Cae el telón

Higher production values and A list actors results in both an improvement and degradation of this so-called noir. So many great noir films possess the similar elements. But with the big budget and ambitious productions here, the tension, darkness and grit give way in this film to light, romance and big stage productions. Sure there are things to like in this movie, but let's be honest and not call it noir. Just because there is a murder, it gets lost in dream sequences which quickly abandon the crime in service of the backstory. The investigation into the murder - which often brings the real tension to noir - doesn't get started until 45 minutes into the film - thank goodness for Sydney Greenstreet. Serviceable mystery, yes. Film noir, nope.

As always, Rosalind Russell gives a superb performance in "The Velvet Touch." She gets a lot of great support from veteran pro Claire Trevor, who is on to her as well as Leo Genn and Leon Ames.

As Valerie Stanton, an ambitious actress who knows her craft quite well, Russell etched a memorable portrait of a woman bent on self-destruction. She knows that she can switch from comedy to drama and she will do anything to prove the point. Of course, killing Ames is by accident, but it happened and she did cover it up.

Genn loves her as tragically reveals that he knows what she has done.

Sidney Greenstreet plays the police inspector with that Peter Falk-like Columbo attitude. He is polite but yet knows that something is amiss with Valerie.

Leave it to Roz Russell to play that ending scene while waiting in the wings is Greenstreet. He is ready to escort her to a new destination. Yet, he allows her to take her final bows. Bravo!

This is a highly entertaining film with a great cast. Its major flaw is that Rosalind Russell was not willing to go full out villian. It was made by her production company and I assume she had her character dilluted.

It is still a fun watch.

When this film begins, Valerie Stanton (Rosalind Russell) is in the office of Gordon Dunning (Leon Ames). Dunning is insisting that he MUST have her or he will destroy her. Dunning is VERY intense and vaguely threatening. Stanton is obviously afraid of him and ends up accidentally killing him in self-defense. However, she does NOT tell the police but tries to see if she can get away with it.

Since there is no doubt that Valerie did it, you might wonder how they fill the rest of the movie. After all, the killing happens in just the first few minutes of the film. Well, part of the film consists of Valerie having a flashback where she thinks about all the things that led up to the killing. The rest consists of the police investigation headed by the Captain (Sidney Greenstreet). However, where it all goes is not what I would have expected--and I appreciate that. In particular, since Valerie was doing the play "Hedda Gabler", I assumed the film would end the same as the play.

The film has a very nice script, as it explores human nature and has plenty of twists and turns. Additionally, the acting and direction are quite intelligently done--making it a nice movie for adult tastes. Of the actors, by the way, my favorite was Greenstreet, as he plays against type and his performance is smooth and believable. Overall, a very nice film.

The murder mystery genre is carried out here well by some capable, veteran Hollywood regulars. While this was not Rosalind Russell's high point (that occurred in the film "Auntie Mame" ten years after this one was made), she does acquit herself well as the diva restless to go her own way and thus finds herself in a trap of her own making. The police detective captain played by Sydney Greenstreet is right up there with his unforgettable presence in the "Maltese Falcon" but here he parries the dialog with oiled charm in contrast to La Russel's soigne bearing of hateur a la the 'grande dame' actress she portrays. While the cast is uniformly good, and the story told in an unconventional way, it is not these things that stand out for me, since such a setting of a murder in a theatre was done before in such as the "G-string Murders" and others.

What does stand out for this film, however, is the background of a truly sumptuous theatre that you would swear was the real thing. Since I write about the draperies and passementeries used in theatres (as a member of the Theatre Historical Society of America), I was anxious to learn just where this monument with its gorgeous textiles was, and inquired of the American Film Institute through their web site. Their librarian graciously replied from their "AFI Catalog of Feature Films" that the theatre building was in fact a very elaborate set (said to be the largest and most elaborate to date)! They quote articles in the "Hollywood Reporter" of 1947 and '48 as their source of the details of this 1-1/2 million dollar film. The multi-swaged Grand Drapery and the stage's House Curtain with its 3-foot appliqued border above a 2-foot fringe is but an example of the gorgeous textiles they had created for presumably just this one use, along with all the elaborate decor and detailing. The attention to detail was so great that it is still hard to believe that one is not in a real building! Such work today would command many millions more dollars, but I guess that Hollywood could not arrange to get a suitable New York 'Broadway' theatre for rent for the filming at the right price and time, so they splurged on this set which is among several other good ones in the film. For those who appreciate movie settings as much as the story and acting, this one will please you.