dennishermanson Review of Golden Earrings

Golden Earrings (1947)

THE NEW YORK TIMES - EXCERT of Review by Bosley Crowther Dec. 4, 1947

[8/10 · 15 January 2022]

.. The fabulous legs of Marlene Dietrich and that lady's distinguished charms, which have not been seen in movies since "Kismet" of three years back, are still rather miserably hidden beneath some bear-grease and a lot of gypsy rags in Paramount's "Golden Earrings," which came to the Paramount Theatre yesterday. For some strange suicidal instinct has apparently inspired that studio to do everything to Miss Dietrich that would submerge her special assets in this film and make a greasy ragamuffin of her, which we doubt that the public cares to see. Furthermore, some curious confusion as to what is humorous and what is not is plainly evident in this story of a British spy in Germany before the war and of his nimble attempts to elude the Nazis with the aid of a moody gypsy girl. Cheek by jowl with pointed nonsense about a British officer donning gypsy clothes, having his ears pierced for earrings and repulsing the advances of this unwashed girl are scenes of lowering melodrama in which another earnest British spy is killed, a German scientist sacrifices himself for humanity and any number of Nazi "heavies" are bumped off. Neither consistency nor cleverness are in the story or the writing thereof. And, plainly, Miss Dietrich is the victim of careless sabotage, being cast and directed to play a creature which is about as far from her forte as a grandma role. It is neither appealing nor artistic to behold La Dietrich, the model of svelte, smeared with some dark and oily ointment and prancing about in dirty duds...