| Gilda | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster, "Style B" | |
| Directed by | Charles Vidor |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Adaptation by | |
| Story by | E.A. Ellington |
| Produced by | Virginia Van Upp |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Rudolph Maté |
| Edited by | Charles Nelson |
| Music by | M. W. Stoloff Marlin Skiles |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production company | Columbia Pictures |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million[1] |
| Box office | $6 million (rentals)[1] |
Gilda is a 1946 Americanfilm noir directed byCharles Vidor and starringRita Hayworth andGlenn Ford.
The film is known for cinematographerRudolph Maté's lush photography, glamorous setting, costume designerJean Louis's wardrobe for Hayworth (particularly for the dance numbers), and choreographerJack Cole's staging of "Put the Blame on Mame" and "Amado Mio", sung byAnita Ellis. Over the yearsGilda has gainedcult classic status.[2][3][4] In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".[5][6][7]
Johnny Farrell, an American newly arrived inBuenos Aires,Argentina, wins money from sailors at the city's docks by playingcraps with weighted dice. He is rescued from a robbery attempt by a stranger, Ballin Mundson. Mundson tells Farrell about an illegal high-class casino in the city, but warns him not to cheat there. After winning atblackjack bycard counting, he is taken to see the casino's owner, who turns out to be Mundson. Farrell talks Mundson into hiring him and soon becomes his trusted casino manager.
Mundson returns from a trip to the United States and announces he has an extremely beautiful new wife, Gilda, whom he has married after only knowing her for a day. Farrell and Gilda instantly recognise each other from the past, though both deny it when Mundson questions them. Mundson assigns Farrell to watch over Gilda. She cavorts with men at all hours in increasingly more blatant efforts to enrage Farrell, and in return he grows ever more spiteful towards her.
Mundson is visited by two German mobsters. Their organisation had financed atungstencartel, with everything in Mundson's name in order to hide their connection to it. They have decided that it is safe to take the cartel back sinceWorld War II has ended, but Mundson refuses to transfer ownership. Suspicious of the Germans, the Argentine police assign agent Obregón to try to obtain information from Farrell, but he knows nothing about this aspect of Mundson's operations.
The Germans return to the casino during aCarnival celebration, and Mundson shoots and kills one of them. Farrell rushes to take Gilda to safety. Alone in Mundson's house, they have another confrontation and, after declaring their undying hatred for each other, passionately kiss. After hearing the front door slam, they realize that Mundson has overheard them, and a guilt-ridden Farrell pursues him to a waiting private airplane. The plane explodes in mid-air and plummets into the ocean. Mundson parachutes to safety, but Farrell, unaware of this, concludes that he is dead.
Gilda inherits Mundson's estate, and she and Farrell immediately marry. He cannot set aside his resentment and suspicion of her, however. Leaving her to live alone, he also has her followed day and night by his men to keep her from seeing anyone else. Gilda tries to escape the tortured marriage a number of times, but Farrell thwarts every attempt.
Obregón confiscates the casino from Farrell and informs him that Gilda was never truly unfaithful to Mundson or to him, prompting Farrell to try to reconcile with her as he prepares to return to the United States. At that moment, Mundson reappears, revealing his faked suicide. He tries to kill both Gilda and Farrell but casino worker Uncle Pío fatally stabs him in the back. When Obregón arrives, Johnny tries to take the blame for the murder, but Obregón points out that Mundson was already declared legally dead. Farrell gives Obregón incriminating documents from Mundson's safe. He and Gilda finally reconcile, agreeing to go home together.
