L'homme que j'ai choisi

John Carroll has spent all his inherited money and lives on what his brother, Robert Paige gives him. He's a good egg, and when Carroll fell ill, Paige hired nurse Vera Ralston for him. They fell in love and were going to be married, until she changed her mind and married Paige. Now here's Broderick Crawford, blackmailing Carroll lest he Tell All.

Under director John Auer, this one hits almost all the Film Noir tags: movie told mostly in flashback, femme fatale -- although Mrs. Herbert Yates, as she was known when the credits weren't rolling, is one of those inadvertent types who changes her mind more or less honestly, perhaps -- quirky angles, dark lighting...... except no Venetian blinds, for some reason. It's also well acted, except for Mrs. Yates, who is typically wooden and whining in her performance. Republic was quite capable of footing the bill on a pretty good movie, and did so, except for the female lead. Her husband wanted to make her a star, despite a lack of interest in anyone not on his payroll. THe result is pretty good anyway.

The Flame is an interesting test of the theory that in cinematic art, style matters more than story. If it does, The Flame should be a near masterpiece. Graced with a generous budget despite its Poverty Row origins, the movie offers complex camera moves (starting with its impressive opening shot), elegant lighting, slick art design, and first-rate cinematography. So it's a winner, right?

Meh, not so much. All that eye candy can't make up for a slow-paced, listless, overly familiar story, which generates no dramatic tension and little emotion of any kind, other than a quasi-religious sentimentality that seems weirdly out of place in a film of this genre.

The performances are okay, with Crawford the standout and the much-maligned Vera Ralston doing a capable job. But given the decent cast, high production value, and stylistic razzle-dazzle, The Flame should be a lot better than it is.

John H Auer was a major director at Republic Pictures and gave some good films, with the major star of the studio, John Carroll, who also served under Allan Dwann's direction. In this film noir, he is not brilliant but good enough to face Broderick Crawford, whom I did not expect in a Republic film. A classic story for a film noir, with a tepid Vera Ralston performance. Only the ending is very interesting, dark, gloomy and reminds me the end of LE DOULOS, from film maker Jean-Pierre Melville.

"The Flame" from 1947 is a B film starring John Carroll, Vera Ralston, Robert Paige, Broderick Crawford, and Victor Sen Yung.

In the beginning of the story, George McAllister (John Carroll) shoots someone. He goes home, calls the cops to report it, and then, while waiting to be arrested, reads a letter sent to him by Carlotta (Ralston).

The film dissolves into flashback. Carlotta is a nurse in the home of Barry McAllister (Paige). He apparently has some disease and not a tremendous amount of time to live. On this particular evening, Carlotta has some harsh words for Barry. However, the next day, he proposes, and she accepts.

Turns out the harsh words were to express her discontent with living there and force him into a proposal. Carlotta is actually in love with Barry's brother George. Since George is not in Barry's will, having Carlotta marry him is the way to get to his money.

Things - no surprise - don't go as planned. First of all, Carlotta begins to realize that all the stories George has told her about Barry aren't true, and that he does care about his brother.

Then, Broderick Crawford enters the scene and blackmails George.

Vera Ralston was Czech; here she's supposed to be French, though she has a Czech accent. Though limited as an actress, she is okay in this role. Victor Sen Yung has a small part, but he is effective. Carroll is a good bad guy, and Paige is a good nice guy.

Barry's big house lends some neat atmosphere.

One of Martin Scorsesse's Picks, while Combing the "Republic" Archives, Destined for Restoration, and Therefore Reconsideration.

The Film Impresses with Luscious Visuals, a Proven Stalwart Plot of Brother Against Brother (Cain & Able) and a Jump-Starting Broderick Crawford in Act II.

A Good Sleazy and Slimy Lead with John Carrol and a Spunky Slippery "Tramp-Singer" Constance Dowling Add the Dark-Side Duo to the Mix of Good v Evil Melodrama.

There's a Heavy-Handedness to some Religiosity like a Church-Beam of Light Announcing a Revelation and a Prayer Redemption Asked of the Cross.

Dirges on the Hammond from the "Diagnosed a Death Sentence" Good -Guy Accompanies the Doomed Situation of a Dying Man.

Soon to be Dead-Guy is the Victim of a Plot to Inherit His Millions by His Brother in Cahoots with His Lover to Collect the Dough.

His Lover is Played by Vera Ralston, Once Rumored to be the "Worst Actress in Hollywood", but She's Not All That, just Burdened with a Heavy Czech Accent.

The Movie is Better than Average of its Type with a Sumptuous Visual Palette and some Good, if Cliched Characters.

Note...Constance Dowling's night-club Rip-Off, complete with a black satin clinging dress, of Rita Hayworth in "Gilda" (1946) is a high-light.