Montecarlo

Why on earth Marlene Dietrich got involved in this nonsense is beyond me. She must have been short of cash to have even considered appearing in this load of tosh.

The plot, such as it is, is thin involving a group of 'society gamblers' in Monte Carlo. Marlene wears some great clothes and generally glitters in contrast to de Sica who appears as dim as a Toc H lamp!

The one bright spot in this whole sorry saga is Marlene's rendition of "Back Home Again In Indiana" Not that she had any connection with the state, I bet Marlene wished she was back in Indiana!

This, along with her appearance in the 1944 version of "Kismit" just has to be Dietrich's darkest hour (or two) !

A continental dream team of Marlene Dietrich and Vittorio DeSica team up for Montecarlo a place that was big news in 1957 because of a wedding that took place there. It was a natural that someone would have done some kind of Monaco based story because of the wedding of their reigning Prince Rainer to American film star Grace Kelly.

There was however little chemistry between Dietrich and DeSica. I think both of them did the film because of the opportunity to spend time on the Riviera. That's as good a reason as any I've ever heard.

The two stars are a pair of fortune hunters. Both have lost heavily at the gaming tables and each spies the other as a possible mark. When the horrible truth sinks in that they've only combined their debts they decide to team up and get richer respective partners. They decide on a father and daughter duo of millionaires.

Highlight of the film is Marlene Dietrich trying to seduce her mark Arthur O'Connell with a vamp version of Back Home In Indiana. Bet you never thought of that as a torch song. But when Marlene does it in her inimitable style it has possibilities.

But what I can't figure out is why DeSica was given 18 year old Natalie Trundy to go after. I mean the writers couldn't have had him trying to work O'Connell's sister instead of a daughter? He really comes across as a dirty old man. It's the main weakness of the film.

Among the supporting players is Italian comedian Renato Rascel who would co-star with Mario Lanza in The Seven Hills Of Rome the following year. He plays a pawnbroker who wants his tickets redeemed or Marlene's jewelry. Seems as though she had an agreement with Rascel's brother to allow her to wear the jewels for the casinos. Rascel wants an end to that practice and he and Dietrich have some great scenes together.

The wide screen color cinematography of Monaco and the Riviera are absolutely breathtaking. I'm glad color was used for this beautiful spot on the planet.

According to a recent biography of Marlene Dietrich, Vittorio DeSica had two great passions, pursuit of young girls in real life like Natalie Trundy and the gaming tables. He was a candidate for Gamblers Anonymous, DeSica when he won financed his films that way. Many a day's shoot was held up because of DeSica's late night hobbies.

Still Dietrich's legion of fans world wide will like the film and enjoy a glimpse of Montecarlo at the beginning of the Princess Grace story.

granted, this whole movie was a low point for Marlene and for Vittorio daSica as well. There is one great line in it, however: when asked by confidence man daSica why she never wears any jewelry (which she has hocked to pay for her stay in Monte Carlo) La Dietrich purrs, "Should I?" to which daDica responds, "Most women do." Dietrich points out, "Most women NEED to." Touche' -- The other high point for me in this mess is when Dietrich sings "Back Home Again in Indiana" -- as unlikely a possibility as there ever could be!

Act One: Marlene Dietrich and Vittorio De Sica have lost their sizable fortunes and more in the Casino. Now they are adventurers, putting up a front and looking for a rich spouse. They find each other, fall in love, and discover they are both broke.

Act Two: Retired American rich man Arthur O'Connell and daughter Natalie Trundy sail into the harbor on their new-bought three-masted ship. They set their caps at Miss Dietrich and De Sica.

Writer-director Samuel Taylor has written himself a problem play: how to make these four unlikable types appealing to the audience. The Europeans are selfish and lazy. The Americans are brash and boorish. What saves all of them in the audience's eye is their ultimate honesty and Giusepppi Rotunno's dazzling views of the harbor.. But it's a close thing. With Jane Rose, Mischa Auer, and Carlo Rizzo.

The whole film lacks sparkle and pace. Dietrich and De Sica look elegantly frozen in time as they mouth a dialogue stuffed full of half-baked innuendos. There is absolutely no chemistry between them at all. Dietrich looks as though she had been on a starvation diet and wiggles her way across the screen in some extremely tight dresses without the slightest hint of sex appeal. Even when the film was made it must have seemed old-fashioned. Now it looks as though dinosaurs still roamed the land. Just about watchable for the locations and as a curiosity for Dietrich fans. Technically, the film is interesting as being one of the first to use the Technirama process, which rivalled Cinemascope but used a larger frame size, so the picture is much clearer. Whether this benefited the actors is debatable but the scenery is pretty good. The whole film is available on YouTube but of course the quality is nothing like the original.