Hot Blood

It seems a film made for actors , the story remaining a pretext for songs, dance, fight and for a fake exploration of Gipsies life style. But , after decades, knowing the admirable titles from Nicholas Ray filmography, admiring Jane Russell and Cornelius Wilde careers, it is easy to be more than indulgent, especially if you do not ignore the nostalgia about old movies. So, in large perspective, decent.

There is a lot of talent here, but it doesn't show. Perhaps the biggest problem is the Hollywood treatment of gypsies which is so ludicrous this might be mistaken for a satire. Don't waste your time,

Unbelievable that director Nicholas Ray is attached to this turkey. Even Russell and Wilde look embarrassed. The technicolor is vibrant, but the whole enterprise looks cheap.

Marco Torino is the King of the gypsies. He keeps telling his people that he's taking them to the Promised Land. He's dying and wants his younger brother Stephano Torino (Cornel Wilde) to succeed him. The families try to trick Stephano to marry Annie Caldash (Jane Russell), but the couple has other ideas.

The two leads can be hot blooded. I guess they could play gypsies especially in the 50's. It's all rather fake. They flooded the screen with Technicolor red. It is a muddle. I don't care that much about these people although I do like the general party atmosphere. It's really about the leads and how little I care about them.

The problem with the film is that it is a mess. Some excellent preparations have been made to effect some drama--Luther Adler, one of the giants in method acting, has been hired as the brother of the local hothead, played by Cornel Wilde, who, during the early moments of the film, is swindled into latching up with Jane Russell--no doubt remembering the ads for her in The Outlaw--"How would you like to tussle with Russell?" For reasons largely inexplicable, Cornell would rather pout than pounce, and even through there are some ravishing colors splashed across the screen, and some attempt at capturing ersatz Gypsy life, the plot is a muddle and most importantly, there seems to be no sizzle at all between the leads. If you recall Russell with Robert Mitchum in Macao--well, that's sizzle.

This one's a cold poker in the ice bucket; it's as if the director left the building, and the actors, cast adrift in bangles and beads, attempts vainly to inject some life into a haphazard script.