11/29/2010

That American twist.
I watched a classic old movie last night- No Orchids for Miss Blandish.  The 1948 British version.
It's a very bad movie in many ways, but it's good in others.  The good parts stem from the original novel, a crime story that was quite shocking in late 1930's Britain in its portrayal of murder, abduction, torture, and drug use.  There are some unforgettable characters in the story.
The bad parts come from what appear to be the attempts of the movie makers to clean it up to get it past the censors.  The socialite girl is no longer doped up and held against her will by the sociopathic gangster.  Instead, she falls for him.
This makes everything Hollywood perfect, and while they both die in the end, I suppose that's the price to be paid for love.
Still, it's fascinating to watch the hoops that the actress playing the socialite must leap through in her attempts to portray a woman who is simultaneously "brains and beauty", a pampered princess, and a woman in love with a cold, unfeeling murderer.  Could be a great role for someone, I guess.
Her character is much more believable as a doped-up victim.  But then it wouldn't have that American twist...

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