Teresa Wright getting mixed up with aristocratic politician Ray Milland and misused Spanish pianist Anthony Quinn 20 December 2018
This is a surprisingly interesting thriller set in the Oscar Wilde world of 1892 with cheap theatres, ballets and dancers having a hard time in contrast to the highest levels of society with particular aristocrats being careful about not getting contaminated by scandals, which they can't avoid. Ray Milland is a liberal politician driving the Irish issue and the suffrage of women already in 1892, for which he is both furiously attacked by mobs and partly successful, who gets mixed up with Teresa Wright, lovely as usual in a role perfectly fitted for her, as a poor ballet dancer who for her beauty gets into trouble with ungentlemanly men. On one occasion she is saved by Anthony Quinn, a brilliant Spanish pianist in London who is out of work, and gradually finds himself in deep trouble. Only she can save him, but she is then already heavily mixed up with society and politics. Music plays an important part here, it's practically only Chopin all the way, and at one instance Anthony Quinn performs an absolutely brilliant improvisation on the Nocturne opus 9:2. The action is fast throughout, and the blend between extremely different levels of society in the scandal problem produces an intrigue of lasting interest, growing more exciting all the time. Cedric Hardwicke makes a perfect lord of authority caring only about the particulars of a good name, but he does no harm although he is not to be trifled with. The theatre atmosphere settings of the Music Hall world of the 1890s (as found also in Chaplin's "Limelight") is wonderful and what will be the last thing you will forget about this film. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039487/ Framed (1947) (9/10) One of those perfectly written and very poetic noirs 16 January 2019
Like in so many noirs, the most enjoyable ingredient of this film is the excellent dialog. It keeps you spellbound by its wit and suggestive innuendos all the way, everyone is clever and an interesting character, even the most idiosyncretic Edgar Buchanan as Jeff Cunningham, although they are all rather basic and normal - except Janis Carter, who is the leader of the film, very suavely leading you on in her very incalculable mind to some extreme surprises she didn't even expect herself. Glenn Ford made thjs before "Gilda" but it's the same character, - he always made the same character. Here he is more vulnerable and actually gets more than enough drunk twice, which makes him such a suitable puppet to use for an extremely criminal plot. It's a classic noir, the story will not disappoint you, and the final looks of Glenn Ford and Janis Carter will endure and follow you beyond the film. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039396/
162