A Mulher Sem Nome

Hedy Lamarr is the Lady Without a Passport, stuck in Havana and looking to get to the USA by any means necessary. George Macready is willing to help for a hefty price. John Hodiak is an immigration cop who is undercover investigating Macready's activities. Both have taken an interest in Lamarr and who could blame them for that.

Hedy's career had been sliding downhill until her film just prior to A Lady Without a Passport. She had just come off Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah which was a comeback film for her.

So from a mammoth multimillion dollar Cecil B. DeMille film, Hedy went into this? Don't get me wrong, A Lady Without a Passport is a good low budget crime drama. But I would have thought Hedy must have gotten better offers after Samson and Delilah.

Anyway though it's worth a look. George Macready is always one of the most fascinating villains the screen has ever produced.

The title character of "A Lady Without Passport" is Marianne Lorress (Hedy Lamar), a Viennese ex-patriate who has waited years to immigrate to the U.S. where her father lives. She is stuck in Cuba due to American regulations and is down on her luck. There she meets Pete Karczag (John Hodiak), an INS agent who is trying to bust a smuggling ring.

An ex-pat in a way station, waiting to leave but held back by the authorities. Where have we heard that before? Yes, this is undoubtedly another of the films inspired by the success of "Casablanca" (1942). But it lacks the intensity or charm of the Bogart vehicle. The set for the hotel in this film looks like the set from "To Have and Have Not" (1944), another film about ex-pats trying to get away.

But let me focus on the positive aspects of the film. First, there is John Hodiak. The character he plays is clever and street smart--traits that Hodiak pulls off quite well. Secondly, there are the Havana location shots that add an authenticity and the little bit of charm that the film possesses. Lastly, the (B&W) photography shows some originality and adds to the mood of the narrative.

The music feels inappropriate at times, but first-rate at other times. Ms. Lamar falls short of being the woman who drives the story and who inspires a man to risk his life.

Before they went wide screen MGM, had a brief period of taking on likely action movie directors and pouring more money into their work than they or the audience were used to. Anthony Mann benefited with BORDER INCIDENT. John Sturges got THE PEOPLE AGAINST O'HARA and Joe Lewis scored this sweaty thriller, where the character people who enlivened his Columbia work can be seen milling round behind Metro's contract leads.

The director was demoted to B movies after this, rather unjustly, as it's not only probably his most ambitious outing but also a very efficient entertainment. Lewis' handling breaks through the Metro gloss occasionally - the facing profiles of the death struggle, McCready firing into the fog after Hodiak has tricked him.

The immigrant smuggling story adds surprising elements like the professionalism of the bad guys. "If he is killed he will be replaced - probably by a smarter man."

One of the best aspects is the film's picture of Cuba, with Hodiak squiring Hedy's double round the real city along with studio construction which runs to a functional tramway, art director interiors and back projection. The seedy, fading opulent hotel the leads share is particularly evocative.

While the process work occasionally shows, the model plane crash is a considerable set piece.

The glamour shots of Hedy reveal the studio input, not altogether to the film's advantage. She acts well enough and looks mature-appealing with the hints of having been around enough to accept McCready's protection.

Surprisingly sympathetic treatment of aliens "A little thing like an accent, a foreign name will set you apart" relates to the Dore Schary era multi culturalism of BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK or BORDER INCIDENT again.

Hedy wanted to go back to her old studio, MGM with some pride after her great success in Samson and Delilah. Mayer wanted her so badly, he first offered her the role of Poppea in Quo Vadis with her old co star Robert Taylor from Lady of the Tropics. Fortunately she refused that role. Then Mayer offered her this role when it was originally titled "Visa". She didn't think much of it either, but she was quite satisfied as bleeding Mr Mayer of $90000.00 for the role. He wanted to capitalize on her 'comeback' and he reluctantly agreed. Getting money out of him was like getting water out of a rock. It was quite a feat for Hedy. It was a very high price for an actress at that time. Today, even starlets get that amount. But it turned out to be a nice little film, mainly because of her beauty. Hodiak was not the ideal leading man. Mcready was his typical nasty self and very good.

By the time of "Lady Without a Passport," Hedy Lamarr had seen better days. Of course, having seen better days for Hedy Lamarr would be any other beautiful woman's ultimate moment. She was one of the great film beauties. She never was one of the great film actresses, however, although she's pretty good in this post-war film about immigrants trying to get into the U.S. illegally with the help of the always oily George Macready. Immigration operative John Hodiak is sent to Havana, where he poses as a Hungarian trying to get into the states. He falls in love with Lamarr along the way.

John Hodiak, who facially has always reminded me of Martin Landau, does a very good job. There is some magnificent Havana scenery to behold. For me the film bogs down in the protracted ending as everyone is tracing a plane, but picks up again in scenes filmed in the Florida everglades.

The movie is black and white and very atmospheric.