Watched: 09/24/2022
Format: BluRay - Criterion
Viewing: Unknown (3rd?)
Director: Charles Vidor
I don't talk to many people about Gilda (1946), but I know it's considered one of the greats of the film noir movement. And I knew that on previous viewings, but it's been a while and we finally cracked open my Criterion BluRay to give the film a spin.
It's astounding how *modern* some films from almost 80 years ago can feel (see: Touch of Evil) Specifically in the case of Gilda, I believe it's in part because Gilda has been so often imitated, borrowed and stolen from, and so infrequently matched and perhaps never surpassed. So, we've all seen movies, television and whatnot that echoes Gilda, but because it holds its place as a very specific story and, with now practically archetypal characters, to see how well the movie works with intricacy of plot, it becomes a film that is both absolutely of 1946 and timeless.
Credit to the behind-the-lens talent, starting with director Charles Vidor and the handful of talent listed as writers. And cinematographer Rudolph Mate.
There's endless ink spilled on Gilda but there's a reason it's Hayworth's most enduring film in a career of amazing pictures. The movie is adult and sexy and noir-as-hell in all the best ways. Hayworth and Ford are both bringing their top game, and both play stunningly nuanced characters for any era in cinema.
Anyway - it was an absolute pleasure to watch. I look forward to diving into the features on my Criterion disc.
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