too much money and too little know how. To support him he has PR man Oscar
Muldoon (Edmund O’Brien) on hand to kiss his ring and do as he’s told. It was a
performance that won O’Brien an Oscar.
One night they come across a flamenco dancer named Maria
Vargas (Ava Gardner) in a small club while scouting locations. Having caught
his eye Kirk wants her for the movie even if she has no experience. Except that
she speaks to no one.
Harry tracks her down to the small apartment where she lives
with her family. There he convinces her to join the team and from there she
achieves stardom. Maria and Harry remain
friends but to Kirk she remains a possession. She leaves him to be with a
wealthy South American named Alberto Bravano just to spite Kirk but eventually
leaves him as well. It isn’t until she meets Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini
(Rossano Brazzi) that she finds love but there is a secret there that remains
hidden until her death.
All of this might seem like a spoiler but most going into
the film know the story already. Even the blurbs on disc covers discuss most of
it. It isn’t the beginning to end tale that is the main focus here but the way
the story unspools that holds the viewer’s interest. Some have called the story
weak and found it boring, others praise it for its simplicity and
straightforward telling of the tale. As for myself I found it tedious at
moments but entertaining on the whole.
Bogart isn’t used as much as I would have liked to have seen
him, especially since he’s a name above the title here. One has to assume that
was to create a draw for the film as he was still a box office presence at the
time. Still his performance is a subtle one that displays his abilities quite
well. Gardner is a sight to behold as well, showing she had more talent than
given credit for over the years.
In the end it’s one of those movie that talks about the
tragedies that befall those in the film business without trying to make it
appeal for sympathy of those involved on the seedier side of things. It’s
entertaining and a piece of film history to be enjoyed.
Twilight Time presents the film in the best way possible but
what else would we expect? Extras include an isolated score track, audio
commentary with film historians Julie Kirgo and David Del Valle, a stills
gallery from the David Del Valle Archive and the original theatrical trailer.
Once more pressings of this were limited to just 3,000 copies so if interested
pick one up now.
Click here to order.
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