Quand le rideau tombe

Don't miss this! The incomparable Roz, totally believable as a Broadway legend. What a delight to see her playing off the underrated, irreplaceable Claire Trevor. Clever mystery set in the environs of the theater with a real feel for atmosphere. It really seems like it was filmed on location on not on RKO soundstages. That is always one of the real treats of unappreciated the RKO product. Throw in a sly performance from Greenstreet. This one is a real gem!

Sydney Greenstreet and his loud, frequent guffaw (6 years after Maltese Falcon and Casablanca) plays Captain Danbury trying to track down a murderer, with a few twists and turns. Viewers will recognize Gordon Dunning, played by Leon Ames, who often had roles of authority, -- the sheriff, the DA, the commissioner, the captain on a ship. Rosalind Russell (10 years after playing Sylvia Fowler in "The Women") plays Valerie Stanton, a stage actress ( although Agnes Moorhead would also have been PERFECT for this role). Leo Genn, Claire Trevor (Key Largo, The High & Mighty), Frank McHugh, and Walter Kingsford also play very believable characters. Note also Theresa Harris, the dresser, who was also in "The Women" with RR. Good solid story from 1948, no obvious plot-holes.

When this film begins, Valerie Stanton (Rosalind Russell) is in the office of Gordon Dunning (Leon Ames). Dunning is insisting that he MUST have her or he will destroy her. Dunning is VERY intense and vaguely threatening. Stanton is obviously afraid of him and ends up accidentally killing him in self-defense. However, she does NOT tell the police but tries to see if she can get away with it.

Since there is no doubt that Valerie did it, you might wonder how they fill the rest of the movie. After all, the killing happens in just the first few minutes of the film. Well, part of the film consists of Valerie having a flashback where she thinks about all the things that led up to the killing. The rest consists of the police investigation headed by the Captain (Sidney Greenstreet). However, where it all goes is not what I would have expected--and I appreciate that. In particular, since Valerie was doing the play "Hedda Gabler", I assumed the film would end the same as the play.

The film has a very nice script, as it explores human nature and has plenty of twists and turns. Additionally, the acting and direction are quite intelligently done--making it a nice movie for adult tastes. Of the actors, by the way, my favorite was Greenstreet, as he plays against type and his performance is smooth and believable. Overall, a very nice film.

The murder mystery genre is carried out here well by some capable, veteran Hollywood regulars. While this was not Rosalind Russell's high point (that occurred in the film "Auntie Mame" ten years after this one was made), she does acquit herself well as the diva restless to go her own way and thus finds herself in a trap of her own making. The police detective captain played by Sydney Greenstreet is right up there with his unforgettable presence in the "Maltese Falcon" but here he parries the dialog with oiled charm in contrast to La Russel's soigne bearing of hateur a la the 'grande dame' actress she portrays. While the cast is uniformly good, and the story told in an unconventional way, it is not these things that stand out for me, since such a setting of a murder in a theatre was done before in such as the "G-string Murders" and others.

What does stand out for this film, however, is the background of a truly sumptuous theatre that you would swear was the real thing. Since I write about the draperies and passementeries used in theatres (as a member of the Theatre Historical Society of America), I was anxious to learn just where this monument with its gorgeous textiles was, and inquired of the American Film Institute through their web site. Their librarian graciously replied from their "AFI Catalog of Feature Films" that the theatre building was in fact a very elaborate set (said to be the largest and most elaborate to date)! They quote articles in the "Hollywood Reporter" of 1947 and '48 as their source of the details of this 1-1/2 million dollar film. The multi-swaged Grand Drapery and the stage's House Curtain with its 3-foot appliqued border above a 2-foot fringe is but an example of the gorgeous textiles they had created for presumably just this one use, along with all the elaborate decor and detailing. The attention to detail was so great that it is still hard to believe that one is not in a real building! Such work today would command many millions more dollars, but I guess that Hollywood could not arrange to get a suitable New York 'Broadway' theatre for rent for the filming at the right price and time, so they splurged on this set which is among several other good ones in the film. For those who appreciate movie settings as much as the story and acting, this one will please you.

THE VELVET TOUCH is a great witty drama about Valerie Stanton (Rosalind Russell), a Broadway actress living the high life who's wrought with guilt when she kills her lover/impresario Gordon (Leon Ames) after he threatened to end her career. We see the deadly confrontation at the beginning and thanks to some flashbacks we see how it all led to that moment and the rest of the film is spent on how Valerie deals with her guilt while the murder is being investigated. THE VELVET TOUCH is NOT a murder mystery because we see Valerie killing Gordon at the beginning. Sydney Greenstreet is the investigator involved in solving the crime. He's a big fan of Valerie and the story is about how privileged people living in a privileged world are treated somewhat differently in these circumstances than the average folk. Because it's not a standard murder mystery with the usual penchant for suspense, this story is much more complex and actually asks questions that standard mysteries or film noirs wouldn't ask, all with wit and intelligence. The McGuffin in THE VELVET TOUCH is Valerie's guilt: how can she live with herself? Will she ever tell that she's the killer? How will she tell? Who already knows she's the murderer and the fact that they don't care. Very interesting points rarely touched in films of those days or even today. The lack of focus on suspense is refreshingly original and sorta anti-Hitchcock.

The witty dialogue, certainly during the first hour, is some of the best writing I've ever heard in any film. It's positively brilliant and delivered to perfection by the stellar cast: Russell, Claire Trevor, Greenstreet and certainly Leo Genn all shine. Theresa Harris, as Valerie's dresser is also good in a supporting role. The ending is poignant without being sappy or melodramatic.

Aside from the script and the cast, there are two things that really standout in THE VELVET TOUCH: Rosalind Russell and the B&W cinematography. Rosalind looks amazing and underplays what could have been a role that could have easily fallen into melodramatic nonsense. Her confrontations with Claire Trevor are priceless. She's truly a star in this film and towers over so many other actresses of her time whom are more well-known than her.

And lastly, the black & white cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. The levels of black here are truly rich and well, velvety. It's a beautiful film to look at and makes me wish more B&W films were made today.

The only sour note in THE VELVET TOUCH is the theme song. It's all wrong. But that's just a minor point in an otherwise excellent production.