Double filature

A gangster (Alan Dexter) sends Eddie (Tony Curtis) to bring back another gangster's widow (Joanne Dru) as she knows too much information about Dexter's activities. Curtis traces her to Macao but he is also being followed by someone else (Marvin Miller), on the instructions of Dexter, to ensure that he sticks to the plan and doesn't double-cross Dexter. Curtis and Dru were once in love and the thinking is that Curtis can lure her back to the US. On his way to the Lisbon Club, Curtis saves the life of the owner (Lyle Bettger) who then invites him back to his house and gives him a job at his club.....guess who his fiancée is?.....

Bettger puts Curtis and Dru in awkward situations to see if they still love each other, and eventually, the chemistry between Curtis and Dru is re-ignited. From then on, the film becomes a question of how they will get together and escape Bettger and Miller. There are betrayals and misunderstandings before Curtis and Dru make a run for it.......

The pianist at the club (Victor Sen Yung) seems to have been put into a role to provide painfully wooden Chinese wisdom (coz thats what Chinese people do!). Apart from him, the acting is good and the film is enjoyable.

I saw this film when it first came out and thoroughly enjoyed it. The cast were great, right down to the beautiful white Jaguar XK120. Surely it should be possible to see most of the old films rather than endless repeats of the limited few, many of which are hardly deserving of the privilege. One way or another I have managed to see many old favourites but this one still eludes me. Macao, made the year before is available on video - so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Tony Curtis goes to Macao. He's after ex-lover Joanne Dru, now a gangster's widow with some information damaging to the current head of the Philadelphia rackets in a safety deposit box. Curtis is being paid by the racketeers to bring her back to the US. When Curtis saves Lyle Bettger from a gun man, Bettger hires him to help out at his gambling place... and then finds out that Miss Dru is the fiancee of Lyle Bettger.

It's a pretty good role for Curtis, but pretty standard stuff for the other two leads. On the other hand, there's a nice role for Victor Sen Yung as the gambling hall's piano player; he seems unusually well connected as the depths of Bettger's actual business is detailed. William Daniel's camerawork is largely standard until the big finish -- although that may be because he established the standard 'MGM gloss' look in the 1920s. Even so, he had a lot to contend with. Director Rudolph Maté had been nominated for five cinematography Oscars himself.

In 1946, one of the most stylish films of the age came out, "Gilda". It was a story about a rich but rich and ruthless man with a gorgeous girlfriend and the sexual tension generated between her and the tough guy's new, younger partner. And, in "Gilda" you wondered why the rich ruthless guy would bring the pair together. Well, here in "Forbidden" you have the same basic plot with a few differences...only a few. You have the rich, ruthless guy (here it's Lyle Bettger...who even looks and talks a bit like George Macready) once again gets his gorgeous girlfriend (Juanne Dru) together with a young guy (Tony Curtis) and you wonder why...why would he do this when he knows that the pair used to be a number?!

In the case of "Forbidden" there is another agenda. Eddie (Curtis) is working for the government and he's trying to get Christine (Dru) to come back to the States because she knows enough about Keit (Bettger) to put him in prison. And, all the while Keit keeps the pair together...like a cat toying with a couple mice!

It's all quite good and Dru was never prettier. The music is lovely and the film quite good. I just didn't score it higher because it was just a bit too similar to "Gilda".

Tony Curtis stars in "Forbidden" from 1953, also starring Joanne Dru and Lyle Bettger, directed by Rudy Mate.

Tony is Eddie Darrow, who has been hired by a mobster to find Christine Lawrence (Dru). Christine is one of those people who knows a little too much about Barney's business, since she is the widow of one of his associates. Barney wants her found and brought home.

In Macao, Eddie soon meets Justin Keet (Lyle Bettger), a powerful casino owner engaged to Christine. Christine was once Eddie's girlfriend, so he finds the situation awkward to say the least. Eddie has to get her away from Justin and as far away from both Justin -- and Barney -- as possible.

Pretty good, with nice performances by Curtis, Dru, Bettger, and Victor Sen Yung. Amazing fight scene toward the end.

I used to work for Tony - love seeing his films.