The Lighthouse Cinema are showing old noir films. This 1946 drama set in Buenos Aires sees shifty US gambler Johnny Farrell become right-hand man to mysterious casino boss Ballin Mundson. But then Mundson returns from a business trip with his new wife in tow - the sensuous Gilda (played by Rita Hayworth), who is clearly no stranger to Johnny. In some ways this feels like an attempt to redo Casablanca, given the funny foreign location and much of the action taking place in the casino. It is not without its charms, but it definitely has problems. It is far too long for one thing, being nearly two hours when this kind of film should be far more snappy. And it has too much plot - aside from the obvious love-triangle stuff, there is this nonsense about how Mundson is somehow heading a global tungsten cartel with which he hopes to dominate the world. I think if that had been excised from the script and the fat generally cut from the plot this film would be one as good as the performances of its principals deserve.
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An inuit panda production
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