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It is a film famous for a strip tease, which involve nothing more than the removal of a pair of gloves. It is also the role that became synonymous with Rita Hayworth for the rest of her life. Hayworth famously said of the eponymous role and the manner in which it tainted her public persona, “every man I have ever known has fallen in love with Gilda and awakened with me.” What a role. If only I could be a little more like Gilda. The charisma, overpowering sex appeal, the exquisite singing and dancing, and always a witty barb to throw at her ex-lover. Who wouldn’t want to be like Gilda?
No woman could ever live up to Hayworth’s portrayal of Gilda. Rita Hayworth was a unique specimen in nineteen-forties Hollywood; a shy reserved woman who exploded on celluloid. She became a famous pin-up queen, but was never more beautiful than when she appeared on film when her vivacity and sex appeal were put on display for the world to see. This is most apparent in Gilda.
Gilda, directed by Charles Vidor, is film noir about a borderline homosexual relationship and the woman who destroys it. Glenn Ford plays Johnny Farrell a gambler who meets and makes a close “business” relationship with casino owner Ballin Mundsen. As Mundsen’s right hand man he runs the casino and soon comes to take part in all matters of Mundsen’s life. Until Mundsen brings home a sexy woman from Johnny’s past as his new wife, the aforementioned Gilda. Johnny is torn between his loyalty to Mundsen and his passionate hatred for Gilda. The hatred is mutual, and Gilda spends the majority of the film trying to torture Johnny with the idea of her supposed infidelity towards Mundsen. Of course the usual, intrigue and a Nazi subplot figure in along the way as well, but the film sizzles whenever Hayworth and Glenn Ford interact.
This film has grown upon me a great deal in the time since I first viewed it in a Feminist Film Studies course. I hated the ending and the way it explains away all the behaviors that make the character of Gilda a femme fatale. I couldn’t believe that a woman like Gilda could ever be hooked on a guy like Johnny. And I wasn’t crazy about Glenn Ford. I can now tolerate the ending, and try not to let the lame explanation about Gilda bother me, and have become a real fan of Glenn Ford. He and Hayworth have a combustible chemistry and his Johnny Farrell has become one of my favorite film noir leads. He does a commendable job holding his own against the force of nature that is Rita Hayworth.
The black-and-white cinematography of this film is as beautiful as that in other noir dramas of this period. The set designs, especially the use of ornate wrought iron fencing and carved banisters do a wonderful job of communicating the attempts to confine Gilda, are beautiful. The costume designs, especially Rita Hayworth’s gowns, are exquisite. One cannot forget the sexy dance numbers Hayworth performs, particularly “Put the Blame on Mame,” wherein the famous striptease occurs. The script sufficiently engulfed in hard-boiled language and erotic banter. Gilda is a film of great passion and sensuality.
Gilda is a film noir essential. It is a great psychosexual love triangle whose sexual heat burns just beneath the surface leaving you wanting more. It’s terrific!
