Synopsis of Gilda

There are still certain movies that can sizzle the audience, no matter how often they have seen them. One such movie is “Gilda”. This 1946 film of Charles Vidor has been set in Argentina at the end of the Second World War. In the center stage, there is a woman who is caught in a love triangle with a gambler (Glenn Ford), his ex-lover and his boss (George Macready), who is our husband now. The characters in the movie are so full of tension that it is always an exceptional experience to watch the movie. One party to reason is Rita Hayworth. It appears that the role of femme fatale has been custom-made for her. This role provided a secure place to Rita among the stars (Doane, 1991). As an actress, she has always been very talented, but she achieved success only after custom building changes made over the years. Rita was born as Margarita Cansino. Rita and her father were professional dancers. Although they used to perform, but later was not immediately liked by the audiences. 20th Century Fox was her first studio, but they decided to drop Rita only after a few movies. However, her first husband, who was also her manager, encouraged her to undergo a painful electrolysis for changing her hair color and hairline in order to change her image. Indeed, it changed and Margarita Cansino returned as Rita Hayworth, and entered into a contract with Columbia (Mahar, 2006).

Everything was aligned in the making of Gilda. Due to this reason, the team off the movie could not be more stronger. Two great talents associated with the blue River cinematographer Rudolph Mate and the costume designer, Jean Louis (Balio, 1993). These two persons can be held primarily responsible for the success of Rita. Mate is known for large cinematography. A particular depth can be seen in black and white of Mate. That has remained unmatched (Dyer, 1993).

Gilda has one of the greatest movie wardrobes. Therefore it is not surprising that the movie is known for its glamour. As the popularity of Rita was growing, the studio decided to invest thousands of dollars for dressing the “Love Godess” of the film. However the film is best known for the gowns worn by Rita. One gown, in particular has become iconic. The strapless black satin gown that she wears while singing “Put the Blame on Mame” was inspired by the famous painting, Madam X by John Singer Sargent. The gown was also considered a piece of engineering, apart from its beauty. The audiences were amazed as it defied gravity.

Rita Hayworth’s Acting and Fashion

However, even if the movie was a spectacular hit among the viewers and Rita immediately became a star, the reviews given by American critics were only slightly encouraging or even indifferent. On the other hand, the French critics realized early that it was part of something important taking place in American films (Grossberg, 1997). Among others, Gilda was, presented to the French audiences in 1946, after they had remained cut off from the American releases as a result of the World War II. There was a feeling of something novel with these films, a mood skeptical, thrilling and pessimistic. However, Gilda can also be described as confusing. In the movie, hatred is more powerful than allow. The husband of Gilda off one or two days, Ballin Mundson makes a confession to Gilda Penny says that it can be very thrilling sentiment, haven’t you noticed that? This role has been played by George Macready with beautiful and disturbing mixture of insecurity and impotence. Later on, Gilda also echoes these words into Johnny’s ears. But it needs to be noted that Gilda was not intended to be clear. The purpose appears to plunge the audience into such an emotionally claustrophobic ambiance that even Johnny’s voice-over cannot provide enlightenment or escape (Higham and Greenberg. 1968). In fact, the voiceover drops away in the last section, and the result is that his feelings about Gilda in the concluding scenes cannot be disclosed.

Generally the noir voiceovers offer explanation and back story. But this is not the case with Johnny’s voiceovers. Certain things are hidden too deep. Therefore the lead characters of the movie do not have any viewpoint; the only characters of the movie who have any perspective are police detective and washroom attendant (McLean, 2004). After seeing Gilda, the movie appears to be a destabilized hybrid of pitch black noir and a polished studio musical. The movie has a cadre of eccentrics and also a pair of drifting, remaining Nazis. As is the case with other movies like the Notorious and the earlier films, Gilda also features an exotic setting and the characters who may not be permitted to go back home. Therefore the casinos and ports of Argentina that have been shown in the movie symbolize the end of line. The temper of the movie can be described as chaotic, violent and sexual. Often, Rita Hayworth has been shot in complete darkness (Wayne, 2003). There is not even a ray of light across her eyes. The shadows of the characters present on the walls are so elongated that they look like separate conscious beings.