Cast notes
Gilda was developed by producerVirginia Van Upp as a vehicle for Hayworth, who had mostly been known for her roles in musical comedies at that time.[10] The story was originally set to be an American gangster film directed byEdmund Goulding.[11] However, the location of the story was changed to Buenos Aires after objections from censorJoseph Breen and the replacement of Goulding withCharles Vidor.[11]
Gilda was filmed from September 4 to December 10, 1945.[10][11] During filming, Hayworth and Ford began an affair that would last until Hayworth was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease in the early 1980s.[12][13][14][15]
When first released, the film earned mixed to positive reviews.Variety liked the film and wrote, "Hayworth is photographed most beguilingly. The producers have created nothing subtle in the projection of her s.a. [sex appeal], and that's probably been wise. Glenn Ford is the vis-a-vis, in his first picture part in several years ...Gilda is obviously an expensive production—and shows it. The direction is static, but that's more the fault of the writers."[16] Reviewing the film forThe New York Times, Bosley Crowther gave the film a negative review, admitting he did not like or understand the movie, but praised Ford as having "a certain stamina and poise in the role of a tough young gambler."[17]
Gilda was screened in competition at the1946 Cannes Film Festival, the first time thefestival was held.[18] In its release, the film earnedtheatrical rentals of $3,750,000 in the United States and Canada,[19] and $6 million worldwide.[1]
In retrospect, the film has become critically acclaimed. Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes reported that 90% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 67 reviews.[20] More recently, film criticEmanuel Levy wrote a positive review: "Featuring Rita Hayworth in her best-known performance,Gilda, released just after the end of WWII, draws much of its peculiar power from its mixture of genres and the way its characters interact with each other ...Gilda was a cross between a hardcore noir adventure of the 1940s and the cycle of 'women's pictures.' Imbued with a modern perspective, the film is quite remarkable in the way it deals with sexual issues."[21] Mike D'Angelo ofThe A.V. Club said that "part of Gilda's fascination is the way that it complicates the idea of thefemme fatale. (...) Hayworth plays Gilda with a layer of bravado that masks deep insecurity"; however, he felt that the film's unusually happy ending for a noir compromised it.[22]
Attesting to its immediate success, it was widely reported thatan atomic bomb to be tested atBikini Atoll in theMarshall Islands would bear the film's title above an image of Hayworth, a reference to herbombshell status. The bomb was decorated with a photograph of Hayworth cut from the June 1946 issue ofEsquire magazine; above it was stenciled the device's nickname, "Gilda", in two-inch black letters.[23]
Although the gesture was meant as a compliment, Hayworth was deeply offended.[24] According toOrson Welles, her husband at the time of filmingGilda, Hayworth believed it to be a publicity stunt from Columbia executiveHarry Cohn and was furious. Welles told biographerBarbara Leaming: "Rita used to fly into terrible rages all the time, but the angriest was when she found out that they'd put her on the atom bomb. Rita almost went insane, she was so angry. ... She wanted to go to Washington to hold a press conference, but Harry Cohn wouldn't let her because it would be unpatriotic." Welles tried to persuade Hayworth that the whole business was not a publicity stunt on Cohn's part, that it was simply homage to her from the flight crew.[25]: 129–130
The two-piece costume worn by Hayworth in the "Amado Mio" nightclub sequence was offered as part of the "TCM Presents ... There's No Place Like Hollywood" auction November 24, 2014, atBonhams in New York.[26] It was estimated that the costume would fetch between $40,000 and $60,000; at the event, it sold for $161,000 (equivalent to $214,000 in 2024).[27]
In January 2016The Criterion Collection released DVD andBlu-ray Disc versions ofGilda, featuring a new 2K digital film restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray version.[28]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(January 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Hayworth later came to resent the film and its effect on her image. Hayworth once said with some bitterness, "Men go to bed with Gilda, but wake up with me".[25]: 122 This quote was referenced by Anna Scott, the fictional actress played byJulia Roberts in the filmNotting Hill.
Hayworth's performance as Gilda lent itself to theStephen King novellaRita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption in the form of a poster hanging on the wall of prisoner Andy Dufresne, who used it to cover the hole in the wall he used to escape. In the novella'sfilm adaption, the film is shown to the prisoners for movie night. The film has also been watched by characters inHero,Girl, Interrupted, andThe Thirteenth Floor, as well as episodes ofJoan of Arcadia,The Blacklist, andThe Penguin.
In the 2001 filmMulholland Drive, the amnesiac protagonist played byLaura Harring proclaims her name as 'Rita' after seeing aGilda poster on the wall.
An excerpt of the film where Hayworth sings “Put the Blame on Mame” was planned to be used inMichael Jackson’s 2009This Is It concert residency at theO2 Arena in London as part of theSmooth Criminal visuals, in addition to a chase scene. Jackson was digitally inserted into the film using green screen and computer effects.
The film has been shown onTurner Classic Movies at the request of guest hosts several times. In 2015, actressDiahann Carroll chose the film and expressed admiration for Hayworth and her performance in the film.[29] Guest hostsJoan Collins andDebra Winger have also chosen and discussed the film.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
