ma-cortes A mild-mannered, melancholic and essentially decent man(Erich Von Stroheim) working as vaudeville star becomes romantically involved in a destructive affair with a predatory woman( the femme fatal Mary Beth Hughes).He falls fatally in love with his scheming and heartless assistant who's unhappy married to a drunk(Dan Duryea). But she leaves him, engaging with another.This good production put all the force of the screen into a challenging drama of furious passions. It's a psychological , dark melodrama about pessimism, fatalism, duplicity and human passions.Love, hatred, killing revenge indeed figure strongly in this brightly seedy portraits. Wonderful performances all casting. Erich Von Stroheim makes an absolutely hypnotic acting as upright man subtly destroyed by a bad woman.The smouldering predatory Mary Beth Hughes as manipulating assistant who destroys them all around and Dan Duryea as alcoholic husband winning get another awesome acting. The well-designed atmosphere elaborately recreated in studios by cameraman James Brown is entirely convincing throughout. Stunning directing and compelling developed in agility by the great filmmaker Anthony Mann. He's an excellent expert in noir cinema(Strangers in the night, Raw deal, Tal target, T men, Railroad) and creator of Western masterpieces (Man from Laramie,Bend the river, Far country, Naked spur, Winchester 73). Rating: Better than average, well worth checking out.

dougdoepke Little Republic studio must have been a come-down for the great European impresario Erich von Stroheim. But he caught a tail wind in this minor production in the persons of an outstanding supporting cast and some fine visual moments from up-and-coming director Anthony Mann. The part is tailor made for the imperious von Stroheim. As Flamarion, a trick shot artist, he's all stiff-necked aloofness. That is until trollopy assistant Mary Beth Hughes decides to rid herself of dipso husband Dan Duryea. Then the heartless schemes fly fast and furious, resulting in a complex rectangle of passions -- so keep a score card handy.Though Stroheim certainly looks the part, he's really not a very good actor, especially when he goes all soft hearted. No, the film really belongs to the brassy, baby-faced Hughes, as she does a number on the men around her. No doubt about it, underneath that cheap, calculating exterior lies an even cheaper, more calculating interior. And when she and Duryea go into their tiger shark mode, the film reaches a blood-letting high. Too bad, Duryea plays drunken weakness most of the time, since their bouts of sarcasm show true championship form. Then too, adding real color in a bit part is Esther Howard as the boozy floozie dog lady, with a canine nose for sniffing out phonies. Stylish director Mann has yet to blossom, but shows early flair, especially in the shadowy backstage scenes. On the other hand, there's the program music. Whoever did the score must have gone to the Muzak School of Fine Arts, for where else would that kind of silliness play except in elevators. Also, the cheap park sets betray Republic's long established address along economy row. In fact, I almost expected a tree to fall over. No, this isn't a submerged gem unless you're a Mary Beth Hughes fan. But it does have its moments, and a chance to view one of glamor-obsessed Hollywood's biggest rarities-- a truly unattractive face in the lead role. Perhaps that's why the conventional finish manages a degree of pathos despite being a drop-dead certainty from the start.

dbborroughs Told in flashback story of a trick-shot artist who gets involved with his assistant who will do anything to get what she wants. Directed by Anthony Mann and produced by Billy Wilder this is a by the book melodrama of one woman destroying the lives of every man she comes in contact with. Far from a bad movie the movie suffers from the fact that we know the ending (Erich Von Stroheim is telling what happened as he lays dying). Even if we had seen this from the beginning we'd know it ends bad but we wouldn't be able to work out several of the twists that knowing the end imparts.If there is any real flaw beyond knowing how it ends, its the casting of Von Stroheim who seems too old and a bit too stiff for his man led astray. Still its the work of two cinema legends doing out what they do best and thats turning out a decent little film. Definitely worth a look if you're in the mood for a good film noir.

David (Handlinghandel) Or so the von Stroheim character begins his flashback narration.This movie has never quite worked for me. Anthony Mann was a superb director. Von Stroheim was too. And he was a fine actor in "Grand Illusion" and an interesting character actor in "Sunset Boulevard." Dan Duryea was good at playing heals. But he isn't one here, exactly. He drinks too much but we have an idea why.Mary Beth Hughes is persuasive as a cold-hearted gold-digger. But it never rings true. Stroheim is not sufficiently sympathetic. If his role had been played by Peter Lorre, the movie might have worked. As it is, everything is set up before we even begin to watch it.