La donna venduta

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.

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.

Jane Russell in one they NEVER show.... Hot Blood. Russell is Annie Caldash, who tricks Stephano ( Cornell Wilde) into marriage. things are NOT off to a good start. some pretty offensive stuff going on, by todays' standards. and keep an eye out for Richard Deacon, who may or may not hire Stephano. Deacon was "Mel" in the Dick van Dyke show. Some scenes just go on way too long. The "whip scene" goes on and on. and the tap dancing on the sidewalk (really!) goes on too long. Steve leaves. but will he come back? family interactions. respect for the family and parents. trickery. arranged marriages. Directed by Nicholas Ray, who had made some incredible films! Ray was nominated for "Rebel", but didn't win. Russell only made 33 films, but this wasn't her best film. i recommend Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which she had made a couple years before.

What should have been an interesting film had they played it more dramatically turns into an also ran in Hot Blood. Some how it just doesn't quite gel on the screen. Neither do Cornel Wilde and Jane Russell gel either.

The real star here is Luther Adler who is Wilde's older brother and King of the local gypsy tribe in Los Angeles. But undisclosed health reasons are forcing an abdication on the king. He wants very much to move his younger brother Cornel Wilde into the throne.

But Wilde isn't having any, he's having too much of a good time as a part time dance instructor and full time hell-raiser. What Adler decides is he needs a good woman.

Enter Jane Russell who Wilde buys as a gypsy bride from her father Joseph Calleia. Would you believe that someone would have to be tricked into marrying Jane Russell? Sad, but true and Wilde is the unlucky patsy who's the mark in one of the great gypsy con games.

I think Nicholas Ray might have succeeded with this film had it been treated more dramatically. A few numbers for Jane Russell never hurt in films like His Kind Of Woman, but there was too much emphasis here. And doubles were obviously used in the dancing for Wilde and Russell.

This had the potential to be a lot better, but fans of the two stars will enjoy. And Luther Adler is just great in his part.

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.