You ever see the TCM promo with Paul Newman speaking on Elizabeth Taylor and he begins with, "What do you say about a legend?" … Well, that could pretty much sum up what GILDA (1946) is to me.
A film I became so emerged in, I'd talk it up to anyone who'd listen, introducing it to anyone who'd watch. Starting with my own family. To the point that for my mom and I, we didn't just watch, we lived ... GILDA. Luckily, none of my enthusiastic commentaries fell on deaf ears or blind eyes. But that had nothing to do with me … This Charles Vidor, film noir, speaks for itself. A film so notable for Rita Hayworth's hair flip and striptease act, just like the iconic BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) with Audrey Hepburn, you find most people who have never seen the film or know much, if anything, about Audrey Hepburn at all, there, all out in the open, with t-shirts, handbags, and hang-ups on the bedroom wall … Of course, I have my own thoughts on those kinds of "fans," but that's a different blog entirely. So, for the love of cinema, let's "put a beggar on horseback, huh, Uncle Pio," and take a Tea Time for a Coffee Break with GILDA:
"Me?"
From the first moment we met, I fell in love with everything about GILDA. The sets, the design, the style, the angles, the cinematography, the dialogue, the songs (even if Rita Hayworth's singing voice in the nightclub version of "Put the Blame On Mame" was dubbed by Anita Ellis), the characters, the supporting actors -- Hayworth and Ford.
These two together (for the second of five films together; THE LADY IN QUESTION (1940), GILDA (1946), THE LOVES OF CARMEN (1948), AFFAIR IN TRINIDAD (1952), and THE MONEY TRAP (1965)), exploded everything I had ever seen on screen before, outside of Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, their chemistry ignited in me an ever-burning flame for classic movies no other film had done before or since, in that way. It's magnetic.
GILDA is one of those film watches that you just keep on watching. For me, the fire only spread with no intention of burning out. It was one of the first films I knew the dialogue to from beginning to end. Every character. Every part. And with my aspiring actress #CareerGoals, I'd go as far as acting the film out, scene-by-scene in front of the camera while the film itself played behind me on the telly. With Glenn Ford as "Johnny" to my "Gilda" (even to an extensive point, if someone began to talk on the subject of classic movies, the next sound you'd hear would be my mom's voice saying, "My daughter knows GILDA from beginning to end, all the way through. Hit it, Dominique." And so, my hair would flip, and the show would begin). Hahaha.
The role of "Gilda," acted by Rita Hayworth, born Margarita Carmen Cansino in Brooklyn, New York, in 1918, was born into the entertainment business to a family of … entertainers. Her father, Eduardo Cansino, originally from Spain (who worked as an associate choreographer in Rita and Glenn's THE LOVES OF CARMEN (1948)), a flamenco dancer, and her mother, Volga Hayworth, a former performer with the Ziegfeld Follies, Rita and Eduardo eventually became a team as Eduardo would take Carmen (as he'd call her) on stage with him as a dancing duo, all before Margarita would catch the eye of Fox Studios, credited then as Rita Cansino before eventually becoming, after an extensive, if not possibly painful, raising her hairline by inches, makeover … Rita Hayworth.
Rita Hayworth was the first classic film actor/actress I became fully electrified by, I grew up on Taylor, Loren, Davis, and Crawford, but Hayworth was completely new to me. My own find. And I was blown away. I wanted to know everything about her. Out came the documentaries, reading books, watching all her movies, and when they were with her and Glenn Ford, the better.
Her life, I quickly found out was not a happy one personally. Which makes the merriment and gaiety she portrays onscreen, just that much … more. Of course, she's an actress, that's what actors are supposed to do. But it's not that easy, nor that simple. And yet, Rita does it breathtakingly.
Her life, I quickly found out was not a happy one personally. Which makes the merriment and gaiety she portrays onscreen, just that much … more. Of course, she's an actress, that's what actors are supposed to do. But it's not that easy, nor that simple. And yet, Rita does it breathtakingly.
GILDA not only teamed Rita and Glenn together for the second time but would also mark the Canadian-born actor, Glenn Ford's, return on-screen after his service as Sgt. Glenn Ford of the US Marine Corps during WWII, along with (another recommend) A STOLEN LIFE (1946) starring Bette Davis.
The chemistry between Rita and Glenn may seem like a good fit when you consider their off-screen relationship, but on-screen as Gilda and Johnny Farrell exceeds any of their on-screen chemistry in the work the two would do together in a film before or after.
