Film Snail

7.5

Gilda

NR·1946·110m

Romance

Drama

Thriller

Romance

Drama

Thriller

Summary

A gambler discovers an old flame while in Argentina, but she's married to his new boss.

Cast

Rita Hayworth

Gilda

Glenn Ford

Johnny Farrell

George Macready

Ballin Mundson

Joseph Calleia

Det. Maurice Obregon

Steven Geray

Uncle Pio

Joe Sawyer

Casey

Gerald Mohr

Capt. Delgado

Mark Roberts

Gabe Evans

Ludwig Donath

German Cartel Member

Donald Douglas

Thomas Langford

Julio Abadía

Newsman / Waiter (uncredited)

Enrique Acosta

Gambler (uncredited)

Ed Agresti

Nightclub Patron (uncredited)

Sam Appel

Blackjack Dealer (uncredited)

Sam Ash

Gambler (uncredited)

Nina Bara

Girl at Carnival (uncredited)

Edward Biby

Gambler (uncredited)

Robert Board

American Cartel Member (uncredited)

Symona Boniface

Gambler at Roulette Table (uncredited)

Eugene Borden

Blackjack Dealer (uncredited)

Paul Bradley

Man (uncredited)

Argentina Brunetti

Woman (uncredited)

Jack Chefe

Assistant Croupier (uncredited)

Eduardo Ciannelli

Cartel Member (uncredited)

James Conaty

Gambler (uncredited)

Jean De Briac

French Cartel Member (uncredited)

Jerry De Castro

Doorman (uncredited)

Leander De Cordova

Servant (uncredited)

Sayre Dearing

Nightсlub Patron (uncredited)

Jack Del Rio

Cashier (uncredited)

Jean Del Val

French Cartel Member (uncredited)

Carli Elinor

Waiter (uncredited)

Fernanda Eliscu

Bendolin's Wife (uncredited)

Herbert Evans

English Cartel Member (uncredited)

Sam Flint

American Cartel Member (uncredited)

Bess Flowers

Gambler at Roulette Table (uncredited)

Peter Ford

Johnny as a Baby (uncredited)

Curt Furberg

Gambler (uncredited)

Kay Garrett

Gambler (uncredited)

Fred Godoy

Bartender (uncredited)

Paul Gustine

Gambler (uncredited)

Robert Haines

Gambler (uncredited)

Sam Harris

Gambler (uncredited)

Lew Harvey

Gambler (uncredited)

Ed Haskett

Gambler (uncredited)

Ted Hecht

Holdup Man (uncredited)

Ernest Hilliard

English Cartel Member (uncredited)

Stuart Holmes

Gambler at Banco Table (uncredited)

Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.

Peasant (uncredited)

George Humbert

Italian Man (uncredited)

Robert Kellard

Man at Masquerade (uncredited)

Kenner G. Kemp

Gambler (uncredited)

Frank Leigh

Man (uncredited)

George J. Lewis

Huerta (uncredited)

Frank Leyva

Argentine Cartel Member (uncredited)

Oscar Loraine

French Cartel Member (uncredited)

Wilbur Mack

Gambler (uncredited)

Herman Marks

Waiter (uncredited)

Alphonse Martell

Roulette Croupier (uncredited)

Saul Martell

Little Man (uncredited)

Frank Mayo

Gambler (uncredited)

John Merton

Policeman (uncredited)

Harold Miller

Gambler (uncredited)

Forbes Murray

American Cartel Member (uncredited)

Ralph Navarro

Waiter (uncredited)

Alfred Paix

Waiter (uncredited)

Lou Palfy

Assistant Croupier (uncredited)

Joe Palma

Waiter (uncredited)

Albert Petit

Nightclub Patron (uncredited)

Alexander Pollard

Gambler (uncredited)

Albert Pollet

Assistant Croupier (uncredited)

Paul Regas

Man (uncredited)

Rosa Rey

Maria (uncredited)

Suzanne Ridgway

Nightclub Patron (uncredited)

Ruth Roman

Girl (uncredited)

Clark Ross

Nightclub Patron (uncredited)

Lionel Royce

German Man (uncredited)

Cosmo Sardo

Man (uncredited)

Jeffrey Sayre

Gambler (uncredited)

Leonardo Scavino

Croupier (uncredited)

William Smith

Man (uncredited)

George Sorel

Assistant Croupier (uncredited)

Robert Tafur

Clerk (uncredited)

John Tyrrell

Man (uncredited)

Philip Van Zandt

Cartel Member (uncredited)

Ernö Verebes

Blackjack Dealer (uncredited)

Russ Vincent

Escort (uncredited)

Blackie Whiteford

Crap Game Spectator (uncredited)

Max Linder

Gambler (uncredited)

Crew

Director

Charles Vidor

Adaptation

Jo Eisinger

Screenplay

Marion Parsonnet

Story

E.A. Ellington

Reviews

tmdb28039023

September 4, 2022

Gilda is just like Casablanca if Casablanca had a happy ending, which would have been a bad idea even if it hadn’t been already done two years earlier in To Have and Have Not (which at least had Bogie in it).

Like Casablanca, Gilda revolves around a love triangle set in a gambling establishment in an exotic location, but while Casablanca takes place in North Africa during World War II, Gilda takes place in South America just after the war. Moreover, if Casablanca ends with "the beginning of a beautiful friendship", Gilda concludes with the continuation of a horrible romance.

Following the Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), Victor Lazlo (Paul Heinreid) pattern, Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) lives a carefree existence running a casino in Buenos Aires until Gilda (Rita Hayworth) walks back into his life hand-in-hand with Ballin Mundson (George Macready).

Macready, despite his character's unfortunate name (Victor Lazlo sounds merely foreign; Ballin Mundson is positively alien), and especially Hayworth, look their parts to a T; as for Ford, let's just say he was taller than Bogie, but there’s a big difference between height and stature.

Gilda has married Ballin after knowing him all of one day. This drives Johnny mad with jealousy; however, to Gilda's chagrin, he’s less jealous of Ballin than of her — and understandably so; casino owner Ballin is something of a mentor and father figure to Johnny, who in turn is his bodyguard, confidante, and right-hand man. In short, Johnny is betrayed by Ballin and Ballin is betrayed by Gilda with Johnny's complicity, though Johnny more to protect Ballin than to help her.

The whole thing is sick and twisted and a lot of fun thanks to Hayworth; Johnny hates her with a passion, and if we never question the authenticity and intensity of this feeling, it is not Ford's performance but hers that makes us, not only believe in Johnny’s hatred of her, but in fact even share it.

Like Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage, Hayworth owes her well-deserved fame to an absolutely infamous character. The difference is that Leslie Howard eventually wins, like Scott Pilgrim, The Power of Self-Respect, Johnny, however, ends up not only putting the pussy on a pedestal, but keeping it there.

He begs Gilda: “I want to go with you … Please take me,” and is lucky, or rather unlucky enough that Gilda welcomes him back with open arms, rationalizing this decision with the dubious logic that “No one has to apologize because we were both scoundrels, right? Isn’t it wonderful?". All things considered, some couples will always have Paris; for others, there’s always Family Court.