★ 5 / 10
You walked out of that inquest like you
John Chard
You walked out of that inquest like you were on your way to a cocktail party. Affair in Trinidad is one of those pretend film noir movies that the public seem…
You walked out of that inquest like you were on your way to a cocktail party.
Affair in Trinidad is one of those pretend film noir movies that the public seem to love more than the critics, both back then on release and also now. I was personally hoping that as a big fan of Glenn Ford, and being an admirer of Rita Hayworth, I too would be thumbing my nose at the critics. Sadly not.
Directed by Vincent Sherman and with a screenplay by Berne Gilder and James Gunn, the story is set in Trinidad and pitches Hayworth as a recently widowed nightclub dancer and Ford as the deceased man's brother. The death is suspicious and as the law closes in (in the form of Torrin Thatcher) secrets will out and a bigger picture kind of emerges.
Ok! Lets not compare to Gilda and Notorious, for obvious reasons, and just accept Affair in Trinidad as its own entity. What transpires is a tired tropical exercise in romance and spy like intrigue. In fact it's a bit of a hack job coasting in on the two leading stars reputations, Ford as a genre presence and Hayworth as some sort of ogle feature. The plot is ridiculous where nothing much makes sense. Character's motivations are sketchy at best, and once the screenplay plays its hand for reveal purpose, you wonder just where are the villains from and what exactly are they up to?! Is that explained or did I have a power nap?...
It doesn't help that head weasel Max Fabian (Alexander Scourby) is so not threatening, and boring to boot, that it renders the intended dramatic oomph at pics finale as being akin to a damp squib. Hayworth goes through the motions in the acting scenes, only holding court with her two dance numbers (voice dubbed by Jo Ann Greer), and while Ford can brood with the best of them, his character is so poorly written it doesn't let the actor shine.
As for this remotely being film noir? Not a chance, neither visually, thematically or in characterisations does it work on that film making style. Consider me bloody annoyed. 5/10
★ 6 / 10
Gilda meets Notorious
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Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford re-team for "Affair in Trinidad," a 1952 film also starring Alexander Scourby, Juanita Moore and Valerie Bettis. Hayworth plays…
Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford re-team for "Affair in Trinidad," a 1952 film also starring Alexander Scourby, Juanita Moore and Valerie Bettis. Hayworth plays Chris Emery, a nightclub performer whose husband Neil dies by apparent suicide that turns out to be murder. His brother Steve (Ford) shows up on the day of the inquest, having received a letter from Neil on the day he died. He assumes the worst about his widowed sister-in-law and her relationship with a wealthy man, Max Fabian (Scourby).
Either I dosed off or the actual mystery was never fully explained. It was explained sort of, but I was never clear what Rita, her husband, or the people in Max's house had to do with it. The story, as the subject line indicates, is a gemisch of "Gilda" and "Notorious" and not as good as either one. Interestingly, the plot predates the Cuban missile crisis by 10 years. Totally amazing. For that alone, it's worth seeing.
Except for Ava Gardner, probably no actress defined the word "hot" like Rita Hayworth. For a woman who was painfully shy and didn't even want to be in show business, she sure could turn it on. And turn it on she does in two musical numbers, "I've Been Kissed Before" and "Trinidad Lady." She wears some gorgeous gowns, too. Glenn Ford and Rita make a wonderful team, certainly one of Hollywood's sexiest film love matches. Juanita Moore is excellent as the all-knowing maid, Dominique, and Alexander Scourby is an elegant villain.
"Affair in Trinidad" is well directed by Vincent Sherman with a nice, dark atmosphere, and one really believes it's Trinidad. Watching Rita Hayworth is never a waste of time; this isn't the greatest movie ever made, but Rita creates a few sparks.
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· 500 ratings
6.6/10
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