French directors have made several films based on James Hadley Chase's tales of greed and lust. I've seen "Retour de manivelle" and "Highway Pick-up". both excellent, but Verneuil's film trumps them both.
Betty Farmwell (Isa Miranda) is a very rich, rather imperious lady of a certain age living on the French Riviera. She falls in love with Philippe (Henri Vidal) a not very bright chancer who works for her bank. She makes all the running and soon marries him: as the French say, there is one who loves and one who is loved, and being loved by Betty guarantees Philippe an easy life. Things soon sour and they're in separate bedrooms. This can't be because Betty's an old hag (Miranda was very attractive and the age gap wasn't as big as that between Swanson and Holden in "Sunset Boulevard".) Trouble is that Philippe realises he's basically a gigolo, with no money of his own, and that Eva (Betty's secretary, not niece as per the storyline) is the one he wants. This is understandable, as Mylene Demongeot is gorgeous, smart and apparently sweet in the role.
It turns out she's far from sweet, and she gently nudges Philippe towards trying to kill Betty. There follow a serious of delicious twists as Philippe's scheme unravels. The film looks great, the direction and acting are first class. It's hard to believe that Vidal, who looks in such great shape, was a drug addict with only two years to live. My only criticism is that Philippe's attempt to create an alibi was pretty unconvincing, especially since his police inspector friend was in the next room, but the way the alibi is rumbled was another reason to cheer.
My thanks once more to MovieDetective for another unsung classic, which I'd never heard off before I found it on their brilliant site.
Review of A Kiss for a Killer
