Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Movie review - "Laughing Anne" (1953) ** (warning: spoilers)

Margaret Lockwood signed with Herbert Wilcox in a multi picture deal attempting to revive her career. The films weren't popular, particularly this one which is a South Seas tale of all things, though with minimal location work although it is in colour.

It was a co production with Republic so there are two American "stars" - Forrest Tucker and Wendell Corey. Corey is a captain who hooks up with lounge singer Margaret Lockwood - in a French accent channelling Marlene Dietrich or Yvonne de Carlo. She flashes back to her romance with Forest Tucker, who got his hands chopped off because he wouldn't throw a fight.

The film really needed to star someone like de Carlo or Maureen O'Hara and Jeff Chandler. The basic story isn't bad - from a story by Joseph Conrad - but its sluggish. Corey and Tucker are second tier, and Lockwood looks uncomfortable. I mean she throws herself into it with the accent and singing but it's unconvincing.

Wilcox's direction is lethargic and the story is depressing - Tucker gets his hands cut off and is a loser, Lockwood winds up dead, Corey's wife leaves him.

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