L'aventure commence à Bombay

This picture is likely to make the viewer yearn to know what went on behind the scenes during its making. The impression one gets is that about halfway through the filming (or writing of the scenario, or both) someone decided that what they had so far wasn't working, but that there was already too much invested to discard it. So from a conventional international jewel thieves romance/suspense/comedy (better than some of its type, not as good as others), the film shifts gears abruptly and becomes a wartime adventure, with our hero and heroine trapped by the battles raging around them. Having once put in some time in the military (before being asked to leave), the Gable character needs do nothing more than don a tailor-made uniform to pass as an authentic member of the corps, his presence unquestioned by any of his colleagues, his authority unchallenged by anyone to whom he issues orders. Needless to say, he becomes a war hero, awarded the highest honors despite there presumably being no record of his existence.

Wait a minute.....weren't we talking about jewel thieves? Yes, and so was the picture, no more than fifteen minutes earlier.

Don't despair - before the final credits, the two stories are reconciled about as clumsily as the rest of the picture is put together.

Could it be that this 1941 product was deemed too lightweight and frivolous for an audience whose nation was being drawn into a world war, and that the studio bosses decided to make it more contemporary? If so, they should have taken their losses on what was already written and/or filmed, because the incongruous story they released is an embarrassment.

This film is rather formulaic. Clark plays an international con man thief who falls in love with a female version of himself (Ms. Russell). While this certainly doesn't break any new ground and is a very predictable by-the-numbers MGM production, you are still left with a movie that is great fun but won't change your life. I, for one, love films like this. That's because I like the formula--as did the rest of America at the time. That's because despite its short-comings the film was dripping with quality. Both actors are at the top of their game, the writing and dialog is snappy fun and the direction is on target. All-in-all, a lot of fun and sure to please fans of this genre.

One of those Hollywood booboos - one of many - that passed their scrutinization with their typical blind eye. Both eyes, in fact., wide open but unseeing. What started off as mildly amusing, turned, post haste, into a mish-mash of morass. To begin with, Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell are jewel thieves, independent of one another in their thievery, outwitting one another in the heist of a priceless necklace owned by the grande dame, Jessie Ralph, who plays drunk well. No surprise here, they hook up by hook and crook, and continue thieving, often taking from regular old small business owners, which was not funny at all. Peter Lorre, somehow or other, shows up as another character of bad character, his specialty. No big surprise, duplicitous character, in this case, a cargo ship captain who is anxious to betray his new passengers and attain the stolen goods for a handsome reward. Eventually, and for the final too many minutes, Gable is suddenly in the military, receiving honors as a hero. Russell underplaying for a change, proves she did not have to indulge in ham when she wanted to. Gable, all smirk and grin and raised eyebrow and innuendo, is Gable. Better to get on a slow boat to China then join this crew of miscreants.

Gerald Meldrick (Clark Gable) is a wanted jewel thief. He arrives in Bombay to steal the Star of Asia from the Duchess of Beltravers. Unbeknownst to him, con woman Anya Von Duren (Rosalind Russell) has the same idea. The two thieves quickly figure each other out. They compete and end up together. After both stealing the gem at different times, they escape the authorities on board Captain Chang (Peter Lorre)'s ship to Hong Kong. They arrive with war looming over the horizon.

The first half is a fun little screw-ball caper. I like both Gable and Russell having fun with the characters and each other. It's loads of fun in a light affair. The movie eventually turns into war movie and it's not always the best. Gable and Russell get separated in a large middle section. Gable's con is a bit fun until the war breaks out. The action, the vehicles, and the gears are not the most realistic. It's also wartime in the real world and a bit of war propaganda is to be expected. This is a good pairing and one can excuse any flaws for the greater cause. The mix of a real war and light comedy is just a bit awkward.

'They Met in Bombay' had a lot going for it. Having Clark Gable, Rosalind Russell and Peter Lorre in the same film, a really conceptually interesting story and a talented director being the primary ones, plus MGM were responsible for many classics of all genres (especially musicals) that are too numerous to list.

On the most part, 'They Met in Bombay' doesn't disappoint. Not quite one of those completely living up to high expectations and exceeding them, but it nearly does and in no way a waste of potential. 'They Met in Bombay' is not necessarily great. It is uneven and disjointed for reasons that will be explained later and actually have been covered already in previous reviews. 'They Met in Bombay' having said that is also very entertaining, would classify it as a good film that is hard to dislike and with nothing to be offended by.

Good things are a great many. Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell are terrific in the lead roles, particularly Gable. Lots of charm and with great comic timing, their chemistry sparkles. Peter Lorre, Reginald Owen, Matthew Boulton and Jessie Ralph give nice support, Lorre and Boulton coming off most memorably.

Production values are lovely to look at, particularly the crisp photography. The score is suitably peppy and the direction sees someone with a lot of talent doing a more than solid job. 'They Met in Bombay' goes at a snappy pace, the script is funny, witty and surprisingly sophisticated and the story for the near-perfect first two thirds is immensely engaging with plenty of well done scenes (including a hilarious scene in a beauty parlour).

It is a shame that the last third is not as good. The pace slackens, the wit and sophistication disappears and the patriotic element that is introduced feels heavy-handed and almost tacky, it just felt very misplaced. With the more action-heavy and political edge 'They Met in Bombay' did feel like a completely different film, and one that wasn't near as interesting or entertaining as the first two thirds (which only had the predictability to fault it).

Also thought that Gerald's character went through a character change to a more heroic personality trait that also jarred, almost like there were two different Geralds.

Concluding, a good and entertaining film let down by a disappointing final third that was enough to bring the film's quality quite a bit. 7/10 Bethany Cox