Tanya l'aventurière

Yet further evidence that early forties Hollywood was awash with talent courtesy of Hitler. Can there ever have been a more succulent pair of rogues than Erich von Stroheim and Peter Lorre?

Even Vera Zorina seems to have been enjoying herself as the 'I' of the title. Of the concluding travesty of 'Swan Lake' the less said the better; but fortunately the final shot goes to Lorre.

A fun little adventure/noir effort that boasts a wonderful comedic double act from von Stroheim and Lorre as a pair of conniving crooks and con men. The main tale is about the beautiful Vera Zorina who starts out as an accomplice before going straight when she falls for the youthful Richard Greene. It's an involved little story, light and frothy, and certainly an amiable watch.

This film stars Vera Zorina and since she was once an accomplished ballerina, several dance numbers and an allusion to "Swan Lake" was inserted into the film. I'd love to make some humorous comment about a stunt dancer now claiming credit for all this, but Ms. Zorina was a world-famous dancer before she became an actress.

This film is set in a weird Europe--one where there is no war at all--even though it came out in 1940--during the German occupation of France, the Battle of Britain and Mussolini--none of which are even mentioned in the movie! Zorina, Erich von Stroheim and Peter Lorre (all three who had strong Germanic roots) are a team of swindlers who prowl the hot-spots of Europe ripping off unsuspecting members of the upper class. However, when Zorina meets sweet Richard Greene, she falls instantly in love and can't continue her wicked ways. She reforms and they soon marry--though she never tells him about her very sordid past. So, when her old 'comrades' show up some time later, she's afraid to say anything--though she knows von Stroheim and Lorre are up to no good.

This is a somewhat familiar theme for Hollywood. With films like "Lady Eve", "Jewel Robbery" and "Trouble in Paradise" (just to name a few), it's obvious the public had a great fascination with these 'lady or gentleman criminal' movies. Here, like these other films, there is some comedy and some romance--and the ending is rather predictable as it follows a familiar pattern. Compared to these other films, "I Was An Adventuress", it's about average--not as good as some and a bit better than others. I liked the actors--they were all pretty good choices. The script was decent---not outstanding or as sweet as "Trouble in Paradise" or "Lady Eve"--but still pretty good. Overall, it's worth watching and a nice time-passer.

Writing a review is easy, but rating it isn't that easy. One way to rate a movie is to freeze the brain, and look whether the movie is enjoyable or boring, or could be seen, with portions skipped / fast-forwarded.

On this scale this movie is above average (my 7*, may be another half). The pace is good, the story, though quite predictable, has some fresh episodes, for example towards the end, the heroine conning her mentor, or even afterwards, the one upmanship of the same mentor on the heroine to carry out the jewel heist. Of course there is another 'ethical' angle of the heroine. She, though the honey-bait, of the racket, but legally, she did all her transactions purely above board, and in quite an ingenious way. When she sold the false-antique, she declared openly and vociferously that it was not real, but the greedy buyer though otherwise. And in addition to good performance by the heroine, Vera Zorina, and her ballet in the end, there was brilliant comedy by Peter Lorre, the second side-kick, the first being Zorina, of the mastermind, the sinister Stroheim. With above average performance by these three, around which the story revolved, the others didn't matter much, and Richard Greene, the love interest, didn't have much role, than being the eye-candy of the piece, and he didn't hurt.

The second way to look at the movie and rate them is through critical analysis, forgetting the enjoyable-ness of it. On this, this movie would be quite below average. It has quite a bit of large loop-holes and gaffs . For example, the society page, declaring the return of the new couple, was in English, in a french news paper, that would have been OK, had it been a notice. But it was the society tit-bits, not the notice put by the family.

Similarly, the great mastermind being unaware of his protege marrying, and that too one of the top ten richest men of the continent, in addition any one would have guessed her chances, was a blot on his intelligence, and mine, if I didn't notice it. Similarly, the sudden discovery of the fact too was a bit far-fetched. Which he should have in the beginning itself, when he traced her in the ballet, after all, being the wife of the big-man, she would have been well known. A few days search, and some chance encounter, it would have been alright, but then he would have missed the chance of heist, which was necessary to close the movie.

On this scale, naturally the movie, balancing for the plus (the intelligent heist plans, which are actually brilliant, and not fault-able) and the minus (the loopholes), probably it would fall in the 6* or a bit less category.

Close the logical portion of the brain, and enjoy, it is enjoyable. .

Vera Zorina was a professional dancer, practically born with her ballet shoes on, and she made a double career as both dancer and film star. Here she is teamed with a pair of matchless scoundrels, Erich von Stroheim and Peter Lorre, in the burglary and swindle business, making an art of their cheating, until she meets Richard Greene who sees her through but nevertheless falls in love with her. She is of the same kith as Carole Lombard, irresistible charming and beautiful and artful at the same time, and even if Richard Greene is totally honest and impossible to cheat, you must understand his falling under her spell irrevocably. The story is a great comedy with many farces and hilarious turns with many people involved, the comedians tending to constantly increase in numbers and attention, and there are some great ballet sequences as well. Concerning the finale of "Swan Lake", that is ballet that always is given a different end every time it is performed, and it would be nice to sometime learn how the story actually goes. Tchaikovsky's music is used of course, I don't think any great composer's music has been made more use of in films, which adds to the gilded performance. It's not a great film but a great comedy, on par with Ernst Lubitsch's best, and it is impossible not to enjoy it thoroughly.