jromanbaker

I have no idea how ' romantic ' the auditions were to get into Hollywood, and this film charming though it is left me just a little doubtful. Walter Lang directed and directs it with a lot of expertise and charm. Linda Darnell plays the very young woman who wants to get on the screen, and nearly all of the running time is spent on the various ways she tries to achieve her goal. I like Darnell, and she shows the promise of being an even fine actor in films like ' Fallen Angel. ' Charlotte Greenwood in one of her best roles is excellent, and Roland Young the talent scout who finds Darnell is equally good. The one flaw for me was John Payne and in my opinion he had a slight talent but no more in the films I have seen him in. George Montgomery has a brief scene, and again in my opinion he should have had the lead role. All in all it is a good film from 1940 and can be found on YouTube, I enjoyed every likely and unlikely minute of it. It also has a charming train scene where Young looks out for new potential ' stars. ' It is near the beginning of the film, and sets the pace of movement that does not let up. Worth seeing.

The basic plot of this film is simple. Roadworks need doing in a fictitious street in Soho and once that fantasy fact is accepted a quite charming story unfolds. John Gregson ( miscast in my opinion ) is one of the workers and a sexual philanderer. Every new job a new woman, and in this street he sees Belinda Lee ( an actor of great beauty and talent who was never given much chance to show it in British films ) is his next conquest. No spoilers but to say that a ' miracle ' does take place in the street and if that ' fact ' is accepted by viewers the film is very enjoyable to watch. I must mention too Brian Bedford's character, who is clearly in love with Belinda Lee, and when he is on screen he puts Gregson in the shade. Gregson was talented, but again not in my opinion as a Don Juan who can attract every woman that he wants. Viewers to choose if I am right about this, and sadly because of that my rating for the film falls from 9 to 7 out of 10. An underrated film and if this vision of Soho can be accepted ( and why not ? ) it almost reaches the status of being a lovable and enjoyable cinematic experience.

When I first saw this film I gave it a full ten, but after seeing it again I decided on a nine. The ending is too rushed, and sadly more could have been explained. Rita Hayworth arguably in her best role gives her all as the supposed prostitute that Jose Ferrer as a so-called religious man wants to reform. Fortunately the reform process is shown as being a sexual ploy to seduce her, and no spoilers she gets on with her fun loving life. She is stranded on a south pacific island, and among the post-war soldiers of WW2, and Aldo Ray ( a fun loving tour de force in his own right ) is on hand to do battle with Jose Ferrer. As a film it is well directed and the subject matter seems so strong that the UK has given it a 12 certificate. I have no idea why and there is no concrete evidence that shows she actually sold her body. That she loves sex is clear, and why not ? She loves to sing and dance and in the film she is shown to do both excellently and these scenes alone warrant my opinion that she was a great actor. Curtis Bernhardt was the perfect director for her, and except for the too abrupt ending directs one of his best films. A must see for those who love uninhibited acting and the joy of life that bigots want to destroy.