GILDA (1946)
Noir melodrama in which a street hustler, Johnny, (Glenn Ford) gets taken under the wing of a rich casino-owning psychopath, Munsen, (George Macready). Things get complicated when his unstable boss comes home with a new wife, the irresistible and sadistic Gilda (Rita Hayworth) who seems intent on nihilistically destroying every man she meets. Naturally, the story leads to murder.
First of all, Rita Hayworth in this movie is probably the finest femme fatale ever, an incredible performance as a sadistic evil woman. And it’s rare that an actress cast in this sort of role is actually as irresistible as the plot requires her to be. The cast and situations are so hot. George Macready is horrifying. The musical numbers are incredible. My only complaint is the positive ending, which is nice, though I sort of wish it was all tragic and negative.