"What was that word again, Gilda?" Initially, for the role of Johnny Farrell, Humphrey Bogart was offered the part, and turned it down, giving producer/writer Virginia Van Upp the opportunity to turn the story into what we see today, albeit, not without its complications along the way. Behind the scenes was a different sort of drama, one that could be and probably has been told on-screen in its own way. Among those complications was the script itself. As told by director Charles Vidor, they did not have a finished script while in production. Sound familiar? Sam: … "You must remember this …" Getting the next day scenes the night before. Pushing the multitasking superwoman in Virginia to write out scenes all night and on set all day. |
And while it's no doubt the focus of the film is on Rita's "Gilda" if not Rita herself, as she made mentions in regard to her personal life after playing the role: "Men go to bed with Gilda, but wake up with me," there's a lot to be said for Glenn Ford's performance. Not just here, but in his body of work. Truly worth logging. Proves him to be an underrated actor by far. Then and now. Glenn Ford should have and should be way more well-known by name and films than he is today. Thanks to GILDA and THE GAZEBO (another Ford recommend), my mom and I would watch anything with Glenn Ford in it after watching those. He's absolutely worth it
What we see on-screen doesn't go without a little complication of its own as well. One being, the designer, Jean Louis' "Put The Blame On Mame" gown, inspired by John Singer Sargent's 1884 'Portrait of Madame X', worn by a pregnant at the time (carrying Rebecca Welles) Rita Hayworth with a corset to fit into the sleek cut.
Some other on-screen performances to take notice of, and whether you knew this going in or not, it's almost impossible not to see, that double slap Rita gives Glenn Ford that looks like, as the phrase goes, it knocked the taste out of his mouth … well, his teeth anyway, as Rita's open hand whip broke two of Glenn Ford's teeth, as you'll notice Ford's clinched jaws as he held his mouth, and ground, until the end of the take.
The slap given to Rita by Glenn after the "zipper" bit looks just as authentic because? It was just as authentic. Though, a non-willing Ford had to be coaxed by Hayworth herself along with Vidor to "let her have it," winning that authentic stunned look from Rita as her face comes back into view.
The slap given to Rita by Glenn after the "zipper" bit looks just as authentic because? It was just as authentic. Though, a non-willing Ford had to be coaxed by Hayworth herself along with Vidor to "let her have it," winning that authentic stunned look from Rita as her face comes back into view.
The plot of the story? Well, as the tagline says, "I was true to one man once ... and look what happened ..." as Gilda tells Johnny Farrell directly to his face. And without ever seeing their relationship before we met them onscreen, how they met, how long were they together, or how they broke up, they tell their whole story pre-present-post before our eyes as we go along. Not just their exchanged words, but mostly their body language and eye contact. Reminiscent of when we first meet Ilsa sitting next to Sam by the piano when Rick storms in, in CASABLANCA (1942), the looks that exchange between the three, tell the whole story without a word of dialogue before we even see the montage during Rick's drunken "If she can stand it I can" flashback. That's Cinema.
You take that storyline and sew it into "A man who controls a strategic material can control the world, Johnny," casino owner as a front for a cartel, working with ex-Nazi's, Ballin Mundson, played by perfectly cast George Macready, who isn't only trying to control the world, but Gilda … his wife, in it ... Yep. I'll wait.
The bottom line? You can't just talk about GILDA (1946), you have to experience it. All to yourself, in your own way. It catches your attention from the start. At least that's how it happened for me. And to this day, whenever I hear the opening music, when I see the dice coming at me during the toss of a crap game immediately following the opening credits, hearing that voiceover in the dialogue of Johnny Farrell, I still am on edge; waiting, wondering, transfixed as to what's going to come next. I'm now living in that world. I am of that time. I am in that scene. I throw out what I know already from previous watches, and I'm hooked, as if I'm watching it for the first time, no matter how many times I've seen it. And brother, that's not only a lot of watches (as in, I've had to buy multiple copies as each copy has been worn out from over viewing), but it's also a rare experience. But ever so worth it.
When someone asks, "Why do you love Classic Cinema so much?" (not that that is a question you can answer), but it's an emotion you feel. Cinema. But to put it in a word, GILDA.
I've repeatedly given my vote to THE GODFATHER (1972) being (IMO) the greatest film of all time, MOULIN ROUGE (2000) as my film anthem, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951) my name (you guys know the story, my mom and I were *literally* named Stella and Blanche), but GILDA is my flag … my birth into the Classic Cinema Fan I am today.
I've repeatedly given my vote to THE GODFATHER (1972) being (IMO) the greatest film of all time, MOULIN ROUGE (2000) as my film anthem, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951) my name (you guys know the story, my mom and I were *literally* named Stella and Blanche), but GILDA is my flag … my birth into the Classic Cinema Fan I am today.
I'll leave you here with a fresh pot of coffee if you want to put GILDA on your screen and make it your next movie night watch … whether you slip into lounge wear or keep on your pinstripe suit or your black satin dress, I'm not judging, because personally, "I've never been any good at zippers … But maybe if I had a little help."
Best and love … "See you later, Mr. Farrell."
#ForMyMom
#ForMyMom