Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Undercurrent, 1946, Vincente Minnelli
There is a rich tradition of movies from the 40's and 50's about husbands who marry heiresses only to stalk, harass, and plot their deaths. Usually the husband is a broke cad-about-town who needs his wife's fortune e.g. "Dial M for Murder" or "Suspicion." Or the wife finds out a guilty secret from her husband's past e.g. "Gaslight" or "Julie." Undercurrent, starring Kate Hepburn in her only film noir and directed by a man made famous for his movie musicals, is awkward at best. Hepburn's bumpkin character Ann marries the charming, famous inventor Alan Garroway. As they begin to set up house in glamorous Washington DC society, she starts to suspect him of murder.
But Minnelli is no Hitchcock, and Hepburn's strength as an actress is certainly not to play the naive, wide-eyed bride. She is much too quick-witted an actress for that and it's totally unbelievable. This film is saved in part by its three scenes with Robert Mitchum, who plays Hepburn's mysterious brother-in-law. Best Kate Line: "He's here .. He's here and he's hiding. But he doesn't dare show his face."
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