Femme Fatales Collection [DVD] [2009] [US Import]

A Very Viewable Collection, 7 Oct 2010

By 

J. R. WINROW (Oxfordshire, UK) –

  

Apart from “Algiers”, I hadn’t seen any of the movies in this collection before, and really bought it for Ava Gardner in “WHISTLE STOP”, which is the film she made immediately before the one that really brought her to public attention, “The Killers”. The 23-year old Ava, already with more than 20 film parts to her credit, is an assured actress, and gorgeously seductive in the role of Mary in this crime drama which, although not particularly well written, is definitely worth watching, and the musical score by Dimitri Tiomkin catches the ear too.
Next comes “ALGIERS”, with Charles Boyer in the role of master criminal Pepe le Moko (for which he was nominated for an Academy Award) and Hedy Lamarr as Gaby, an alluring socialite with whom he falls in love, with unhappy consequences. An absorbing and atmospherically lit and photographed movie well worth repeated viewing.
“DISHONOURED LADY” features Hedy Lamarr again, this time as a glamourous fashion editor on the edge of a breakdown, who tries to start a new life after falling foul of a wealthy advertiser, but is implicated in murder. A pleasant-to-watch old style melodrama. Look out for Margaret Hamilton (The Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz”) as the landlady.
“THE STRANGE WOMAN” is another Hedy Lamarr movie. Set in 1820’s Maine, it tells the story of Jenny Hager, who in the full knowledge of her own desirability to men, uses this to move up in society from her impoverished and abused childhood with a complete lack of conscience. A rather gloomy drama, I thought, but well acted by the star.
A loving wife, convincingly played by Loretta Young, desperately tries to avoid being taken for the murderer of her husband, in “CAUSE FOR ALARM”, an exciting thriller on a small scale.
And finally, “THE NAKED KISS”. Written and directed by Samuel Fuller, one of the most individualistic of film-makers, this is a little gem. Constance Towers (not credited on the front of the box, where she fully deserves to be) gives an excellent performance as a prostitute who tries to start a new life, but is almost overwhelmed by circumstance, and eventually accused of murder. To say more would be to spoil the story. Watch it!
The print quality is variable, the poorest being “Whistle Stop” which has one or two repairs which result in breaks in continuity, but at this price, who’s complaining!

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