Meurtre sur la Riviera

Ginger Rogers stars in this portmanteau of romance and thriller, which is called "Beautiful Stranger" on the title. Eddie Byrne is his usual disreputable self - "I stole it, I'm innocent".

Rogers is the girlfriend of an apparently reputable millionaire living on a continental island when she meets a young potter at a bijou beatnik house on the coast.

Bizarrely, her Rolls Royce keeps changing colour from white to silver, even during car chases. I'm not sure if this is a filming fault, because of film processing, or a mistake made in digitisation.

Eddie creeps around a house and the potter looks outside but doesn't see his Citroen (the same one as used by the police) parked clearly in front of the house. The same white telephone is used throughout the house and office.

This is worth watching for the fine, understated performances by Stanley Baker and Herbert Lom, each of whom exudes menace: a coiled snake and a desperate weakling respectively. The story strains credibility to achieve its effects and keep the plot moving, notwithstanding its reliance on the familiar trappings of melodrama - e.g., greed, betrayal, characters who are not what they seem to be. For a "kept woman," Ginger Rogers displays remarkable innocence. And is it actually possible to open the combination lock on a wall safe by merely turning the dial slowly and listening for clicks? The picture is minor-league Hitchcock (without Hitchcock), and it shows.

Lively and Lovely to Look at Movie that moves rapidly here and there with Everyone trying to figure out Who is Who and What is What and is breathless to say the least. The Cast, including the Dramatization of Ginger Rogers Career is OK if nothing remarkable. It is the Action and the Intrigue that Star here.

Some on location Photography and Criminal behavior Spice things up beyond the rather Bland Romance Angles. There are extended Fight Scenes, Misidentifications, Smuggling, Thievery, and Murder, Adultery, Betrayal, and after all, a Deathbed confession that thankfully, and predictably clears things up.

There is enough here to recommend because once things get going it is all in Perpetual Motion that makes for a Fun Film Experience, although it fails to be sharp enough for it to rise above expectations, but it does manage to deliver just that.

This is problematic from the start. Stanley Baker seems okay but while he enthuses over his young love we are only too aware that poor Ginger Rogers is a little old for her role. Another problem arises almost immediately when we realise just how flat and uninteresting this is going to be. Baker looses it as he has to become more two faced and Rogers doesn't stand a chance as she has to take on another lover. Only Herbert Lom stands a chance of saving the day and as things hot up towards the end it seems as if he might but then the story unravels and we don't care about anything at all.

By the 1950s, Ginger Rogers had proved several times over that she was an excellent dramatic actress. Why she chose this project is beyond me. Was it to showcase her new actor husband? Ginger looks wonderful. Her clothes are stylish. The sets are lavish. The locales are beautiful (even in black and white). The script and plot seen to be an afterthought.

If seeing Ginger and her two handsome leading men is enough for you, this is worth viewing. Don't expect to be otherwise entertained.