Critics’ Review of Gilda

There is a scene in the movie where Ballin is standing in the foreground and there is a threatening black figure on the right side of the frame and Gilda and Johnny are completely lit in the lobby. In the end of the scene, Ballin turns his head and a flat, black silhouette is placed over on the above scenery. In this way, we can see psychosexual noir effects as the movie tips into the muck.

In this movie, the attack can be described as a pledge among two men who appears to be more interested in each other as compared to Gilda. The script of the movie, that has been adapted by Jo Eisinger and had been put in writing by Marion Parsonnet, is based on the story of E.A. Ellington added explicit regarding this point. There is the phallic cane of Ballin that has been named as his ‘little friend’. There is a point in the movie where Ballin says, “wait. Johnny. I will need both my little friends tonight”. There is also another scene where Ballin is slowly climbing the stairs and Johnny is a few steps at the back. The black tuxedoed figures can be seen against marble. It appears to be a climb to the bedroom. Johnny is fanatically worried over Bailin. When he gets married to Gilda after the ‘death’ of Ballin, he scorns in voiceover, “she was not faithful to him when he was alive but she will be painful when he was dead”. There is also another scene in the movie by the elevator after “put the blame on the mane” has been performed that can be described as shocking, and mutual hatred can be seen on both the sides. Gilda is trapped between two men who want her, user and also want to punish her.

In the end of the movie, Gilda and Johnny are exiting together. These can be described as a relic from the times of cathartic “The End” in the musicals, but at the same time, it also leaves an uneasy impression on the audience. This impression is alike the concluding scene of the movie Notorious. In both these endings, it does not feel that love is triumphed. On the other hand it appears to be like a criminal getaway. This confusion in the movie is so tormented, so surreal and so rich that it can be described as a major part of the fascinating and endearing draw of Gilda.

Film Noir Elements in Gilda

It also needs to be mentioned that in the movie, Hayworth used her dancing ability in this movie in a completely dissimilar way as he had done before. The result is a astonishing comparison. In this regard, some credit also needs to be given to Vidor (in addition to the gowns and Jean Louis designed for Rita) but most of the credit needs to be given to return herself. There are two numbers in the movie, ‘Put the blame on Mame’ and “Amada mio’ where all gestures, bumps, wild hair and knowing smile still give an electric impression to the audiences. Although Rita had already done all this with kelly and Astaire in the earlier movies, but in Gilda, she had ordained into a desperate and ferocious container.

Another thing that needs to be noted that the musical numbers of the movie are not a split in action, but there are the action itself. At the end of “put the blame on Mame”, return invites men from viewers to come on the stage and take off her costume, the misapprehension breaks and reality shoots in, which is brutal and ruthless. It is an astonishing movement. It is also one of the most famous moments of the film and second only to Rita’s first appearance in the movie.

The shadow of Rita Hayworth in Gilda can still be seen even after seventy years. The entrance of Rita Hayworth in Gilda is familiar to every persons who are not seen the film. She does not appear from shadows, smoking a cigarette, and she is not revealed in room staring out of the windowpane. Instead, Rita emerges in the empty space in a well lit room. Such a moment cannot be found even in some very good films. Such movements become iconic in themselves and are separated from all that surrounds it.

References

Doane, Mary Anne. 1991. Femmes Fatales: Feminism, Film Theory, Psychoanalysis. New York: Routledge

Dyer, Richard. 1993. The Matter of Images: Essays on Representations. London: Routledge

Grossberg, Lawrence. 1997. Bringing it all Back Home: Essays on Cultural Studies. Durham: Duke University Press

Higham, Charles and Joel Greenberg. 1968. Hollywood in the Forties. London: Tantivy Press/New York: AS Barnes

Karen Ward Mahar, 2006,  Doing A MAn’s Work” The Rise of the Studio System And the Remasculinization of Filmmaking rpt in The Classical Hollywood Reader, ed Steve Neale (New York) Routledge 2012.

McLean, Adrienne L. 2004. Being Rita Hayworth: Labor, Identity, and Hollywood Stardom. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press

Tino Balio, 1993, “Columbia Pictures: The Making of a Motion Picture Major, 1930–1943,” in Post-Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies, ed. David Bordwell and Noel

Wayne, Michael. 2003. “Post-Fordism, Monopoly Capitalism, and Hollywood’s Media Industrial Complex.” International Journal of Cultural Studies 6, no. 1: 82-103