It's odd that I'd never heard of this film--I pride myself in my knowledge of movies from that era. Now, after seeing it, I really wonder why it's not among the more famous films of the later 1940s, as it's very slickly and intelligently written.
The DVD box advertises it as part of Twentieth Century Fox's "Film Noir" collection, and this is a tad deceiving. While it does have some elements of Noir, to me this isn't a noir film. Yes, there's some of the snappy and gritty Noir dialog, but only a bit. And while there is some crime in the film, it's not murder or robbery (the usual Noir themes), but fraud. But, I still think lovers of that genre will appreciate the film. What stands out most in my mind was the wonderful and well thought-out plot as well as the acting of Tyrone Power. The writers made this movie with a complex and engaging plot as well as a lot of terrific symbolism. Power, instead of his usual "nice guy" image, plays a despicable man--almost as rotten as the guy he played in the wonderful WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. Tyrone is a sociopathic con man who has no compunction about using those around him to get rich. Lying, stealing and conning are not usually the sort of behaviors I'd expect to see from the man--he did a much better job than I expected playing such a despicable rogue.
As far as describing the plot goes, it was rather reminiscent of Claude Rains' film THE CLAIRVOYANT as a starting point, but then morphs into a film highly reminiscent of ELMER GANTRY. A fine, fine film that I heartily recommend to all.
The DVD box advertises it as part of Twentieth Century Fox's "Film Noir" collection, and this is a tad deceiving. While it does have some elements of Noir, to me this isn't a noir film. Yes, there's some of the snappy and gritty Noir dialog, but only a bit. And while there is some crime in the film, it's not murder or robbery (the usual Noir themes), but fraud. But, I still think lovers of that genre will appreciate the film. What stands out most in my mind was the wonderful and well thought-out plot as well as the acting of Tyrone Power. The writers made this movie with a complex and engaging plot as well as a lot of terrific symbolism. Power, instead of his usual "nice guy" image, plays a despicable man--almost as rotten as the guy he played in the wonderful WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. Tyrone is a sociopathic con man who has no compunction about using those around him to get rich. Lying, stealing and conning are not usually the sort of behaviors I'd expect to see from the man--he did a much better job than I expected playing such a despicable rogue.
As far as describing the plot goes, it was rather reminiscent of Claude Rains' film THE CLAIRVOYANT as a starting point, but then morphs into a film highly reminiscent of ELMER GANTRY. A fine, fine film that I heartily recommend to all.