Green Fire Flames Out

Grace Kelly starred in five movies released in 1954, including Rear Window (a bona fide Hitchcock classic), Dial M for Murder, and The Country Girl (for which she won a Best Actress Oscar). Her least impressive film that year was undoubtedly Green Fire, which she made so that MGM would "loan her out" for The Country Girl.

Kelly plays Catherine Knowland, a strong-willed young woman who runs a coffee bean plantation in Colombia with her brother Donald (John Ericson). Catherine falls for an adventurer named Rian Mitchell (Stewart Granger), whose principal interests are emeralds and women. Rian has discovered a long lost Conquistador emerald mine, which he plans to make profitable with his business partner (Paul Douglas). However, the two men need labor and additional capital. Catherine shows no desire in investing, but her more susceptible brother buys an interest in the mine while his sister is away. Not surprisingly, there is also a colorful local bandit waiting to steal the emeralds.

After striking box office gold in the early 1950s with Mogambo (starring Kelly) and King Solomon's Mines (with Granger), it's easy to see why MGM thought Green Fire would be a sure-fire hit. Take the stars of the previous films, center the action around an emerald mine, and shoot it (partially) on an exotic location--what could go wrong?

Grace Kelly.

The primary culprit--as is often the case in "packaged" films--is the script. The source novel, written by a mining engineer named Peter Rainier (no relation to Grace's future husband), may have been an exciting read. However, the film adaptation gets off to a sluggish start and never recovers. Green Fire is bereft of any thrills until the the closing scenes. 

The climax features a big explosion and a rock slide to divert the course of a river and save Catherine's plantation. It might be impressive if it didn't look like the miniature set it likely was. There is also a shoot-out with the bandits, but they aren't very threatening--indeed, they are some of the worst shots in the history of cinema.

Still, one can't lay all the blame on the screenplay. A really gripping drama between two stars can hold a picture like this together until the action-driven climax. The Naked Jungle, which is also set on a South American plantation, is the perfect example. But that film has two dynamic stars with sizzling on-screen chemistry (Eleanor Parker and Charlton Heston). There is no fire--emerald or otherwise--between Stewart Granger and Grace Kelly.

Even the great film composer Miklós Rózsa seems to be off his "A" game in Green Fire. His score is unexceptional and the title song (with lyrics by Jack Brooks) may be the weakest composition in Rózsa’s discography.

Hitchcock Blonde!

Consider...a succession of beautiful blonde actresses...the first few of whom naturally exuded a quality of feminine refinement that appealed to director Alfred Hitchcock and which he incorporated into a character type that he used repeatedly in his films. Ultimately, Hitchcock took possession of and honed this persona to a fine point. His final blonde stars were scrupulously stylized to fit his very specific image.

Joan Barry (Emily Hill in Rich and Strange, 1931)...London-born Barry first worked with Hitchcock when she dubbed Anny Ondra's voice for the sound version of Blackmail. She later starred in another of the director's early sound films, Rich and Strange. In addition to being a blonde, Barry possessed a delicate beauty that Hitchcock would seek again. (Note: This British actress should not be confused with the American actress Joan Barry who was legally entangled with Charlie Chaplin)

Madeleine Carroll (Pamela in The 39 Steps, 1935, and Elsa Carrington in Secret Agent, 1936) Often referred to as the first of Hitchcock's "ice cool" blondes, Carroll bore a striking resemblence to Joan Barry. Her career skyrocketed with the success of The 39 Steps and, following Secret Agent, she signed with Paramount and made several films in the U.S.

Carole Lombard (Ann Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, 1941) Hitchcock's only screwball comedy, Mr. & Mrs. Smith starred one Hollywood's great Golden Age comediennes, the lovely Lombard. She sparkled as the stubborn, beautiful and well-heeled Mrs. Smith; not exactly aloof, she was certainly intelligent and fashionable. Hitchcock directed at Lombard's request and it was the last of her films released during her lifetime.
(Note: Mr. & Mrs. Smith airs today, 11/16, on TCM at 4:15 pm Eastern/1:15 pm Pacific)

Grace Kelly (Margot Wendice in Dial M for Murder, 1954, Lisa Fremont in Rear Window, 1954, and Frances Stevens in To Catch a Thief, 1955) The quintessential "snow covered volcano" that all others are measured against. Kelly, one of the definitive beauties of the 1950s, naturally possessed elegance and refinement - she was also able to effortlessly portray the chilly allure that so appealed to Hitchcock.

Kim Novak ("Madeleine Elster"/Judy Barton in Vertigo, 1958) Novak was a very popular movie star of the 1950s and a departure from the type Hitchcock had previously cast as his blonde love objects. Among other things, she was more voluptuous than those before her. Her sultry allure was toned down with a chic and often subdued wardrobe as well as the application of quiet but precise makeup. In a new "twist," Novak wore her hair in a stylized up-do throughout most of the film - this was the memorable "French Twist" Hitchcock liked to explore with his camera. Novak's enigmatic performance much enhanced the mysteries of Vertigo.

Eva Marie Saint (Eve Kendall in North by Northwest, 1959) Though not a sex symbol like Novak, Saint was also a departure from the actresses Hitchcock had cast before her. A dedicated dramatic actress, she was known for starring in films like On the Waterfront and A Hatful of Rain as well as live TV dramas - what Hitchcock called "kitchen sink" roles. However, she got the full treatment once chosen to play Eve and was transformed into a cool glamour girl whose urbane artifice belies her vulnerability. Saint was coiffed, costumed and made up to seductive, slightly brittle perfection. Being a solid actress, she was able to carry off with ease the role of a government operative while encased in fullblown Hitchcock Blonde regalia.

Tippi Hedren (Melanie Daniels in The Birds, 1963, and Marnie Edgar in Marnie, 1964) Hitchcock's final pale-haired icon, Hedren's was the most controlled expression of Hitchcock's archetype. More model than actress at the time, Hedren's mannequin-like qualities seem emphasized by heavily sprayed bouffant hairstyles, a sophisticated and strictly coordinated wardrobe and fastidious makeup. Hitchcock coached Hedren closely and constantly, intensely involved in her every move. Her career faltered when she bought out her contract with Hitchcock following Marnie.

Footnote: Truffaut and Hitchcock discuss "the Hitchcock Blonde"
Hitchcock: You know why I favor sophisticated blondes in my films? We're after the drawing-room type, the real ladies, who become whores once they're in the bedroom.
Truffaut: What intrigues you is the paradox between the inner fire and the cool surface.
Hitchcock: Definitely...Do you know why? Because sex should not be advertised...because without the element of surprise the scenes become meaningless. There's no possibility to discover sex.