Although Charles Vidor’s film noir made a superstar of Rita Hayworth, it was initially in Europe that the film received its greatest acclaim. Elements including its subtle interplay of gender roles and sexuality, its elegant subversion of films such as Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca (1942), and its lush style has since been given their due, and the film acknowledged as a classic, paid tribute in films as diverse as Notting Hill (Roger Michell, 1999) and Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001). Johnny (Glenn Ford), a gambler less adept at cheating than he thinks, manages to inveigle a position as casino manager for Mundson (George Macready). There is an immediate antipathy between Johnny and Mundson’s wife Gilda (Hayworth) when they meet, though the two deny ever having met before. As the two are drawn into Mundson’s illicit activities, the complicated truth comes out.

Notes by Kevin Coyne