Affair in Trinidad

During the time that this 1952 film was being filmed, its star, Rita Hayworth was thinking of terminating her contract with Columbia Pictures. Why didn't she? It would've prevented her from making films like this. This film plays like an obvious attempt to repeat the big box office success of "Gilda", a 1946 Columbia Picture starring Hayworth as she is reteamed with her "Gilda" costar Glenn Ford. The farfetched plot has nightclub singer Hayworth and her brother-in-law (Ford) joining forces to track down her husband's murderer. In the box office results, the film was a disappointment and it eventually inspired longtime Columbia Pictures contract players Hayworth and Ford to pursue film careers as freelances.

In Port of Spain, Trinidad, the mediocre painter Neal Emery is found dead apparently after committing suicide. Inspector Smythe (Torin Thatcher) seeks out Neal's wife, the dancer Chris Emery (Rita Hayworth) that is the lead attraction of the Caribe night-club to tell her about the death of her husband. Soon Smythe finds that Neal actually was murdered and his prime suspect is Neal's friend, the wealthy Max Fabian (Alexander Scourby) and has eyes on Chris. Smythe asks Chris to spy Fabian to find an evidence to arrest him.

Meanwhile Neal's brother Steve Emery (Glenn Ford) unexpectedly arrives in Trinidad to visit his brother and learns that his brother had committed suicide, but he does not believe on the official statement. He stays at Chris house and decides to investigate the murder of his brother. Soon Chris and Steve fall in love with each other, but Chris cannot tell to him the reason why she continues to meet Fabian.

"Affair in Trinidad" is a film-noir with a not well developed story where Rita Hayworth steals the movie and makes it worthy. Glenn Ford's character is too nervous and shows no chemistry with Rita Hayworth. Actually there is nothing to explain why the offensive Steve and Chris falling in love with each other. The cinematography is magnificent and the plot is reasonable, but the rushed conclusion ruins this film-noir. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Viúva em Trinidad" ("A Widow in Trinidad")

When one approaches a 1940's title like 'Affair In Trinidad', you'll be hard pressed to figure that it's some sort of musical with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, or some madcap Marx Brothers comedy, not a hard edged murder mystery, yet that's what this badly titled movie is. Not that there's nothing wrong with the movie, I liked it. It's just the title is sort of curious. Rita Hayworth is a.. uh.. entertainer in very sleazy club (check out the people "returning" downstairs (cough) and keeps the people entertained by singing and dancing very suggestively to a song called "Trinidad Lady". Actually, she's SMOKING (as in hot!) in this scene, her dress and dancing are amazing. But soon, the police arrive on the scene, her husband has committed suicide, and they want to find out the reasons leading to his death. Glenn Ford, playing as steely jawed as Glenn Ford can, who plays his brother, wants to know too! From there, it's a whirlwind of deception, romance and thrills (well, not really), that is not really suspenseful, because we find out early on who did it, we just have to find out why (and that reason is a silly post-war hokum). Oh well, Hayworth IS pretty to look at, and Glenn Ford is great as usual, so the combination of the two is sorta fun to watch.

Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford re-team for "Affair in Trinidad," a 1952 film also starring Alexander Scourby, Juanita Moore and Valerie Bettis. Hayworth plays Chris Emery, a nightclub performer whose husband Neil dies by apparent suicide that turns out to be murder. His brother Steve (Ford) shows up on the day of the inquest, having received a letter from Neil on the day he died. He assumes the worst about his widowed sister-in-law and her relationship with a wealthy man, Max Fabian (Scourby).

Either I dosed off or the actual mystery was never fully explained. It was explained sort of, but I was never clear what Rita, her husband, or the people in Max's house had to do with it. The story, as the subject line indicates, is a gemisch of "Gilda" and "Notorious" and not as good as either one. Interestingly, the plot predates the Cuban missile crisis by 10 years. Totally amazing. For that alone, it's worth seeing.

Except for Ava Gardner, probably no actress defined the word "hot" like Rita Hayworth. For a woman who was painfully shy and didn't even want to be in show business, she sure could turn it on. And turn it on she does in two musical numbers, "I've Been Kissed Before" and "Trinidad Lady." She wears some gorgeous gowns, too. Glenn Ford and Rita make a wonderful team, certainly one of Hollywood's sexiest film love matches. Juanita Moore is excellent as the all-knowing maid, Dominique, and Alexander Scourby is an elegant villain.

"Affair in Trinidad" is well directed by Vincent Sherman with a nice, dark atmosphere, and one really believes it's Trinidad. Watching Rita Hayworth is never a waste of time; this isn't the greatest movie ever made, but Rita creates a few sparks.

Affair in Trinidad is one of those pretend film noir movies that the public seem to love more than the critics, both back then on release and also now. I was personally hoping that as a big fan of Glenn Ford, and being an admirer of Rita Hayworth, I too would be thumbing my nose at the critics. Sadly not.

Directed by Vincent Sherman and with a screenplay by Berne Gilder and James Gunn, the story is set in Trinidad and pitches Hayworth as a recently widowed nightclub dancer and Ford as the deceased man's brother. The death is suspicious and as the law closes in (in the form of Torrin Thatcher) secrets will out and a bigger picture kind of emerges.

Ok! Lets not compare to Gilda and Notorious, for obvious reasons, and just accept Affair in Trinidad as its own entity. What transpires is a tired tropical exercise in romance and spy like intrigue. In fact it's a bit of a hack job coasting in on the two leading stars reputations, Ford as a genre presence and Hayworth as some sort of ogle feature. The plot is ridiculous where nothing much makes sense. Character's motivations are sketchy at best, and once the screenplay plays its hand for reveal purpose, you wonder just where are the villains from and what exactly are they up to?! Is that explained or did I have a power nap?...

It doesn't help that head weasel Max Fabian (Alexander Scourby) is so not threatening, and boring to boot, that it renders the intended dramatic oomph at pics finale as being akin to a damp squib. Hayworth goes through the motions in the acting scenes, only holding court with her two dance numbers (voice dubbed by Jo Ann Greer), and while Ford can brood with the best of them, his character is so poorly written it doesn't let the actor shine.

As for this remotely being film noir? Not a chance, neither visually, thematically or in characterisations does it work on that film making style. Consider me bloody annoyed. 5/10